Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual Radio PDF

Version 3.2.
User Manual
Radio
AT321_UMR_E4
AT321_UMR_E4
Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual
Release: AT321_UMR_E4 (October 2014)
© Copyright 1997-2014 Forsk. All Rights Reserved.
Published by:
Forsk
7 rue des Briquetiers
31700 Blagnac, France
Tel: +33 562 747 210
Fax: +33 562 747 211
The software described in this document is provided under a licence agreement. The software may only be used or copied under the terms and conditions of the licence agreement.
No part of the contents of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.
The product or brand names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective registering parties.
The publisher has taken care in the preparation of this document, but makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. No
liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information contained herein.
Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual © 2014 Forsk
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AT321_UMR_E4 Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
About Forsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Printing Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
About Atoll Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Contacting Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
1 Working Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

1.1 The Atoll Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
1.1.1 Selecting a Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1.1.1.1 Selecting a Window Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1.1.1.2 Selecting a Window from the Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
1.1.1.3 Using the Windows dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
1.1.2 Organising the Atoll Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
1.1.2.1 Creating a New Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
1.1.2.2 Arranging Tool and Explorer Windows Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
1.1.2.3 Using Tab Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
1.1.2.4 Resetting the Workspace Layout to the Default View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
1.2 The Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

1.2.1 Working with the Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
1.2.2 Working with the Site Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1.2.3 Automatically Hiding Explorer Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1.2.4 Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
1.2.5 Working with Layers Using the Explorer Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1.3 Working with Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

1.3.1 Using the Object Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1.3.1.1 Renaming an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1.3.1.2 Deleting an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1.3.1.3 Deleting Several Objects at Once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1.3.1.4 Displaying the Properties of an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1.3.2 Modifying Transmitters and Sites on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
1.3.2.1 Selecting One out of Several Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
1.3.2.2 Moving a Site Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
1.3.2.3 Moving a Site to a Higher Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
1.3.2.4 Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
1.3.2.5 Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1.3.3 Display Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1.3.3.1 Defining the Display Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1.3.3.2 Examples of Using the Display Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
1.4 Working with Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

1.4.1 Changing the Map Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
1.4.1.1 Zooming In and Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
1.4.1.2 Zooming In on a Specific Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
1.4.1.3 Choosing a Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
1.4.1.4 Changing Between Previous Zoom Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
1.4.2 Using Full Screen Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
1.4.3 Moving the Map in the Document Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
1.4.4 Using the Panoramic Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1.4.5 Centring the Map Window on an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1.4.6 Centring the Map Window on a Table Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1.4.7 Adjusting the Map Window to a Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1.4.8 Measuring Distances on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
1.4.9 Displaying Rulers Around the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
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Table of Contents © Forsk 2014
1.4.10 Displaying the Map Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

1.4.11 Displaying the Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
1.4.12 Using Zones in the Map Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
1.4.12.1 The Filtering Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
1.4.12.2 The Computation Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
1.4.12.3 The Focus Zone and Hot Spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
1.4.12.4 Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
1.4.12.5 Using a Printing Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
1.4.12.6 Using a Geographic Export Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
1.4.13 Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
1.4.13.1 Adding a Vector Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
1.4.13.2 Creating Polygons, Lines, and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
1.4.13.3 Editing the Shape of Polygons and Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
1.4.13.4 Combining or Cropping Polygons Using the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
1.4.13.5 Editing a Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
1.4.13.6 Editing Contours, Lines, and Points Using the Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
1.4.14 Copying the Content of a Zone into Another Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
1.4.15 Map Window Pointers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
1.5 Working with Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

1.5.1 Organising the Contents of the Predictions Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
1.5.1.1 Creating Folders in the Predictions folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
1.5.1.2 Moving a Coverage Prediction into a Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
1.5.2 Exporting Coverage Predictions Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
1.6 Working with Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

1.6.1 Opening a Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
1.6.2 Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
1.6.2.1 Accessing an Object Type’s Table Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
1.6.2.2 Adding a Field to a Data Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
1.6.2.3 Deleting a Field from an Object Type’s Data Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
1.6.3 Opening an Object’s Record Properties dialog box from a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
1.6.4 Defining the Table Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
1.6.4.1 Formatting the Column Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
1.6.4.2 Formatting Table Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
1.6.4.3 Changing Column Width or Row Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
1.6.4.4 Displaying or Hiding a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
1.6.4.5 Freezing or Unfreezing a Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
1.6.4.6 Moving Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
1.6.5 Editing the Contents of a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
1.6.5.1 Editing Table Entries Directly in the Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
1.6.5.2 Copying and Pasting in Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
1.6.5.3 Searching for and Replacing Text Entries in Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
1.6.6 Viewing a Statistical Analysis of Table Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
1.6.7 Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
1.6.8 Importing Tables from Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
1.6.9 Exporting Tables to XML Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
1.6.10 Importing Tables from XML Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
1.7 Printing in Atoll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

1.7.1 Printing Data Tables and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
1.7.2 Printing a Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
1.7.2.1 Printing Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
1.7.2.2 Defining the Printing Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
1.7.2.3 Defining the Print Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
1.7.3 Previewing Your Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
1.7.4 Printing a Docking Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
1.7.5 Printing Antenna Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
1.8 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

1.8.1 Grouping Data Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
1.8.1.1 Grouping Data Objects by a Selected Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
1.8.1.2 Configuring the Group By Submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
1.8.1.3 Advanced Grouping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
1.8.1.4 Examples of Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
1.8.2 Sorting Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
1.8.2.1 Sorting Data in Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
1.8.2.2 Advanced Sorting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
6
1.8.3 Filtering Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

1.8.3.1 Filtering in Data Tables by Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
1.8.3.2 Advanced Data Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
1.8.3.3 Restoring All Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
1.8.4 User Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
1.8.4.1 Saving a User Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
1.8.4.2 Loading a User Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
1.8.5 Site and Transmitter Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
1.8.5.1 Creating a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
1.8.5.2 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List in the Network Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
1.8.5.3 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
1.8.5.4 Adding Sites or Transmitters to a List Using a Zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
1.8.5.5 Editing a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
1.8.5.6 Importing a Site or Transmitter List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
1.8.5.7 Exporting a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
1.8.5.8 Filtering on a Site or Transmitter List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
1.8.6 Folder Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
1.8.6.1 Creating a Folder Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
1.8.6.2 Applying a Saved Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
1.8.6.3 Reapplying the Current Folder Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
1.8.6.4 Saving a Folder Configuration in an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
1.8.6.5 Loading a Folder Configuration from an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
1.8.6.6 Deleting a Folder Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
1.8.7 Creating and Comparing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
1.8.8 Filtering Data Using a Filtering Zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
1.9 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

1.9.1 Undoing and Redoing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
1.9.2 Refreshing Maps and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
1.9.3 Searching for Objects on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
1.9.3.1 Searching for a Map Object by Its Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
1.9.3.2 Searching for a Map Object using Any Text Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
1.9.3.3 Searching for a Point on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
1.9.4 Using the Status Bar to Get Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
1.9.5 Saving Information Displayed in the Event Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
1.9.6 Using Icons from the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
1.9.7 Using Shortcuts in Atoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
1.9.8 Add-ins and Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
2 Atoll Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

2.1 Before Starting a Radio-Planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
2.2 Creating an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

2.2.1 Creating a New Atoll Document from a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
2.2.1.1 Available Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
2.2.1.2 Creating an Atoll Document from a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
2.2.1.3 Setting-up a New Atoll Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
2.2.2 Working in a Multi-User Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
2.2.2.1 The Atoll Multi-User Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
2.2.2.2 Creating a New Atoll Document from a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
2.2.2.3 Working With a Document on a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
2.2.2.4 Refreshing an Atoll Document from the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
2.2.2.5 Archiving the Modifications of an Atoll Document in the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
2.3 Making a Backup of Your Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

2.3.1 Configuring Automatic Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
2.3.2 Recovering a Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
2.4 Making and Sharing Portable Atoll Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
3 Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

3.1 Geographic Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
3.2 Supported Geographic Data Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
3.3 Importing Geo Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
7
3.3.1 Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

3.3.2 Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
3.3.3 Importing Traffic Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3.3.4 Importing MSI Planet® Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3.3.4.1 Importing One MSI Planet® Data Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3.3.4.2 Importing a MSI Planet® Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
3.3.5 Importing a WMS Raster-format Geo Data File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
3.3.6 Organising Geo Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
3.3.6.1 Grouping Geo Data Files in Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
3.3.6.2 Creating Folders for Vectors and Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
3.3.6.3 Moving a Vector or Image into a Dedicated Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
3.3.7 Embedding Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
3.3.8 Repairing a Broken Link to a Geo Data File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
3.4 Digital Terrain Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
3.5 Clutter Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

3.5.1 Assigning Names to Clutter Classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
3.5.2 Defining Clutter Class Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
3.5.3 Adding a Clutter Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
3.5.4 Refreshing the List of Clutter Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
3.5.5 Displaying Total Surface Area per Clutter Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
3.6 Clutter Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
3.7 Contours, Lines, and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

3.7.1 Managing the Display of a Vector Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3.7.2 Managing the Properties of the Vector Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3.7.3 Moving a Vector Layer to the Network Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
3.8 Scanned Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

3.8.1 Importing Several Scanned Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
3.8.2 Defining the Display Properties of Scanned Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.9 Population Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

3.9.1 Managing the Display of Population Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
3.9.2 Displaying Population Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
3.10 Custom Geo Data Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

3.10.1 Creating a Custom Geo Data Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
3.10.2 Adding a File to a Custom Geo Data Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
3.10.3 Managing the Properties of a Custom Geo Data Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
3.10.4 Displaying Statistics on Custom Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
3.10.5 Integrable versus Non-integrable Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
3.11 Displaying Online Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

3.11.1 Displaying Online Maps from a Tile Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
3.11.1.1 Displaying Online Maps from a Generic Tile Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
3.11.1.2 Displaying Online Maps from the Microsoft Bing Tile Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
3.11.2 Displaying Online Maps from a GEO or CFG File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
3.12 Setting the Priority of Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

3.12.1 Setting the Display Priority of Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
3.12.2 Setting the Priority of Geo Data in Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
3.12.2.1 Example 1: Two DTM Maps Representing Different Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
3.12.2.2 Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
3.12.2.3 Example 3: Two Clutter Class Maps Representing a Common Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
3.13 Displaying Information About Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
3.14 Geographic Data Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

3.14.1 Exporting a Geo Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
3.14.2 Loading a Geo Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
3.15 Editing Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

3.15.1 Editing Clutter Class Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
3.15.1.1 Creating a Clutter Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
3.15.1.2 Editing Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
3.15.1.3 Displaying the Coordinates of Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
3.15.1.4 Deleting Clutter Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
3.15.2 Editing Population or Custom Data Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
8
3.16 Saving Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

3.16.1 Saving Modifications to an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
3.16.1.1 Exporting an Edited Clutter Class Map in a Raster-Format File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
3.16.1.2 Exporting an Edited Vector Layer in Vector-Format File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
3.16.2 Updating the Source File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
3.16.3 Combining Several Raster Files into One File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
3.16.4 Exporting an Embedded File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
3.16.5 Creating a New File from a Larger File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
4 Antennas and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

4.1 Working With Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
4.1.1 Creating an Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
4.1.2 Importing Atoll Format Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.1.3 Importing Planet Format Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.1.4 Importing 3-D Antenna Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.1.5 Displaying Antenna Patterns With a Fixed Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
4.1.6 Smoothing an Antenna Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
4.1.7 Using the Antenna Selection Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
4.1.8 Comparing Antenna Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
4.1.9 Sharing an Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
4.1.10 Defining Multiple-Beam Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
4.1.11 Printing an Antenna Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
4.2 Working With Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

4.2.1 Defining TMA Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
4.2.2 Defining Feeder Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
4.2.3 Defining Transmitter Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
4.2.4 Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter Equipment Noise Figure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
4.2.5 Checking Antenna Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
5 Calculations and Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

5.1 Working with Radio Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
5.1.1 Propagation Model Characteristics: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
5.1.2 The Standard Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
5.1.2.1 Standard Propagation Model Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
5.1.2.2 Calculating Diffraction With the SPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
5.1.2.3 Sample Values for SPM Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
5.1.2.4 Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
5.1.2.5 Modelling Fixed Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
5.1.2.6 Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
5.1.2.7 Defining the Clutter Settings of the Standard Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
5.1.3 The CrossWave Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
5.1.4 The Okumura-Hata Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
5.1.4.1 Defining General Settings (Okumura-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
5.1.4.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Okumura-Hata). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
5.1.4.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
5.1.5 The Cost-Hata Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
5.1.5.1 Defining General Settings (Cost-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
5.1.5.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Cost-Hata) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
5.1.5.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Cost-Hata). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
5.1.6 The ITU 529-3 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
5.1.6.1 Defining General Settings (ITU 529-3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
5.1.6.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (ITU 529-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
5.1.6.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
5.1.8 The Erceg-Greenstein Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
5.1.8.1 Defining General Settings (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
5.1.8.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
5.1.8.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
5.1.10 The WLL Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
5.1.11 The Longley-Rice Propagation Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
5.1.12 The ITU 1546 Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
5.1.13 The Sakagami Extended Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
5.1.14 Managing Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
9
5.2 Defining Radio Calculation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

5.2.1 Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
5.2.2 Defining Calculation Parameters for a Group of Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
5.2.3 Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for All Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.2.4 Defining a Default Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.2.5 Defining a Default Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.3 Managing Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

5.3.1 Calculating Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
5.3.2 Stopping Path Loss Matrix Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
5.3.3 Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
5.3.4 Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
5.3.5 Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
5.3.6 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
5.3.6.1 Defining the Area to be Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
5.3.6.2 Defining Maximum Corrections and Thresholds on Path Loss Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
5.3.6.3 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using CW Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
5.3.6.4 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
5.3.6.5 Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
5.3.7 Exporting Path Loss Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
5.4 Radio Prediction Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

5.4.1 Making Point Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
5.4.1.1 Starting a Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
5.4.1.2 The Views of the Point Analysis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
5.4.1.3 Moving the Receiver on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
5.4.1.4 Taking Indoor Losses into Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
5.4.1.5 Taking Shadowing into Account in Point Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
5.4.2 Making Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
5.4.2.1 Creating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
5.4.2.2 Calculating Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
5.4.2.3 Saving Defined Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
5.4.2.4 Calculating Indoor Coverage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
5.4.2.5 Taking Shadowing into Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
6 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

6.1 Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
6.2 Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

6.2.1 Creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
6.2.1.1 Definition of a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
6.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
6.2.1.3 Placing a New Station Using a Station Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
6.2.1.4 Managing Station Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
6.2.1.5 Duplicating an Existing Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
6.2.1.6 Studying the Profile Around a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
6.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
6.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
6.2.4 Display Tips for Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
6.2.5 Modelling Packet-switched Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
6.2.6 Creating a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
6.2.6.1 Opening the Repeaters Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
6.2.6.2 Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
6.2.6.3 Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
6.2.6.4 Creating Several Repeaters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
6.2.6.5 Defining the Properties of a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
6.2.6.6 Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
6.2.7 Creating a Remote Antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
6.2.7.1 Opening the Remote Antennas Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
6.2.7.2 Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
6.2.7.3 Creating Several Remote Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
6.2.7.4 Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
6.2.7.5 Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
6.2.8 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
6.2.8.1 Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
6.2.8.2 Creating a Computation Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
6.2.8.3 Assigning a Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
10
6.2.8.4 Setting Transmitters as Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

6.2.8.5 The Calculation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
6.2.9 Studying Base Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
6.2.9.1 Signal Level Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
6.2.9.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
6.2.9.3 Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
6.2.9.4 Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
6.2.9.5 Analysing Signal Reception Using the Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
6.2.9.6 Comparing Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
6.2.10 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
6.2.10.1 Importing Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
6.2.10.2 Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
6.2.10.3 Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
6.2.10.4 Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
6.2.10.5 Checking Automatic Allocation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
6.2.10.6 Allocating and Deleting Neighbours per Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
6.2.10.7 Calculating the Importance of Existing Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
6.2.10.8 Checking the Consistency of the Intra-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
6.2.10.9 Exporting Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
6.3 Studying Network Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

6.3.1 Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
6.3.2 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
6.3.3 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
6.3.3.1 Creating a Sector Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
6.3.3.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
6.3.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
6.3.3.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
6.3.3.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
6.3.4 Exporting a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
6.3.5 Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
6.3.5.1 Prerequisites for a Traffic Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
6.3.5.2 Creating a Traffic Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
6.3.5.3 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
6.3.5.4 Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
6.3.5.5 Estimating a Traffic Increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
6.3.5.6 Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
6.3.6 Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
6.3.6.1 Defining a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dimensioning Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
6.3.6.2 Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
6.3.7 Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
6.3.7.1 Radio Resource Management in GSM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
6.3.7.2 Creating Simulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
6.3.7.3 Displaying the Traffic Distribution on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
6.3.7.4 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
6.3.7.5 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
6.3.7.6 Updating Cell Values With Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
6.3.7.7 Estimating a Traffic Increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
6.4 Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

6.4.1 Defining Resource Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
6.4.1.1 Defining Frequency Bands, Domains, and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
6.4.1.2 Defining BSIC Domains and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
6.4.1.3 Defining HSN Domains and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
6.4.2 Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
6.4.2.1 Assigning BSIC Domains to Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
6.4.2.2 Assigning BSICs to Transmitters Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
6.4.2.3 Defining Frequency Domains for Transmitters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
6.4.2.4 Assigning Frequencies to Subcells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
6.4.3 AFP Prerequisites (IM, Separations, Traffic, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
6.4.3.1 Interference Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
6.4.3.2 Channel Separations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
6.4.3.3 Modelling Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
6.4.3.4 AFP-Related Parameters in the Subcells Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
6.4.3.5 Modelling Layers and Subcells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
6.4.4 Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
6.4.4.1 The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
11
6.4.4.2 The Network Validation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

6.4.4.3 Running an Automatic Frequency Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
6.4.4.4 The AFP Progress dialog box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
6.4.4.5 The Results of the Automatic Frequency Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
6.4.4.6 Committing and Exporting the Frequency Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
6.4.4.7 Allocating Frequencies Interactively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
6.5 The Atoll AFP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

6.5.1 Using the Atoll AFP at a Basic Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
6.5.2 Using the Atoll AFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
6.5.2.1 An Overview of the AFP Cost Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
6.5.2.2 Setting the Parameters of the Atoll AFP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
6.5.2.3 Frequency Hopping Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
6.5.2.4 Azimuth Oriented Assignments (Pattern Allocation, 1/1 1/3 1/x …) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
6.5.2.5 BSIC Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
6.5.3 Advanced AFP usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
6.5.3.1 Optimising the Number of Required TRXs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
6.5.3.2 Combining Interference Matrices According to Maximum Likelihood Estimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
6.5.3.3 The Storage of a Frequency Plan in Atoll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
6.5.3.4 AFP Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
6.5.3.5 The Role of the AFP Administrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
6.6 Analysing Network Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

6.6.1 Evaluating the Quality of a Frequency Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
6.6.2 Interference Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
6.6.2.1 Making DL Quality Predic ons Based on C⁄I or C⁄(I+N) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
6.6.2.2 Making UL Quality Predic ons Based on C⁄(I+N) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
6.6.2.3 Studying Interference Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
6.6.2.4 Analysing Interference Areas Using the Point Analysis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
6.6.2.5 Example of Analysing Interference Using a Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
6.6.3 Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
6.6.3.1 Making a Coverage Prediction by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
6.6.3.2 Making a Coverage Prediction by Packet Throughput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
6.6.3.3 Making a BLER Coverage Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
6.6.4 Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Coverage Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
6.6.5 Making a Service Area Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
6.6.6 Studying Interference Between Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
6.6.7 Auditing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Frequency Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
6.6.8 Checking Consistency in Subcells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
6.6.9 Displaying the Frequency Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
6.6.9.1 Using Find on Map to Display Channel Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
6.6.9.2 Displaying the Frequency Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
6.6.9.3 Grouping Transmitters by Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
6.6.9.4 Displaying the Channel Allocation Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
6.6.10 Calculating Key Performance Indicators of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
6.7 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

6.7.1 GSM Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
6.7.2 GSM Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
6.7.3 GSM Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
6.8 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

6.8.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
6.8.2 Displaying Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
6.8.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
6.8.4 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
6.8.4.1 Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
6.8.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
6.8.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
6.8.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
6.8.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
6.8.4.6 Analysing Data Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
6.8.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
6.8.6 Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
6.8.7 Generating Interference Matrices from a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
6.8.8 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
6.9 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
12
6.9.1 Setting HCS Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

6.9.2 Comparing Service Areas in Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
6.9.3 Cell Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
6.9.3.1 TRX Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
6.9.3.2 Creating a Cell Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
6.9.3.3 Examples of Cell Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
6.9.4 TRX Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
6.9.4.1 Creating or Importing TRX Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
6.9.5 Codec Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
6.9.5.1 Opening the Codec Mode Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
6.9.5.2 Creating or Modifying Codec Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
6.9.5.3 Setting Codec Mode Adaptation Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
6.9.5.4 Setting Codec Mode Quality Thresholds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
6.9.5.5 Using Codec Configurations in Transmitters and Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
6.9.6 Coding Scheme Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
6.9.6.1 Opening the Coding Schemes Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
6.9.6.2 Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
6.9.6.3 Using Coding Scheme Configuration in Transmitters and Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
6.9.6.4 Adapting Coding Scheme Thresholds for a Maximum BLER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
6.9.6.5 Displaying Coding Scheme Throughput Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
6.9.7 Timeslot Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
6.9.7.1 Creating or Modifying a Timeslot Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
6.9.8 Advanced Transmitter Configuration Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
6.9.8.1 Defining Extended Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
6.9.8.2 Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
6.9.9 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Multi-Service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
6.9.9.1 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
6.9.9.2 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
6.9.9.3 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
6.9.10 Defining the Interferer Reception Threshold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
6.9.11 Advanced Modelling of Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
6.9.12 Modelling Shadowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
6.9.12.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
6.9.13 Modelling the Co-existence of Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
6.9.14 Modelling Inter-technology Interference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
6.9.14.1 Defining Inter-technology IRFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
7 UMTS HSPA Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527

7.1 Designing a UMTS Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
7.2 Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

7.2.1 Creating a UMTS Base Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
7.2.1.1 Definition of a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
7.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536
7.2.1.3 Placing a New Station Using a Station Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
7.2.1.4 Managing Station Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
7.2.1.5 Duplicating an Existing Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544
7.2.1.6 Studying the Profile Around a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545
7.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547
7.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
7.2.4 Display Tips for Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
7.2.5 Creating Dual-Band and Tri-Band UMTS Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
7.2.6 Creating a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
7.2.6.2 Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
7.2.6.3 Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
7.2.6.4 Creating Several Repeaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
7.2.6.6 Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552
7.2.7 Creating a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
7.2.7.1 Opening the Remote Antennas Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
7.2.7.2 Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
7.2.7.3 Creating Several Remote Antennas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
7.2.7.4 Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
7.2.7.5 Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
7.2.8 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556
13

7.2.8.4 Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
7.2.8.5 The Calculation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
7.2.9 Studying Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
7.2.9.1 Signal Level Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
7.2.9.2 UMTS Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
7.2.9.3 HSDPA Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587
7.2.9.4 HSUPA Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
7.2.9.5 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
7.2.9.6 Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
7.2.9.7 Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
7.2.9.8 Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
7.2.9.10 Making a Multi-Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
7.2.10 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606
7.2.10.1 Importing Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607
7.2.10.2 Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607
7.2.10.3 Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607
7.2.10.4 Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608
7.2.10.5 Checking Automatic Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
7.2.10.6 Allocating and Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours per Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
7.2.10.7 Calculating the Importance of Existing Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
7.2.10.8 Checking the Consistency of the Intra-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
7.2.10.9 Exporting Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
7.2.11 Planning Scrambling Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
7.2.11.1 Defining the Scrambling Code Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
7.2.11.2 Creating Scrambling Code Domains and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
7.2.11.3 Defining Exceptional Pairs for Scrambling Code Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
7.2.11.4 Allocating Scrambling Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
7.2.11.5 Checking the Consistency of the Scrambling Code Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
7.2.11.6 Displaying the Allocation of Scrambling Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
7.3 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

7.3.1 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632
7.3.2 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632
7.3.2.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635
7.3.2.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km²) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
7.3.2.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
7.3.2.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
7.3.3 Exporting a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
7.3.4.1 The Power Control Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
7.3.4.2 Creating Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
7.3.4.4 Displaying the User Active Set on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652
7.3.4.5 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652
7.3.4.6 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659
7.3.4.7 Updating Cell Values With Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
7.3.4.8 Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
7.3.4.9 Estimating a Traffic Increase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
7.3.5 Analysing the Results of a Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
7.3.5.1 Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
7.3.5.2 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665

7.4.1 UMTS Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
7.4.2 UMTS Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
7.4.3 UMTS Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
7.5 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670

7.5.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
7.5.2 Displaying Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673
7.5.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673
7.5.4 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
7.5.4.1 Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
14
7.5.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

7.5.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
7.5.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
7.5.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
7.5.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680
7.6 Co-planning UMTS Networks with Other Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

7.6.1 Switching to Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682
7.6.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683
7.6.2.1 Updating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
7.6.2.2 Analysing Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
7.6.3 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687
7.6.3.1 Importing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
7.6.3.2 Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
7.6.3.3 Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
7.6.3.4 Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689
7.6.3.5 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690
7.6.3.6 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690
7.6.3.7 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692
7.6.3.8 Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693
7.6.3.9 Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697
7.6.3.10 Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699
7.6.3.11 Exporting Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
7.6.4 Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
7.6.5 Using ACP in a Co-planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
7.6.5.1 Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
7.6.5.2 Importing the Other Network into the Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
7.6.6 Ending Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
7.7 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702

7.7.1 Modelling Inter-Carrier Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702
7.7.2 Defining Frequency Bands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703
7.7.3 The Global Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703
7.7.3.1 The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704
7.7.3.2 Modifying Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
7.7.4 Defining Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
7.7.4.1 Defining R99 Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
7.7.4.2 Defining HSDPA Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706
7.7.4.3 Defining HSUPA Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706
7.7.5 Defining Site Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
7.7.5.1 Creating Site Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
7.7.5.2 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and R99 Radio Bearer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
7.7.5.3 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and HSUPA Radio Bearer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
7.7.6 Defining Receiver Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
7.7.6.1 Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
7.7.6.2 HSDPA UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
7.7.6.3 HSUPA UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
7.7.7 Defining HSDPA Schedulers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
7.7.8 Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712
7.7.9 Conditions for Entering the Active Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713
7.7.10.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
7.7.11 Modelling Inter-technology Interference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714
8 CDMA2000 Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .719

8.1 Planning and Optimising CDMA Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
8.1.1 Creating a CDMA Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
8.1.1.1 Definition of a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
8.1.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
8.1.1.3 Placing a New Station Using a Station Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728
8.1.1.4 Managing Station Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729
8.1.1.5 Duplicating of an Existing Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
15

8.1.5 Creating a Dual-Band and Tri-Band CDMA Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
8.1.9.2 CDMA Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
8.1.10.5 Checking Automatic Intra-technology Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795
8.1.11 Planning PN Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805
8.1.11.1 Defining Exceptional Pairs for PN Offset Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806
8.1.11.2 Allocating PN Offsets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806
8.1.11.3 Checking the Consistency of the PN Offset Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809
8.1.11.4 Displaying the Allocation of PN Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809
8.2 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813

8.2.2.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
8.2.2.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
8.2.2.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822
8.2.2.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822
8.2.4.1 The Power Control Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824
8.2.4.2 Creating Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826
8.2.4.4 Displaying the User Active Set on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830
8.2.4.5 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830
8.2.4.6 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 836
8.2.4.7 Updating Cell Values With Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838
8.2.4.9 Estimating a Traffic Increase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840
16
8.2.5 Analysing the Results of a Simulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840

8.2.5.1 Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
8.2.5.2 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
8.3 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842

8.3.1 CDMA2000 Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842
8.3.2 CDMA2000 Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843
8.3.3 CDMA2000 Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
8.4 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845

8.4.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
8.4.2 Displaying Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848
8.4.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848
8.4.4 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
8.4.4.1 Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
8.4.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851
8.4.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852
8.4.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853
8.4.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
8.5 Co-planning CDMA Networks with Other Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 857

8.5.1 Switching to Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858
8.5.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
8.5.2.1 Updating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
8.5.2.2 Analysing Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 860
8.5.3 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 862
8.5.3.1 Importing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863
8.5.3.2 Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863
8.5.3.3 Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863
8.5.3.4 Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864
8.5.3.5 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865
8.5.3.6 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866
8.5.3.7 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868
8.5.3.8 Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869
8.5.3.9 Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872
8.5.3.10 Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 874
8.5.3.11 Exporting Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
8.5.4 Creating a CDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875
8.5.5 Using ACP in a Co-planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 876
8.5.5.1 Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 876
8.5.5.2 Importing the Other Network into the Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 876
8.5.6 Ending Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
8.6 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877

8.6.1 Defining Inter-carrier Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
8.6.2 Defining Frequency Bands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 878
8.6.3 Defining Carrier Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
8.6.4 The Global Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
8.6.4.1 The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879
8.6.4.2 Modifying Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
8.6.5 Throughputs Available for Services in CDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
8.6.6 The 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881
8.6.6.1 Defining the Forward Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881
8.6.6.2 Defining the Reverse Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882
8.6.7 Site Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882
8.6.7.1 Creating Site Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882
8.6.7.2 Defining Channel Element Consumption per CDMA Site Equipment and Radio Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
8.6.8 Receiver Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
8.6.8.1 Setting Receiver Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
8.6.8.2 Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883
8.6.9 Conditions for Entering the Active Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884
8.6.10.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885
17
8.6.11 Creating PN Offset Domains and Groups for PN Offset Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 886
8.6.12 Modelling Inter-technology Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 887
9 LTE Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893

9.1 Designing an LTE Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893
9.2 Planning and Optimising LTE Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894

9.2.1 Creating an LTE Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895
9.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903
9.2.1.3 Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905
9.2.5 Creating a Multi-band LTE Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 914
9.2.9.2 LTE Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
9.2.10.5 Checking Automatic Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971
9.3 Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 981

9.3.1 Working with Interference Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 982
9.3.1.1 Calculating Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 982
9.3.1.2 Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 982
9.3.2 Defining Neighbour Relations and Importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983
9.3.3 Setting Resources Available for Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983
9.3.4 Configuring Cost Component Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 984
9.3.5 Planning Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 985
9.3.6 Planning Physical Cell IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 987
18
9.3.7 Displaying the AFP Results on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989

9.3.7.1 Using the Find on Map Tool to Display AFP Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989
9.3.7.2 Displaying AFP Results Using Transmitter Display Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991
9.3.7.3 Grouping Transmitters by Channels or Physical Cell IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991
9.3.8 Analysing the AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992
9.3.8.1 Checking the Consistency of a Frequency Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992
9.3.8.2 Checking the Consistency of the Physical Cell ID Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993
9.3.8.3 Making a Cell Identifier Collision Zones Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996
9.3.8.4 Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997
9.4 Studying Network Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997

9.4.1 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
9.4.2 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
9.4.2.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1000
9.4.2.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
9.4.2.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1007
9.4.2.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1007
9.4.4 Working with a Subscriber Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1008
9.4.4.1 Creating a Subscriber List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1008
9.4.4.2 Performing Calculations on Subscriber lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1012
9.4.5 Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1012
9.4.5.1 LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1013
9.4.5.2 Creating Simulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1015
9.4.5.3 Displaying the Traffic Distribution on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1017
9.4.5.4 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1020
9.4.5.5 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1024
9.4.5.6 Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027
9.4.5.8 Estimating a Traffic Increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1030
9.4.6 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1030

9.5.1 LTE Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1031
9.5.2 LTE Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1032
9.5.3 LTE Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1034
9.6 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1035

9.6.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1035
9.6.2 Displaying Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1038
9.6.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1038
9.6.4 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1039
9.6.4.1 Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
9.6.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
9.6.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041
9.6.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1042
9.6.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1042
9.6.4.6 Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1042
9.6.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1044
9.6.6 Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1044
9.6.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1045
9.7 Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1045

9.7.1 Switching to Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1045
9.7.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047
9.7.2.1 Updating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1047
9.7.2.2 Analysing Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1048
9.7.3 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
9.7.3.1 Importing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
9.7.3.2 Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
9.7.3.3 Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
9.7.3.4 Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
9.7.3.5 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1053
9.7.3.6 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1053
9.7.3.7 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
9.7.3.8 Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056
9.7.3.9 Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
19
9.7.3.10 Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1062

9.7.3.11 Exporting Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1063
9.7.4 Creating an LTE Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1063
9.7.5 Using ACP in a Co-planning Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
9.7.5.1 Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
9.7.5.2 Importing the Other Network into the Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
9.7.6 Ending Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065
9.8 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1065

9.8.1 Defining Frequency Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
9.8.2 The Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
9.8.2.1 The Options on the Global Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1067
9.8.2.2 The Options on the Calculation Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1069
9.8.2.3 Modifying Global Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1069
9.8.3 Defining Network Deployment Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070
9.8.4 Defining Frame Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1071
9.8.5 Defining LTE Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
9.8.6 Defining LTE Quality Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
9.8.7 Defining LTE Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
9.8.8 Defining LTE Schedulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1076
9.8.9 Defining LTE UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1078
9.8.10 Smart Antenna Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1078
9.8.10.1 Defining Smart Antenna Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1079
9.8.11 Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1080
9.8.12 Inter-cell Interference Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1081
9.8.13 Modelling Shadowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082
9.8.13.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1083
9.8.14 Modelling Inter-technology Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1083
9.8.14.1 Defining Inter-technology IRFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1084
9.9 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1085
9.10 Glossary of LTE Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090
10 3GPP Multi-RAT Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1095

10.1 Designing a 3GPP Multi-RAT Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1095
10.2 Planning and Optimising Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1097

10.2.1 Creating a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1098
10.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1098
10.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1098
10.2.4 Display Tips for Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1099
10.2.5 Creating a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1099
10.2.6 Creating a Remote Antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1099
10.2.7 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100
10.2.7.1 Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101
10.2.7.2 Creating a Computation Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101
10.2.7.3 Assigning a Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102
10.2.7.4 Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104
10.2.7.5 The Calculation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
10.2.8 Studying Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
10.2.8.1 3GPP Multi-RAT Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1105
10.2.8.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1107
10.2.8.3 Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1108
10.2.8.4 Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1112
10.2.8.5 Comparing Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1112
10.2.8.6 Making a Multi-point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1116
10.2.9 Planning Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1120
10.2.9.1 Importing Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1120
10.2.9.2 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1121
10.2.9.3 Planning Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1131
10.2.9.4 Checking Automatic Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1140
10.2.9.5 Displaying Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1145
10.2.9.6 Adding and Removing Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1146
10.2.10 Allocating Resources in a 3GPP Multi-RAT Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
10.2.10.1 Allocating Resources in GSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
10.2.10.2 Allocating Resources in UMTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
20
10.2.10.3 Allocating Resources in LTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
10.3 Studying Network Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147

10.3.1 Importing OMC Traffic Data in GSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1148
10.3.3 Service and User Modelling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1148
10.3.3.1 Modelling 3GPP Multi-RAT Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1149
10.3.3.2 Modelling 3GPP Multi-RAT Mobility Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1149
10.3.3.3 Modelling 3GPP Multi-RAT Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1150
10.3.4.1 Creating a Sector Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1151
10.3.4.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km²). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1157
10.3.6 Calculating and Displaying a GSM Traffic Capture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1160
10.3.7 Dimensioning a GSM Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1160
10.3.8.1 Search and Selection of Serving Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1161
10.3.8.7 Adding new Simulations to an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1167
10.3.9 Analysing the Results of a Simulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1168

10.4.1 Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1169
10.4.2 Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1169
10.4.3 Quality Analysis Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1169
10.5 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1170
10.6 Displaying Elements of One Atoll Document in a 3GPP Multi-RAT Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1170
11 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1175

11.1 Designing a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1175
11.2 Planning and Optimising Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1176

11.2.1 Creating a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1177
11.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1177
11.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1178
11.2.6 Creating a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1179
11.2.7 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1179
11.2.7.1 Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1180
11.2.7.3 Assigning a Propagation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1181
11.2.7.4 Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1183
11.2.8 Studying Base Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
11.2.8.1 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
11.2.8.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1187
11.2.8.3 Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1188
11.2.8.4 Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1192
11.2.8.6 Making a Multi-point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1196
11.2.9 Planning Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1200
11.2.9.1 Importing Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1200
11.2.9.2 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1200
11.2.9.3 Planning Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1210
11.2.9.4 Checking Automatic Allocation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1219
11.2.9.5 Displaying Exceptional Pairs on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1223
21
11.2.9.6 Adding and Removing Exceptional Pairs on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1224

11.2.10 Allocating Resources in a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225
11.2.10.1 Allocating Resources in CDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225
11.2.10.2 Allocating Resources in LTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225
11.3 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225

11.3.1 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1225
11.3.2 Service and User Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1226
11.3.2.1 Modelling 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1226
11.3.2.2 Modelling 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Mobility Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1227
11.3.2.3 Modelling 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1227
11.3.3 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1228
11.3.3.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1230
11.3.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km²) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1234
11.3.3.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1236
11.3.3.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1236
11.3.4 Exporting a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1237
11.3.5 Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1237
11.3.5.1 Search and Selection of Serving Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1238
11.3.5.2 Creating Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1238
11.3.5.4 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1240
11.3.5.5 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1241
11.3.5.6 Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1241
11.3.5.7 Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1242
11.3.5.8 Estimating a Traffic Increase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1243
11.3.6 Analysing the Results of a Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244
11.4 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244

11.4.1 Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244
11.4.2 Quality Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1244
11.4.3 Quality Analysis Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
11.5 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
11.6 Displaying Elements of One Atoll Document in a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
12 WiMAX BWA Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1249

12.1 Designing a WiMAX Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1249
12.2 Planning and Optimising WiMAX Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1250

12.2.1 Creating a WiMAX Base Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1251
12.2.1.1 Definition of a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1251
12.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1258
12.2.1.3 Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1259
12.2.1.4 Managing Station Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1260
12.2.1.5 Duplicating an Existing Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1265
12.2.1.6 Studying the Profile Around a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1266
12.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1267
12.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1268
12.2.4 Display Tips for Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1268
12.2.5 Creating a Multi-band WiMAX Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269
12.2.6 Creating a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269
12.2.6.1 Opening the Repeaters Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269
12.2.6.2 Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1270
12.2.6.3 Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1270
12.2.6.4 Creating Several Repeaters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1271
12.2.6.5 Defining the Properties of a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1271
12.2.6.6 Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
12.2.7 Creating a Remote Antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
12.2.7.1 Opening the Remote Antennas Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
12.2.7.2 Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274
12.2.7.3 Creating Several Remote Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274
12.2.7.4 Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274
12.2.7.5 Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1276
12.2.8 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1276
22

12.2.9.1 Signal Level Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1282
12.2.9.2 WiMAX Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1290
12.2.9.6 Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1312
12.2.10 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1319
12.2.10.2 Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1320
12.2.10.3 Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1320
12.2.10.4 Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1321
12.2.10.5 Checking Automatic Neighbour Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1324
12.2.10.6 Allocating and Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours per Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1329
12.2.10.8 Checking the Consistency of the Intra-technology Neighbour Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1334
12.3 Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1335

12.3.1 Working with Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1335
12.3.1.1 Calculating Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1335
12.3.1.2 Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1336
12.3.2 Defining Neighbour Relations and Importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1337
12.3.3 Setting Resources Available for Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1337
12.3.5 Planning Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1338
12.3.6 Planning Preamble Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1340
12.3.7 Planning Permutation Zone PermBases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1342
12.3.8 Displaying the AFP Results on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1344
12.3.8.1 Using Find on Map to Display AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1344
12.3.8.2 Using Transmitter Display Settings to Display AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1346
12.3.8.3 Grouping Transmitters by Channels, Preamble Indexes, Zone PermBases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1346
12.3.9 Analysing the AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1347
12.3.9.1 Checking the Consistency of the Frequency Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1347
12.3.9.2 Checking the Consistency of the Preamble Index Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1349
12.3.9.3 Checking the Consistency of DL and UL Zone PermBase Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1351
12.3.9.4 Making a Cell Identifier Collision Zones Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1353
12.3.9.5 Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1354

12.4.4.2 Performing Calculations on Subscriber Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1369
12.4.5.1 WiMAX Traffic Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1370
12.4.6 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1385
23

12.5.1 WiMAX Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1386
12.5.2 WiMAX Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1387
12.5.3 WiMAX Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1388

12.6.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1389
12.6.2 Displaying Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1392
12.6.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1392
12.6.4 Network Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1393
12.6.4.1 Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1393
12.6.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1394
12.6.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1395
12.6.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1396
12.6.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1396
12.6.4.6 Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1397
12.6.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1398
12.6.6 Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1398
12.6.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1399
12.7 Co-planning WiMAX Networks with Other Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1399

12.7.1 Switching to Co-planning Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1399
12.7.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-planning Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1401
12.7.2.1 Updating Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1401
12.7.2.2 Analysing Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1402
12.7.3 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1404
12.7.3.1 Importing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1404
12.7.3.2 Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1405
12.7.3.3 Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1405
12.7.3.4 Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1406
12.7.3.5 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1407
12.7.3.6 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1407
12.7.3.7 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1409
12.7.3.8 Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1410
12.7.3.9 Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1414
12.7.4 Creating a WiMAX Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1416

12.8.2.1 The Options on the Global Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1419
12.8.3 Defining Network Deployment Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1422
12.8.4 Defining Frame Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1423
12.8.5 Defining WiMAX Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1424
12.8.6 Defining WiMAX Quality Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1425
12.8.7 Defining WiMAX Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1425
12.8.8 Defining WiMAX Schedulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1428
12.8.9 Smart Antenna Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1431
12.8.9.1 Optimum Beamformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1431
12.8.9.2 Conventional Beamformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432
12.8.9.3 Defining Smart Antenna Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432
12.8.12.1 Defining Inter-technology IRFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1437
12.9 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1438
12.10 Glossary of WiMAX Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1446
24
13 Wi-Fi Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1451

13.1 Designing a Wi-Fi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1451
13.2 Planning and Optimising Wi-Fi Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1452

13.2.1 Creating a Wi-Fi Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1452
13.2.1.1 Definition of an Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1453
13.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying an Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1456
13.2.1.3 Placing a New Access Point Using a Station Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1458
13.2.1.5 Duplicating an Existing Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1462
13.2.1.6 Studying the Profile Around an Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1463
13.2.2 Creating a Group of Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1465
13.2.4 Display Tips for Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1466
13.2.5 Creating a Multi-band Wi-Fi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1466
13.2.6 Preparing Access Points for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1466
13.2.7 Studying Access Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1472
13.2.7.2 Wi-Fi Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1478
13.2.8 Planning Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1502
13.2.8.1 Importing Neighbours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1502
13.2.8.2 Defining Exceptional Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1502
13.3 Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1517

13.3.1 Working with Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1517
13.3.1.1 Calculating Interference Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1518
13.3.1.2 Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1518
13.3.2 Defining Neighbour Relations and Importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1519
13.3.3 Setting Resources Available for Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1519
13.3.6 Displaying the AFP Results on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1521
13.3.6.1 Using Find on Map to Display AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1521
13.3.6.2 Using Transmitter Display Settings to Display AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1522
13.3.6.3 Grouping Transmitters by Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1522
13.3.7 Analysing the AFP Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1523
13.3.7.1 Checking the Consistency of the Frequency Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1523
13.3.7.2 Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1524

25
13.4.4.2 Performing Calculations on Subscriber Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1538

13.4.5.1 Wi-Fi Traffic Simulation Algorithm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1539
13.4.5.6 Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1551
13.4.6 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1553

13.5.1 Wi-Fi Optimisation Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1554
13.5.2 Wi-Fi Quality Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1554
13.5.3 Wi-Fi Quality Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1556

13.6.4.1 Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1560
13.6.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1561
13.6.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1562
13.6.4.6 Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1563
13.6.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1565
13.7 Co-planning Wi-Fi Networks with Other Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1565

13.7.2 Performing a Traffic Offload Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1567
13.7.3 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-planning Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1568

13.8.3 Wi-Fi Frame Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1585
13.8.4 Defining Wi-Fi Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1586
13.8.5 Defining Wi-Fi Quality Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1586
13.8.6 Defining Wi-Fi Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1587
26
13.8.9.1 Defining Inter-technology IRFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1591
13.9 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1592
14 TD-SCDMA Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1597

14.1 Designing a TD-SCDMA Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1597
14.2 Planning and Optimising TD-SCDMA Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1598

14.2.1 Creating a TD-SCDMA Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1598
14.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1606
14.2.1.3 Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1608
14.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1616
14.2.5 Creating a Dual-Band TD-SCDMA Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1618
14.2.6.1 Opening the Repeaters Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1619
14.2.6.2 Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1619
14.2.6.3 Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1619
14.2.6.4 Creating Several Repeaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1620
14.2.6.5 Defining the Properties of a Repeater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1620
14.2.7 Creating a Remote Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1622
14.2.7.1 Opening the Remote Antennas Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1623
14.2.7.2 Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1623
14.2.7.3 Creating Several Remote Antennas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1623
14.2.7.5 Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1625
14.2.8 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1625
14.2.9.2 Signal Quality Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1647
14.2.9.3 HSDPA Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1664
14.2.10.1 Setting up N-Frequency Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1675
14.2.10.2 Allocating Frequencies Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1675
14.2.10.3 Checking Automatic Frequency Allocation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1676
14.2.10.4 Allocating Carrier Types per Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1677
14.2.10.5 Checking the Consistency of the Frequency Allocation Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1677
14.2.11 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1678
14.2.11.2 Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1678
14.2.12 Planning Scrambling Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1693
14.2.12.1 Defining the Scrambling Code Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1694
14.2.12.2 Creating Scrambling Code Domains and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1694
27
14.2.12.3 Defining Exceptional Pairs for Scrambling Code Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1695

14.2.12.4 Defining Scrambling Code Relativity Clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1695
14.2.12.5 Allocating Scrambling Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1695
14.2.12.6 Checking the Consistency of the Scrambling Code Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1698
14.2.12.7 Displaying the Allocation of Scrambling Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1699
14.3 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1702

14.3.1 Calculating TD-SCDMA Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1703
14.3.1.1 Calculating Available Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1703
14.3.1.2 Calculating Required Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1704
14.3.1.3 Displaying the Network Capacity on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1704
14.3.2 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1705
14.3.3 Creating a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1705
14.3.3.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1707
14.3.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1712
14.3.3.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1714
14.3.3.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1714
14.3.4 Exporting a Traffic Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1715
14.3.5.1 The Monte Carlo Simulation Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1715
14.3.5.4 Displaying the User Best Server on the Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1721
14.3.5.7 Updating Cell and Timeslot Values with Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1728
14.3.6 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1731

14.4.4.1 Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1735
14.4.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1736
14.4.4.5 Analysing Data Variations Along the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1738
14.4.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1740
14.5 Co-planning TD-SCDMA Networks with Other Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1741

14.5.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1743
14.5.4 Creating a TD-SCDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1758

14.6.1 Modelling Inter-carrier Interference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1759
28
14.6.3 Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1760

14.6.3.1 The Options on the Global Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1761
14.6.3.2 The Options on the Calculation Parameters Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1762
14.6.4 Smart Antenna Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1763
14.6.4.1 Grid of Beams (GOB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1763
14.6.4.2 Adaptive Beam Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1765
14.6.4.3 Conventional Beamformer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1765
14.6.4.4 Optimum Beamformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1765
14.6.4.5 Statistical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1766
14.6.4.6 Third-Party Smart Antenna Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1766
14.6.4.7 Smart Antenna Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1766
14.6.5 Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1767
14.6.5.1 Defining R99 Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1767
14.6.5.2 Defining HSDPA Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1768
14.6.5.3 Defining HSUPA Radio Bearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1768
14.6.6 Creating Site Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1769
14.6.7 Receiver Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1769
14.6.7.1 Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1769
14.6.7.2 HSDPA UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1770
14.6.7.3 HSUPA UE Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1770
14.6.8.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1771
15 Automatic Cell Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1775

15.1 The ACP Module and Atoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1775
15.1.1 Using Quality and Cost Objectives in the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1776
15.1.2 Using Zones with ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1776
15.1.2.1 Using the Computation Zone and the Focus Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1776
15.1.2.2 Using Custom Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1777
15.1.2.3 Using the Filtering Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1777
15.1.3 Using Weighting Maps with ACP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1777
15.1.4 Shadowing Margin and Indoor Coverage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1777
15.1.5 ACP and Antenna Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1778
15.1.5.1 Native Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1778
15.1.5.2 Non-Native Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1778
15.1.6 EMF Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1779
15.2 Configuring the ACP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1780

15.2.1 Defining the Storage Location of ACP Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1780
15.2.2 Defining the Antenna Masking Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1780
15.2.3 Configuring Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1781
15.3 Optimising Cell Planning with the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1783

15.3.1 Creating an Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1783
15.3.1.1 Creating a New Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1784
15.3.1.2 Running an Existing Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1784
15.3.1.3 Duplicating an Existing Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1784
15.3.2 Defining Optimisation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1784
15.3.2.1 Setting Optimisation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1785
15.3.2.2 Setting Objective Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1795
15.3.2.3 Setting Network Reconfiguration Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1802
15.3.2.4 Defining Site Selection Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1812
15.3.2.5 Defining Antennas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1820
15.3.2.6 Adding Comments to the Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1825
15.4 Running an Optimisation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1825
15.5 Working with Optimisations in the Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1827
15.6 Viewing Optimisation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1829

15.6.1 Viewing Optimisation Results in the Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1829
15.6.1.1 The Statistics Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1830
15.6.1.2 The Sectors Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1831
15.6.1.3 The Graph Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1833
15.6.1.4 The Quality Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1835
15.6.1.5 The Capacity Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1836
29
15.6.1.6 The Change Details Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1836

15.6.1.7 The Commit Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1838
15.6.2 Comparing Optimisations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1838
15.6.3 Viewing Optimisation Results in the Map Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1840
15.6.3.1 Objective Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1841
15.6.3.2 Capacity Analysis Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1842
15.6.3.3 Technology Layer Predictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1842
15.6.3.4 EMF Exposure Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1843
15.6.3.5 Comparing Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1843
15.6.3.6 Changing the Display Properties of ACP Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1844
15.6.3.7 Exporting ACP Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1845
15.6.4 Viewing Optimisation Results Using the Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1846
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1847
30
AT321_UMR_E4 Introduction

Atoll is a 64-bit multi-technology wireless network design and optimisation platform. Atoll is open, scalable, flexible, and
supports wireless operators throughout the network life cycle, from initial design to densification and optimisation.
Atoll’s integration and automation features help operators smoothly automate planning and optimisation processes through
flexible scripting and SOA-based mechanisms. It supports the following technologies:
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• UMTS/HSPA
• CDMA2000 1xRTT/EV-DO
• LTE
• TD-SCDMA
• WiMAX/BWA
• Wi-Fi
Atoll supports a wide range of implementation scenarios, from standalone to enterprise-wide server-based configurations
using distributed and multi-threaded computing.
This User Manual provides guidance and detailed instructions to help you get started and to learn how to use the product
effectively. To best understand the ideas and techniques described, you should already be familiar with the radio network
technologies that are implemented in Atoll.
If you are interested in learning more about Atoll, please contact your Forsk representative to inquire about our training solu-
tions.
About Forsk
Forsk is an independent company providing radio planning and optimisation software solutions to the wireless industry since
1987.
In 1997, Forsk released the first version of Atoll, its flagship radio planning software. Since then, Atoll has evolved to become
a comprehensive radio planning and optimisation platform and, with more than 5000 installed licenses worldwide, has
reached the leading position on the global market. Atoll combines engineering and automation functions that enable opera-
tors to smoothly and gradually implement SON processes within their organisation.
Today, Forsk is a global supplier with over 300 customers in 100 countries and strategic partnerships with major players in the
industry. Forsk distributes and supports Atoll directly from offices and technical support centres in France, USA, and China as
well as through a worldwide network of distributors and partners.
Since the first release of Atoll, Forsk has been known for its capability to deliver tailored and turn-key radio planning and opti-
misation environments based on Atoll.
To help operators streamline their radio planning and optimisation processes, Forsk provides a complete range of implemen-
tation services, including integration with existing IT infrastructure, automation, as well as data migration, installation, and
training services.
Getting Help
The online help system that is installed with Atoll is designed to give you quick access to the information you need to use the
product effectively. It contains the same material as the Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual.
You can browse the online help from the Contents view, the Index view, or you can use the built-in Search feature.
You can also download manuals from the Forsk web site.
Printing Help Topics

You can print individual topics or chapters from the online help.
To print help topics or chapters:
1. In Atoll, click Help > Help Topics.
2. In the Contents tab, expand the table of contents.
3. Right-click the section or topic that you want to print and click Print. The Print Topics dialog box appears.
4. In the Print Topics dialog box, select what you want to print:
• If you want to print a single topic, select Print the selected topic.
31
Introduction © 2014 Forsk
• If you want to print an entire section, including all topics and sections in that section, select Print the selected
heading and all subtopics.
5. Click OK.
About Atoll Documentation

The following PDF manuals are available for Atoll and Atoll Microwave and can be downloaded from the Forsk web site at:
http://www.forsk.com/support.
• Atoll 3.2.1 User Manual
• Atoll 3.2.1 Administrator Manual
• Atoll 3.2.1 Data Structure Reference Guide
• Atoll 3.2.1 Technical Reference Guide
• Atoll 3.2.1 Task Automation Guide
• Atoll 3.2.1 Model Calibration Guide
To read PDF manuals, you can download Adobe Reader from the Adobe web site at:
http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Hardcopy manuals are also available. For more information, contact to your Forsk representative.
Contacting Technical Support

Forsk provides global technical support for its products and services. To contact the Forsk support team, visit the Forsk
Support web site at:
http://www.forsk.com/support.
Alternatively, depending on your geographic location, contact one of the following support teams:
• Forsk Head Office
For regions other than North and Central America and China, contact the Forsk Head Office support team:
• Tel.: +33 562 747 225
• Fax: +33 562 747 211
• Email: support@forsk.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (GMT +1:00)
Except on the following bank holidays in 2013: January 1st, April 1st, May 1st, May 8th, May 9th, May 20th, August
15th, November 1st, November 11th, December 25th
• Forsk US
For North and Central America, contact the Forsk US support team:
• Tel.: 1-888-GO-ATOLL (1-888-462-8655)
• Fax: 1-312-674-4822
• Email: support_us@forsk.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
• Forsk China
For China, contact the Forsk China support team:
• Tel: +86 20 8557 0016
• Fax: +86 20 8553 8285
• Email: atollsupport@forsk.com.cn
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi.
32
Chapter 1
Working Environment
This chapter presents the Atoll working environment and
explains the tools and shortcuts available.
This chapter covers the following topics:

• "The Atoll Work Area" on page 35
• "The Explorer Window" on page 39
• "Working with Objects" on page 43
• "Working with Maps" on page 54
• "Working with Coverage Predictions" on page 71
• "Working with Data Tables" on page 76
• "Printing in Atoll" on page 90
• "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 96
• "Tips and Tricks" on page 112
34
AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 1: Working Environment
1 Working Environment
The Atoll working environment is both powerful and flexible. It provides a comprehensive and integrated set of tools and
features that allow you to create and define your radio-planning project in a single application. Atoll includes advanced multi-
technology network planning features (e.g., CDMA/LTE), and a combined single-RAN, multi-RAT GSM/UMTS/LTE Monte Carlo
simulator and traffic model. You can save the entire project as a single file, or you can link your project to external files.
The Atoll working environment uses familiar Windows interface components, with the ability to have several document
windows open at the same time, support for drag-and-drop, context menus, and support for standard Windows shortcuts, for
example, for cutting and pasting. Atoll not only enables you to create and work on your planning project, but also offers you
a wide range of options for creating and exporting results based on your project. The working environment provides a wide
selection of tools to facilitate radio-planning, such as a tool to locate either a site, a point on the map, or a vector.
The Network explorer, the Geo explorer, and the Parameters explorer play a central role in Atoll. The explorers contain most
of the objects in a document arranged in folders.
Using the explorer windows, you can manage all objects in the Atoll document: sites, transmitters, calculations, etc., as well
as geographic data such as the Digital Terrain Model (DTM), traffic maps, and clutter classes. You can, for example, define vari-
ous coverage predictions or configure the parameters or display of data objects.
The content of the folders in the explorer windows can be displayed in tables, allowing you to manage large amounts of data.
You can sort and filter the data in a table, or change how the data is displayed. You can also enter large amounts of information
into a table by importing data or by cutting and pasting the information from any Windows spreadsheet into the table.
The map is the working area for your document and Atoll provides many tools for working with the map. You can change the
view by moving or zooming in or out and you can choose which objects are displayed and how they are displayed. You can
also export the current display definition, or configuration, to use it in other documents.
This chapter provides an overview of the Atoll working environment.
This chapter explains the following topics:
• "The Atoll Work Area" on page 35
• "The Explorer Window" on page 39
• "Working with Objects" on page 43
• "Working with Maps" on page 54
• "Working with Coverage Predictions" on page 71
• "Working with Data Tables" on page 76
• "Printing in Atoll" on page 90
• "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 96
• "Tips and Tricks" on page 112.
1.1 The Atoll Work Area

The Atoll work area, shown in Figure 1.1 on page 36,consists of the main window where the map window and data tables and
reports are displayed and the explorer windows. The explorer windows contain the data, objects, and parameters of a docu-
ment, arranged in folders. It is presented in detail in "The Explorer Window" on page 39.
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Chapter 1: Working Environment © 2014 Forsk
Toolbar
Document window
(map)
Workspace
Geo explorer 
(docked)
Panoramic window
(floating)
Find on Map window

(docked)
Figure 1.1: Atoll user interface
Atoll offers a variety of tools to help you plan a network and enables you to keep all the tools you need open at the same time
to simplify your work. Additionally, you can have several Atoll documents open at the same time or several different views of
the same document open at the same time.
You can manage the placement and appearance of these tools and windows to make your usage of Atoll as efficient as possi-
ble.
This section covers the following topics:
• "Selecting a Window" on page 36
• "Organising the Atoll Workspace" on page 38.
1.1.1 Selecting a Window

When working on a project, you usually have more than one window open. You might have several Atoll documents open, or
you might have several windows open in one document, including data tables and more than one map window.
Window tabs of different documents are displayed using a different colour. The tab title of the currently selected window is
displayed in bold characters. In order to avoid very long window tabs, window tab titles longer than approximately
40 characters are truncated. However, the complete title is visible in tip text displayed when the mouse is placed over the
window tab. The tip text also displays the path to the ATL file to which the window belongs.
In Atoll you can move from one document window to another in several different ways:
• "Selecting a Window Tab" on page 36
• "Selecting a Window from the Window Menu" on page 37
• "Using the Windows dialog box" on page 37.
1.1.1.1 Selecting a Window Tab

In Atoll, all open windows or data tables are identified by a tab at the top of the map window or tab group (see Figure 1.2).
To select a window tab:
• Click the tab of the window you want to select.
36
Figure 1.2: Window tabs
If there are more windows open than can be displayed at the top of the map window, you can select the window you want,
you can select the window you want from the Window menu (for more information, see "Selecting a Window from the
Window Menu" on page 37) or using the Windows dialog box (for more information, see "Using the Windows dialog box" on
page 37).
You can also rearrange the windows by clicking and dragging a tab horizontally to a new
position.
1.1.1.2 Selecting a Window from the Window Menu

When you have several document windows, data tables, or map windows open, you can select a window using the Window
menu.
To select a window from the Window menu:
1. Click Window. The Window menu appears.
2. Select the window you want to work with from the list in the Window menu.
You can also select a window by clicking the Active Files button ( ) to the right of the
tabs in the map window and selecting the window from the list that appears.
1.1.1.3 Using the Windows dialog box

Atoll offers a Windows dialog box to simplify working with multiple windows. You can use the Windows dialog box to select
a document window or data table that is already open, to close a document window, or to save the Atoll document associated
with that window.
To use the Windows dialog box:
1. Select Window > Windows. The Windows dialog box opens.
Selecting a window:
a. Select the window from the Select list.
b. Click Activate. The Windows dialog box closes and the selected window is made the active one.
Saving one or more documents:
a. Select the window or windows associated with the documents you want to save from the Select list.
You can select contiguous windows by clicking the first window and dragging to the last window of the selection,
or by clicking the first cell, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last window. You can select non-contiguous windows by
pressing CTRL and clicking each window in the list separately.
b. Click Save. The documents associated with the selected document windows are saved.
Closing one or more windows:
a. Select the window or windows you want to close from the Select list.
You can select contiguous windows by clicking the first window and dragging to the last window of the selection,
or by clicking the first cell, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last window. You can select non-contiguous windows by
pressing CTRL and clicking each window in the list separately.
37
b. Click Close Window(s). The selected document windows are closed. If one of the windows is the last document
window open of a document and there are unsaved changes, you are asked whether you want to save the changes
before closing.
2. Click OK to close the Windows dialog box.
1.1.2 Organising the Atoll Workspace

Atoll enables you to organise the workspace to best suit your needs. You can create several map windows of the same project,
thereby simultaneously viewing several areas of the same project. You can also rearrange the windows of the workspace to
suit your needs. You can move them to different areas of the workspace or group them.
• "Creating a New Map Window" on page 38
• "Arranging Tool and Explorer Windows Using the Mouse" on page 38
• "Using Tab Groups" on page 39
• "Resetting the Workspace Layout to the Default View" on page 39.
1.1.2.1 Creating a New Map Window

When working on an Atoll project, especially when you are working on a larger, complex radio-planning project, you might
want to be able to view a different part of the project without losing the focus on the original area. Atoll enables you to open
several map windows of the same project. This permits you to verify data or to visually compare two separate areas of the
project.
To open a new map window:
• Select Window > New Map Window. A new map window of the current Atoll project opens. You can work with the
new map window as you would with any Atoll map window.
1.1.2.2 Arranging Tool and Explorer Windows Using the Mouse

While working on a radio-planning project, you will normally have several tool or explorer windows open at the same time.
Atoll enables you to use the mouse to position tool and explorer windows to optimise your workspace. You can click the title
of the tool or explorer that you want to reposition and drag it to a new position or float it over the workspace.
To arrange tool and explorer windows using the mouse:
1. Click the title of the tool or explorer.
2. Drag the window icon towards the new position.

A positioning icon appears over the Atoll workspace.
3. Place the window icon over the part of the positioning icon corresponding
to the new position of window.
An outline appears over the Atoll workspace to indicate the new position
of the window.
If you release the window icon without placing it over positioning icon, you can float the
tool or explorer window over the workspace.
38
4. Release the mouse. 

The window takes its new position.
1.1.2.3 Using Tab Groups

When working with large numbers of documents or document windows, you can facilitate your work by arranging the
windows in groups of tabbed windows. Only map windows data tables can be grouped in tab groups; tab groups do not apply
to tools and explorer windows.
To move a document window to a tab group:
1. Click the title of the document window.
2. Drag the window icon towards the centre of the map window.
3. Release the mouse. A context menu appears.
4. Select one of the following items from the context menu:
• New Horizontal Tab Group: A new horizontal tab group is created and the selected document window is
added.
• New Vertical Tab Group: A new vertical tab group and the selected document window is added.
You can also add a document window to a new tab group by clicking its title and then selecting New Horizontal Tab
Group or New Vertical Tab Group from the Window menu.
If you drag the window icon to the lower edge or right edge of an existing tab group -
even if there is only one tab group - an outline appears to indicate the tab group the
window will automatically be added to when you release the mouse.
1.1.2.4 Resetting the Workspace Layout to the Default View

Atoll offers a user interface that can be easily and quickly customised to suit your needs and your current task. However, you
might want to quickly return the layout of the workspace to its default settings.
To return the layout of the workspace to the default settings:
• Select Window > Reset Window Layout. This resets the display of all windows and toolbars to their default positions
and sizes.
1.2 The Explorer Window

The explorer window plays a central role in Atoll. The tabs of the explorer window contain the data and objects of a document,
arranged in folders. Each object and folder in the Network, Geo, and Parameters explorers has a context-specific menu that
39
you can access by right-clicking. You can modify items at the folder level, with changes affecting all items in the folder, or you
can access and edit items individually. As well, most folder contents can also be accessed in a table, allowing you to manage
large amounts of information. For information on working with tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
In this section, the following are described:
• "Working with the Explorer Window" on page 40
• "Working with the Site Explorer" on page 41
• "Automatically Hiding Explorer Windows" on page 41
• "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42
• "Working with Layers Using the Explorer Windows" on page 43.
1.2.1 Working with the Explorer Window

There are three main explorers: the Network explorer, the Geo explorer, and the Parameters explorer; each explorer has
objects and folders containing objects.
To move from one tab to another:
• Select the explorer at the left of the Atoll working environment.
You can open a folder in an explorer to view its contents. Each folder containing at least one object has an Expand ( ) or
Contract button ( ) to the left of its name.
To expand a folder to display its contents:
• Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of its name.
The three explorers are:
• The Network Explorer: The Network explorer enables you to manage radio data and calculations. Depending on
the modules installed with Atoll, the Network explorer has the following folders:
• Sites
• Transmitters
• Predictions
• UMTS Simulations, CDMA2000 Simulations , WiMAX Simulations, Wi-Fi Simulations, or LTE Simulations
• Traffic analysis (GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects only)
• Interference matrices (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, LTE, and WiMAX projects only)
• Subscriber lists (LTE, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi projects only)
• Multi-point analyses
• Automatic cell planning results (GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, LTE, and WiMAX only)
• Hexagonal design
• Microwave links
• CW Measurements and drive test data
• The Geo explorer: The Geo explorer enables you to manage geographic data. The number of folders depends on
the number and types of geographical data types (vector data, scanned images, etc.) you import or create:
• Clutter classes
• Clutter heights
• Digital terrain model
• Population data
• Any other geo data map
• Traffic maps (GSM/GPRS/EDGE/TDMA, UMTS HSPA, CDMA2000, LTE, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi)
• The Parameters explorer: The Parameters explorer enables you to manage the propagation models and addi-
tional modules. It contains:
• Propagation Models: The Parameters explorer has a Propagation Models folder with the following propagation
models:
• Atoll CrossWave
• Cost-Hata
• Erceg-Greenstein (SUI)
• ITU 1546
• ITU 370-7 (Vienna 93)
• ITU 526-5
• ITU 529
• Longley-Rice
• Microwave ITU-R P.452 Model
• Microwave Propagation Model
• Okumura-Hata
• Standard Propagation Model
40
• WLL
• Radio Network Equipment: The Radio Network Equipment folder contains antenna models, transmitter models,
repeater and smart antenna equipment, and waveguides, cables, and feeders.
• Traffic Parameters: The Traffic Parameters folder contains services, mobility types, terminals, user profiles, and
environments.
• Network Settings: The Network Settings folder contains station templates, frequencies and frequency bands,
bearers, reception equipment, quality indicators, etc.
• Microwave link network settings and equipment
• The AFP models available in your Atoll installation.
• Any additional module created using the API.
1.2.2 Working with the Site Explorer

In addition to the three main explorers, the Site explorer allows you to view the transmitters and properties of any site. The
transmitters of the selected site are displayed in a hierarchical series of folders (see Figure 1.3). A context menu provides
access to the properties of each item.
To display the Site explorer:
• Select View > Site Explorer. The Site explorer appears.
Figure 1.3: The Site explorer
The Site explorer appears where it was last placed. If you reset the window layout, it appears as a tab along with the Network,
Geo, and Parameters explorers.
To display the transmitters on a site:
1. Select the site in the map window or in the Sites folder in the Network explorer.
2. Select the Site explorer. The site is displayed in the Site explorer. The transmitters located on that site are displayed
in folders identifying their radio planning technology.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of a folder to expand the folder and view the contents.
You can view the properties of a transmitter (or the properties of one of its cells, if any)
displayed in the Site explorer by double-clicking it.
1.2.3 Automatically Hiding Explorer Windows

By having the explorers visible, you have immediate access to their data and objects. Sometimes, however, that you might
want more of the map window to be displayed. Atoll enables you to auto-hide the explorers, thereby enabling you to see more
of the map window. When auto-hide is activated on an explorer window, all three explorer windows are reduced to vertical
tabs at the edge of the work area (see Figure 1.4). The hidden explorers reappears when you move the pointer over it.
41
Figure 1.4: Auto-hide activated for the explorer windows and for Find on Map
To auto-hide the explorer windows:

• In the right-hand corner of the explorer window title bar, beside the Close icon ( ), click the Auto-hide icon ( ).
The explorer windows are reduced to vertical tabs at the edge of the work area (see Figure 1.4).
You can display the explorer window by resting the pointer over the name of the explorer window.
To deactivate auto-hide:
• In the right-hand corner of the explorer title bar, beside the Close icon ( ), click the Auto-hide icon ( ). The
explorer windows are restored to their former positions.
You can display the explorer by resting the pointer over the name of the explorer.
You can also auto-hide most tool windows, for example, the Find on Map window, the
Legend window, the Drive Test Data window, etc.
1.2.4 Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer

Windows
You can use the explorer windows to display or hide objects on the map. By hiding one type of object, another type of object
is more plainly visible. For example, you could hide all predictions but one, so that the results of that prediction are more
clearly displayed.
Hiding an object affects only its visibility in the map window; it will still be taken into
consideration during calculations.
To hide an object on the map:

1. Select the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer) that contains that object.
2. Clear the check box ( ) immediately to the left of the object name. The check box appears cleared ( ) and the object
is no longer visible on the map.
42
You can hide the contents of an entire folder by clearing the check box to the left of the
folder name. When the check box of a folder appears greyed ( ), it indicates that the
folder contains both visible and hidden objects.
1.2.5 Working with Layers Using the Explorer Windows

In Atoll, the map is made of objects arranged in layers. The layers on the top (as arranged on the Network and Geo tabs) are
the most visible on the screen and in print. The visibility of the lower layers depends on which layers are above and visible (see
"Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42) and on the transparency of these layers
(see "Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 50).
To move a layer up or down:
1. Select the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer) that contains that object.
2. Click and drag the object to its new position. As you drag the object, a horizontal black line indicates where the object
will remain when you release the mouse button (see Figure 1.5).
Figure 1.5: Moving a layer
Before you print a map, you should pay attention to the arrangement of the layers. For
more information, see "Printing Recommendations" on page 91.
1.3 Working with Objects

In Atoll, the items found in the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer) and displayed on the map are referred to
as objects. Most objects in Atoll belong to an object type. For example, a transmitter is an object of the type transmitter.
Atoll enables you to carry out many operations on objects by clicking the object directly or by right-clicking the object and
selecting the operation from the context menu.
• "Using the Object Context Menu" on page 43
• "Modifying Transmitters and Sites on the Map" on page 45
• "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
1.3.1 Using the Object Context Menu

In Atoll, an object’s context menu gives you access to commands specific to that object as well as to commands that are
common to most objects. In this section, the following context menu commands common to all objects types are explained:
• Rename: "Renaming an Object" on page 44.
• Delete: "Deleting an Object" on page 44.
• Properties: "Displaying the Properties of an Object" on page 44.
43
1.3.1.1 Renaming an Object

You can change the name of an object in Atoll.
To rename an object:
1. Right-click the object either on the map or in the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer). The context
menu appears.
2. Select Rename from the context menu.
3. Enter the new name and press ENTER to change the name.
In Atoll, objects such as sites or transmitters are named with default prefixes. Individual
objects are distinguished from each other by the number added automatically to the
default prefix. You can change the default prefix for sites, transmitters, and cells by editing
the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
1.3.1.2 Deleting an Object

You can delete objects from either the map or from the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer).
To delete an object:
menu appears.
2. Select Delete from the context menu. The selected object is deleted.
1.3.1.3 Deleting Several Objects at Once

You can delete all the objects contained in one of the following Geo explorer folders at once:
• Geoclimatic Parameters
• Population
• Clutter Heights
• Clutter Classes
• Digital Terrain Model.
To delete all objects in one of the above folders:
1. In the Geo explorer, right-click the folder containing the objects you want to delete. The context menu appears.
2. Select Delete All from the context menu. The objects in the selected folder are deleted.
1.3.1.4 Displaying the Properties of an Object

You can modify the properties of an object in the Properties dialog box.
To open the Properties dialog box of a data object:
menu appears.
When you are selecting data objects on the map, it can be difficult to ensure that the
correct object has been selected.
When a site is selected, the site (and its name) is surrounded by a black frame ( ).
When a transmitter is selected, both ends of its icon have a green point ( ).
When there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, click the transmitters
in the map window to open a context menu that allows you to select the transmitter you
want (see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45).
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
Switching Between Property dialog boxes
You can switch between the Properties dialog boxes of items (transmitters, antennas, sites, services, user profiles, etc.) in the
same folder or defined view in the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer) by using the browse buttons
( ) in the lower-left corner of each Properties dialog box:
• : jump to the first item in the list
44
• : jump to the previous item in the list

• : jump to the next item in the list
• : jump to the last item in the list
If you have made any changes to the properties of an item, Atoll prompts you to confirm these changes before switching to
the next Properties dialog box.
You can use this, for example, to access the properties of co-site transmitters without closing and reopening the Properties
dialog box. Switching is performed within the folder or, if you have created a view, within the view. For example:
• If transmitters are grouped by site, you can switch only within one site (co-site transmitters).
• If transmitters are grouped by a flag, you can switch only within this group.
• If transmitters are grouped by activity and by a flag, you can switch only within transmitters having the same activity
and the same flag.
The browse buttons are not available:
• When creating a new item.
• When opening an item’s Properties dialog box by double-clicking its record in a table.
• For repeater properties.
• For propagation model properties.
The Display tab of the Properties dialog box is explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
1.3.2 Modifying Transmitters and Sites on the Map

In a complex radio-planning project, it can be difficult to find the data object in the Network explorer, although it might be
visible in the map window. Atoll lets you access the Properties dialog box of sites and transmitters directly from the map. You
can also change the position of a site by dragging it, or by letting Atoll find a higher location for it.
• "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45
• "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 46
• "Moving a Site to a Higher Location" on page 46
• "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on page 46
• "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse" on page 47
3.
1.3.2.1 Selecting One out of Several Transmitters

If there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, Atoll enables you to select a specific transmitter.
To select one of several transmitters with the same azimuth:
1. In the map window, click the transmitters. A context menu appears with a list of the transmitters with the same
azimuth (see Figure 1.6).
Figure 1.6: Selecting one transmitter
2. Select the transmitter from the context menu.

• When you select a transmitter, it appears with a green point at both ends of the icon ( ).
• When one of the transmitters is already selected on the map, right-clicking on its location will display the context
menu of the selected transmitter.
45
1.3.2.2 Moving a Site Using the Mouse

You can move a site by editing the coordinates on the General tab of the Site Properties dialog box, or by using the mouse.
To move a site using the mouse:
1. Click and drag the site to the desired position. As you drag the site, the exact coordinates of the pointer’s current loca-
tion are visible in the Status bar.
2. Release the site where you would like to place it. By default, Atoll locks the position of a site. When the position of a
site is locked, Atoll asks you to confirm that you want to move the site.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
While this method allows you to place a site quickly, you can adjust the location more
precisely by editing the coordinates on the General tab of the Site Properties dialog box.
1.3.2.3 Moving a Site to a Higher Location

If you want to improve the location of a site, in terms of reception and transmission, Atoll can find a higher location within a
specified radius from the current location of the site.
To have Atoll move a site to a higher location:
1. Right-click the site in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Move to a Higher Location.
3. In the Move to a Higher Location dialog box, enter the radius of the area in which Atoll should search and click OK.
Atoll moves the site to the highest point within the specified radius.
1.3.2.4 Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse

You can set the azimuth of a transmitter’s antenna by modifying it on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog
box, or you can modify it on the map, using the mouse. The azimuth is defined in degrees, with 0° indicating north.
The precision of the change to the azimuth depends on the distance of the pointer from the transmitter symbol. Moving the
pointer changes the azimuth by:
• 1 degree when the pointer is within a distance of 10 times the size of the transmitter symbol.
• 0.1 degree when the pointer is moved outside this area.
To modify the azimuth of the antenna using the mouse:
1. On the map, click the antenna whose azimuth you want to modify.
2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow
appears under the pointer.
3. Click the green circle and drag it to change the antenna’s azimuth.
The current azimuth of the antenna is displayed in the far left of the status bar.
4. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth to the desired angle.
The antenna’s azimuth is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties
dialog box.
You can also modify the azimuth on the map for all the antennas on a base station using the mouse.
To modify the azimuth of all the antennas on a base station using the mouse:
1. On the map, click one of the antennas whose azimuth you want to modify.
2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow
appears under the pointer.
3. Hold CTRL and, on the map, click the green circle and drag it to change the antenna’s azimuth.
The current azimuth of the antenna is displayed in the far left of the status bar.
4. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth of the selected antenna to the desired
angle.
The azimuth of the selected antenna is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter
Properties dialog box. The azimuth of the other antennas on the base station is offset by the
same amount as the azimuth of the selected antenna.
46
If you make a mistake when changing the azimuth, you can undo your changes by using
Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing CTRL+Z, or by clicking in the toolbar) to
undo the changes made.
1.3.2.5 Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse
By default, antennas are placed on the site. However, antennas are occasionally not located directly on the site, but a short
distance away. In Atoll, you can change the position of the antenna relative to the site either by adjusting the Dx and Dy
parameters or by entering the coordinates of the antenna position on the General tab of the Transmitter Property dialog box.
Dx and Dy are the distance in metres of the antenna from the site position. You can also modify the position of the antenna
on the map, using the mouse.
To move a transmitter using the mouse:
1. On the map, click the transmitter you want to move.

2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green rectangle ( ). A cross appears under
the pointer.
3. Click the green rectangle and drag it to change the antenna’s position relative to the site.
The current coordinates (x and y) of the antenna are displayed in the far right of the status
bar.
4. Release the mouse when you have moved the selected transmitter to the desired position.
The position of the selected transmitter is modified on the General tab of the Transmitter
Properties dialog box.
If you make a mistake when changing the position of the transmitter, you can undo your
changes by using Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing CTRL+Z, or by clicking
in the toolbar) to undo the changes made.
1.3.3 Display Properties of Objects

In Atoll, most objects, such as transmitters or sites, belong to an object type. How an individual object appears on the map
depends on the settings on the Display tab of the object type’s Properties dialog box. The Display tab is similar for all object
types whose appearance can be configured. Options that are inapplicable for a particular object type are unavailable on the
Display tab of its Properties dialog box (see Figure 1.7).
In this section, the display options are explained, followed by a few examples of how you can use them while working on your
Atoll document (see "Examples of Using the Display Properties of Objects" on page 52).
• "Defining the Display Properties of Objects" on page 47
• "Examples of Using the Display Properties of Objects" on page 52.
1.3.3.1 Defining the Display Properties of Objects

When you access the Properties dialog box of a group of objects, for example, when you access the Properties dialog box of
the Sites folder, the Display tab will show options applicable to all objects in that group (see Figure 1.7).
47
Figure 1.7: The Display tab for Sites
When you access the Properties dialog box of an individual object, the Display tab will only show the options applicable to an
individual object (see Figure 1.8).
Figure 1.8: The Display tab for an individual site
To define the display properties of an object type:

1. Right-click the object type folder either on the map or in the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer). The
context menu appears
3. Select the Display tab. Depending on the object type, the following options are available:
• "Defining the Display Type" on page 48
• "Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 50
• "Defining the Visibility Scale" on page 50
• "Defining the Object Type Label" on page 50
• "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51
• "Adding an Object Type to the Legend" on page 52
4. Set the display parameters.
5. Click OK.
Defining the Display Type
Depending on the object selected, you can choose from the following display types: unique, discrete values, value intervals,
or automatic.
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To change the display type:

1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialog box as explained in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
2. Select the display type from the Display Type list:
• Unique: defines the same symbol for all objects of this type. By defining a unique symbol for an object type,
objects of different types, such as sites or transmitters, are immediately identifiable.
i. To modify the appearance of the symbol, click the symbol in the table below. The Symbol Style dialog box ap-
pears. Modify the symbol as desired.
ii. Click OK to close the Symbol Style dialog box.
• Discrete values: defines the display of each object according to the value of a selected field. This display type can
be used to distinguish objects of the same type by one characteristic. For example, you could use this display type
to distinguish transmitters by antenna types, or to distinguish inactive sites from active ones.
Atoll applies colours automatically on 36-colour cycles. As opposed to shading, this is

particularly useful to distinguish neighbouring zones which have very close colour values.
By setting some options in the Atoll.ini file, you can configure Atoll to loop on as many
user-defined colours as you want. You can also override user-defined colours, if any, and
force shading (from red to blue) by setting another option in the Atoll.ini file. For more
information, see the Administrator Manual.
iii. Select the name of the Field by which you want to display the objects.
iv. You can click the Actions button to access the Actions menu. For information on the commands available, see
"Using the Actions Button" on page 49.
v. To modify the appearance of a symbol, click the symbol in the table. The Display Parameters dialog box ap-
pears. Modify the symbol as desired.
vi. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialog box.
• Value intervals: defines the display of each object according to set ranges of the value of a selected field. This dis-
play type can be used, for example, to distinguish population density, signal strength, and the altitude of sites.
i. Select the name of the Field by which you want to display the objects.
ii. Define the ranges directly in the table below.
iii. You can click the Actions button to access the Actions menu. For information on the commands available, see
"Using the Actions Button" on page 49.
iv. To modify the appearance of a symbol, click the symbol in the table and modify the symbol in the Display Pa-
rameters dialog box.
v. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialog box.
• Automatic: only available for transmitters; a colour is automatically assigned to each transmitter, ensuring that
each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it.
i. Click the symbol in the table below. The Display Parameters dialog box appears.
ii. Modify the symbol as desired.
iii. Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialog box.
• When you create a new map object, for example, a new site or a new transmitter,
you must click the Refresh button ( ) to assign a colour to the newly created
object according to the display type.
• You can define the default symbol used for sites and how it is displayed by editing
an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Using the Actions Button
The Actions button on the Display tab of the Properties dialog box allows you to modify the display type as defined in "Defin-
ing the Display Type" on page 48.
To access the Actions menu:
2. Click the Actions button. The Actions menu gives you access to the following commands:
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• Properties: The Display Parameters dialog box opens, which enables you to define the appearance of the selected
symbol in the table.
• Select all: All the values in the table are selected.
• Delete: The selected value is removed from the table.
• Insert before: When the selected display type is value intervals, a new threshold is inserted in the table before the
threshold selected in the table.
• Insert after: When the selected display type is value intervals, a new threshold is inserted in the table after the
threshold selected in the table.
• Shading: The Shading dialog box appears.
• When "Value Intervals" is the selected display type, you select Shading to define the number of value intervals
and configure their colour. Enter the upper and lower limits of the value in the First Break and Last Break
boxes respectively, and enter a value in the Interval box. Define the colour shading by choosing a Start Colour
and an End Colour. The value intervals will be determined by the set values and coloured by a shade going
from the set start colour to the set end colour.
• When "Discrete Values" is the selected display type, you select Shading to choose a Start Colour and an End
Colour.
• Display Configuration: Select Load if you want to import an existing display configuration. Select Save if you want
to save the display settings of the current object in a display configuration file, so that you can share them with
other users or use them in other documents.
Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types
You can change the transparency of some objects, such as predictions, and some object types, such as clutter classes, to allow
objects on lower layers to be visible on the map.
To change the transparency:
2. Move the Transparency slider to the right to make the object or object type more transparent or to the left to make
it less transparent.
Defining the Visibility Scale
You can define a visibility range for object types. An object is visible only if the scale, as displayed on the Map toolbar, is within
this range. This can be used to, for example, prevent the map from being cluttered with symbols when you are at a certain
scale.
Visibility ranges are taken into account for screen display, and for printing and previewing printing. They do not affect which
objects are considered during calculations.
To define an object visibility range:
2. Enter a Visibility Scale minimum in the between 1: text box.
3. Enter a Visibility Scale maximum in the and 1: text box.
Defining the Object Type Label
For most object types, such as sites and transmitters, you can display information about each object in the form of a label that
is displayed with the object. You can display information from every field in that object type’s data table, including from fields
that you add.
To define a label for an object type:
2. Click the Browse button beside the Label box. The Field Selection dialog box appears (see Figure 1.9).
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Figure 1.9: Defining a label
3. Select the fields that you want to display in the label:

a. To select a field to be displayed in the label for the object type, select the field in the Available Fields list and click
to move it to the Selected Fields list.
b. To remove a field from the Selected Fields list, select the field in the Selected Fields list and click to remove
it.
c. To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will
be grouped in the order of the fields in the Selected Fields list, from top to bottom.
4. Click OK to close the Field Selection dialog box and click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of tip text that
is only visible when you move the pointer over the object. This option has the advantage
of not filling the map window with text. For more information on tip text, see "Defining the
Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
Defining the Object Type Tip Text
For most object types, such as sites and transmitters, you can display information about each object in the form of tip text
that is only visible when you move the pointer over the object. You can display information from every field in that object
type’s data table, including from fields that you add.
In the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer), the tip text displays the total numbers of items present in the Sites
and Transmitters folders, and the view.
To define tip text for an object type:
2. Click the Browse button beside the Tip Text box. The Field Selection dialog box appears (see Figure 1.9).
3. Select the fields which you want to display in the tip text:
a. To select a field to be displayed in the tip text for the object type, select the field in the Available Fields list and
click to move it to the Selected Fields list.
b. To remove a field from the Selected Fields list, select the field in the Selected Fields list and click to remove
it.
For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of a label that is
displayed with the object. This option has the advantage of keeping object-related infor-
mation permanently visible. For more information on tip text, see "Defining the Object
Type Label" on page 50.
Once you have defined the tip text, you must activate the tip text function before it appears.
To display tip text:
• Click the Display Tips button ( ) on the toolbar. Tip text will now appear when the pointer is over the object.
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If you have more than one coverage prediction displayed on the map, the tip text displays the tip text for all the coverage
predictions available on a pixel up to a maximum of 30 lines. You can change this default maximum using an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Adding an Object Type to the Legend
You can display the information defined by the display type (see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48) in your Atoll docu-
ment’s legend. Only visible objects appear in the Legend window. For information on displaying or hiding objects, see
"Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
For example, if on the Display tab of a signal level prediction, the intervals defined are:
• Signal level >= -65 red
• -65 > Signal level >= -105 shading from red to blue (9 intervals)
• Signal level < -105 not shown in the coverage.
The entries in the Legend column will appear in the Legend window.
Figure 1.10: Defined thresholds as they will appear in the Legend
With value intervals, you can enter information in the Legend column to be displayed on the legend. If there is no information
entered in this column, the maximum and minimum values are displayed instead.
2. Select the Add to legend check box. The defined display will appear on the legend.
To display the Legend window:
• Select View > Legend Window. The Legend window appears.
You can also display the comments defined in the properties of a coverage prediction in the Legend window by setting an
option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
1.3.3.2 Examples of Using the Display Properties of Objects

In this section are the following examples of how display properties of objects can be used:
• "Automatic Display Type - Server Coverage Predictions" on page 52
• "Shading - Signal Level Coverage Prediction" on page 53.
Automatic Display Type - Server Coverage Predictions
When making a best server prediction, Atoll calculates, for each pixel on the map, which server provides the best reception.
If the selected display type for transmitters is "Automatic," Atoll colours each pixel on the map according to the colour of the
transmitter that is best received on that pixel. This way, you can immediately identify the best received transmitter on each
pixel. The following two figures show the results of the same best server area and handover margin coverage prediction.
In Figure 1.11, the transmitter display type is "Discrete Values," with the site name as the chosen value. The difference in
colour is insufficient to make clear which transmitter is best received on each pixel. In Figure 1.12, the transmitter display type
is "Automatic." Because Atoll ensures that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it, the
prediction results are also immediately visible.
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Figure 1.11: Value interval display type Figure 1.12: Automatic display type
To display the results of a server coverage prediction with the transmitters set to the automatic display type:
1. Right-click the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer. The context menu appears.
3. Select the Display tab.
4. Select "Automatic" as the Display Type.
5. Click OK.
6. Click the Refresh button ( ) to update the display of the prediction results.
Shading - Signal Level Coverage Prediction
Atoll displays the results of a signal level prediction as value intervals. On the map, these value intervals appear as differences
of shading. You can use the Shading command to define the appearance of these value intervals to make the results easier to
read or more relevant to your needs. For example, you can change the range of data displayed, the interval between each
break, or you can change the colours to make the intervals more visible.
In this example, Figure 1.13 shows the results of the best signal level plot from -60 dBm to -105 dBm. However, if you are more
interested in reception from -80 dBm to -105 dBm, you can change the shading to display only those values. The result is visi-
ble in Figure 1.14.
Figure 1.13: Shading from -60 dBm to -105 dBm Figure 1.14: Shading from -80 dBm to -105 dBm
To change how the results of a signal level coverage prediction are displayed:
1. Expand the Predictions folder in the Network explorer and right-click the signal level prediction. The context menu
appears.
4. Click Actions to display the menu and select Shading. The Shading dialog box appears.
5. Change the value of the First Break to "-80". Leave the value of the Last Break at "-105."
6. Click OK to close the Shading dialog box.
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7. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box and apply your changes.
1.4 Working with Maps

Atoll has the following functions to help you work with maps:
• "Changing the Map Scale" on page 54
• "Using Full Screen Mode" on page 55
• "Moving the Map in the Document Window" on page 55
• "Using the Panoramic Window" on page 56
• "Centring the Map Window on an Object" on page 56
• "Centring the Map Window on a Table Record" on page 56
• "Adjusting the Map Window to a Selection" on page 56
• "Measuring Distances on the Map" on page 57
• "Displaying Rulers Around the Map" on page 58
• "Displaying the Map Scale" on page 58
• "Displaying the Map Legend" on page 58
• "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 58
• "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65
• "Copying the Content of a Zone into Another Application" on page 69.
• "Map Window Pointers" on page 70.
1.4.1 Changing the Map Scale

You can change the scale of the map by zooming in or out, by zooming in on a specific area of the map, or by choosing a scale.
Atoll also allows you to define a zoom range outside of which certain objects are not displayed (see "Defining the Visibility
Scale" on page 50).
1.4.1.1 Zooming In and Out

Atoll offers several tools for zooming in and out on the map. When you zoom in or out on the map, you do so based on the
position of the cursor on the map.
To zoom in on the map:
1. Click the Zoom icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press CTRL+Q).
2. Click the map where you want to zoom in.
You can also zoom in by pressing CTRL++, by selecting Zoom > Zoom In from the View
menu, or by holding down the CTRL key and rotating the mouse wheel button forward.
To zoom out on the map:
1. Click the Zoom icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press CTRL+Q).
2. Right-click the map where you want to zoom out.
You can also zoom out by pressing CTRL+–, by selecting Zoom > Zoom Out from the View
menu, or holding down the CTRL key and rotating the mouse wheel button backward.
1.4.1.2 Zooming In on a Specific Area

To zoom in on a specific area of the map:
1. Click the Zoom Area icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press CTRL+W).
2. Click in the map on one of the four corners of the area you want to select.
3. Drag to the opposite corner. When you release the mouse button, Atoll zooms in on the selected area.
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1.4.1.3 Choosing a Scale

To choose a scale:
1. Click the arrow next to the scale box ( ) on the Map toolbar.
2. Select the scale from the list.
If the scale value you want is not in the list:
1. Click in the scale box ( ) on the Map toolbar.

2. Enter the desired scale.
3. Press ENTER. Atoll zooms the map to the entered scale.
1.4.1.4 Changing Between Previous Zoom Levels

Atoll saves the last five zoom levels, allowing you to quickly move between previous zoom levels and zoomed areas.
To move between zoom levels:
• Click the Previous Zoom button ( ) to return to a zoom level you have already used (or press ALT+←).
• Once you have returned to a previous zoom level, click the Next Zoom button ( ) to return to the latest zoom level
(or press ALT+→).
1.4.2 Using Full Screen Mode

Atoll enables you to expand the map window to fill the entire computer screen, temporarily hiding the explorer windows and
the toolbars. The menus remain visible and a Close Full Screen button appears, enabling you to quickly return to the normal
view.
To enable full screen mode:
• Select View > Full Screen. The map window expands to fill the computer screen.
You can move the Close Full Screen button by clicking and dragging the Full Screen title
bar above it. If you inadvertantly move the Close Full Screen button off screen, you can
still return to the normal view by selecting View > Full Screen again or by pressing ESC.
With the toolbars and scrollbars hidden, you can still navigate around the map window using the keyboard shortcuts:
• CTRL++: Zoom in on the map
• CTRL+–: Zoom out on the map
• CTRL+Q: Select Zoom In/Out tool (left click to zoom in and right click to zoom out)
• CTRL+D: Move the map in the map window
• ALT+←: Previous zoom and location on the map
• ALT+→: Next zoom and location on the map.
1.4.3 Moving the Map in the Document Window

You can move the map in the document window using the mouse.
To move the map in the document window:
1. Click the Move Map Window button ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press CTRL + D).
2. Move the pointer over the map and drag the map in the desired direction.
You can also move the map in the document window by placing the pointer over the map,
pressing the mouse wheel, and dragging the map in the desired direction.
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1.4.4 Using the Panoramic Window

The Panoramic window displays the entire map with all of the imported geographic data. A dark rectangle indicates what part
of the geographic data is presently displayed in a document window, helping you situate the displayed area in relation to the
entire map.
You can use the Panoramic window to:
• Zoom in on a specific area of the map
• Resize the displayed map area
• Move around the map.
To zoom in on a specific area of the map:
1. Click in the Panoramic window on one of the four corners of the area you want to zoom in on.
2. Drag to the opposite corner. When you release the mouse button, Atoll zooms in on the selected area.
To resize the displayed map area:
1. Click in the Panoramic window on a corner or border of the zoom area (i.e., the dark rectangle).
2. Drag the border to its new position.
To move around the map:
1. Click in the zoom area (i.e., the dark rectangle) in the Panoramic window.
2. Drag the rectangle to its new position.
1.4.5 Centring the Map Window on an Object

You can centre the map on any selected object, for example, a transmitter, a site, one or all predictions, or on any zone in the
Zones folder in the Geo explorer. When centring the map window on an object the current scale is kept.
You can select the object in the map window or in the explorer.
To centre the map window on a selected object:
1. Right-click the object in the map window or in the explorer.
2. Select Centre in Map Window from the context menu.
If you want to quickly find an object, such as a site, on the map, you can select it in the
explorer and then select the Centre in Map Window command.
1.4.6 Centring the Map Window on a Table Record

You can centre the map on any record in the following tables:
• Sites table
• Transmitters table
• Any vector table.
When centring the map window on an object the current scale is kept.
To centre the map window on a table record:
1. Open the table.
2. Right-click the record. The context menu appears.
3. Select Centre in Map Window from the context menu.
1.4.7 Adjusting the Map Window to a Selection

You can adjust the map window to display the contents of the Sites folder (or of a view), or a set of measurement data points,
or one or all predictions, or any object or zone in the Geo explorer. When you adjust the map window to display a selection,
Atoll optimises the display by changing the scale and position so that the selection (for example, the sites) is completely
displayed in the map window.
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To adjust the map window to a folder or to an object in the explorer:

1. Right-click the folder or object in the explorer. The context menu appears.
2. Select Adjust Map Window from the context menu.
You can also adjust the map window to a record (polygon or line) in a vector table. The map
window is then adjusted so that the polygon (or line) entirely occupies the displayed map.
1.4.8 Measuring Distances on the Map

You can measure distances on the map by using the Distance Measurement tool. The Distance Measurement tool also
displays the azimuth of a line segment. You can also use the Distance Measurement tool to measure distance between several
points along a polyline. As you measure, Atoll displays the following information:
• Path: The total distance between the first point and the last point of a line segment or a polyline.
• Line: The distance between the first point and the pointer’s position (for a line segment), or distance between the last
point and the pointer’s position (for a polyline).
• Total: The total distance between the first point and the pointer’s location.
• Azimuth: The azimuth of the pointer’s position with respect to the first point of a line segment, or with respect to the
last point of a polyline.
To measure a distance on the map between two points:
1. Click the Distance Measurement button ( ) on the toolbar. The mouse cursor turns into a scale cursor ( ).
2. Click the starting point on the map. The information displayed in the status bar changes from "Ready" to the following:
Figure 1.15: Distance Measurement information in the status bar
And the following popup appears next to the scale cursor if the Display Tips button ( ) on the toolbar is active:
Figure 1.16: Distance Measurement information in a popup
3. As you move the pointer away from the first point, Atoll marks the initial position and connects it to the pointer with
a line. The status bar displays the distance covered by the pointer thus far ("Path = 0 m" and "Line = Total"), and the
azimuth of the pointer’s location with respect to the first point. As you move the pointer away from the first point, the
measurement "Line" increases from 0 m to the distance covered by the pointer thus far.
4. Click the map where you want to end the measurement.
The status bar displays the same information as in step 2. (except that "Path = Total" and "Line = 0 m").
5. Double-click anywhere on the map to exit distance measurement and clear the line segment from the map.
To measure a distance on the map between several points:
1. Click the Distance Measurement button ( ) on the toolbar.

2. Click the first point on the map. As you move the pointer away from the first point, Atoll marks the initial position and
connects it to the pointer with a line. The status bar displays the distance measured thus far ("Path = 0 m" and "Line
= Total"), and the azimuth of the pointer’s location with respect to the first point. As you move the pointer away from
the first point, the measurement "Line" increases from 0 m to the distance covered by the pointer thus far.
3. Click the next point on the map. The status bar displays the same information as in step 2. (except that "Path = Total"
and "Line = 0 m").
4. Continue clicking points until you have clicked the last point. In the example shown in Figure 1.17, "BRU062" is the
first point, "BRU069" is the last point, the pointer’s location is 567 m away from the last point and its azimuth is 248°
with respect to the last point.
5. Double-click anywhere on the map to exit distance measurement and clear the polyline from the map.
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Figure 1.17: Measurement data in the status bar
1.4.9 Displaying Rulers Around the Map

You can display rulers around the map in the document window.
To display or hide rulers:
1. In View menu, select Rulers > Top, Bottom, Left, Right, or All Rulers to enable or disable the corresponding rulers.
1.4.10 Displaying the Map Scale

You can display the map scale in the map window.
To display the map scale:
1. Select Document > Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Coordinates tab.
3. Under Display rulers and scale, select the Scale on map check box.
4. Click OK.
1.4.11 Displaying the Map Legend

You can display a map legend, which contains the information on the object types that you have added to it. For information
on adding object types to the legend, see "Adding an Object Type to the Legend" on page 52.
To display the legend:
• Select View > Legend Window.
1.4.12 Using Zones in the Map Window

In the Geo explorer, Atoll provides you with a set of tools called zones. Zones are a type of polygon, which can be created and
modified in the same way as contours, lines, or points. Zones can be used to define areas of the map for the following
purposes:
• Filtering Zone: The filtering zone is a graphical filter that restricts the objects displayed on the map and in the
Network explorer to the objects inside the filtering zone. It also restricts which objects are used in calculations such
as coverage predictions, etc.
For more information on the filtering zone, see "The Filtering Zone" on page 59.
• Computation Zone: In radio--planning projects, the computation zone is used to define which base stations are
to be taken into consideration in calculations and the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predic-
tions, etc.
For more information on the computation zone, see "The Computation Zone" on page 60.
• Focus Zone and Hot Spots: With the focus zone and hot spots, you can select the areas of coverage predictions
or other calculations on which you want to generate reports and results.
For more information on the focus zone and hot spots, see "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61.
• Printing Zone: The printing zone allows you to define the area to be printed.
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For more information on printing using the printing zone, see "Using a Printing Zone" on page 64.
• Geographic Export Zone: The geographic export zone is used to define part of the map to be exported as a bitmap.
For more information on the geographic export zone, see "Using a Geographic Export Zone" on page 64.
Zones are taken into account whether or not they are visible. In other words, if you have
drawn a zone, it will be taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the
Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. For example, if you have filtered the sites
using a filtering zone, the sites outside the filtering zone will not be taken into
consideration in coverage predictions, even if you have cleared the filtering zone’s
visibility check box. You will have to delete the zone if you no longer want to select sites
using a filtering zone.

• "The Filtering Zone" on page 59
• "The Computation Zone" on page 60
• "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61
• "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62
• "Using a Printing Zone" on page 64
• "Using a Geographic Export Zone" on page 64.
1.4.12.1 The Filtering Zone

The filtering zone is a graphical filter that restricts the objects displayed on the map and in the Network explorer to the objects
inside the filtering zone. It also restricts which objects are used in calculations such as coverage predictions, etc. By limiting
the number of sites, you can reduce the time and cost of calculations and make visualisation of data objects on the map
clearer.
The filtering zone is applied whether or not it is visible. In other words, if you have drawn a zone, it will be taken into account
whether or not its visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. You must delete the zone if you no
longer want to restrict the selection to sites within the filtering zone.
To create a filtering zone:
1. Select the Geo explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of Zones folder to expand the folder.
3. Right-click the Filtering Zone folder. The context menu appears.
4. From the context menu, select one of the following:
• Draw Polygon
i. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone.
ii. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction.
iii. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone.
• Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the filtering zone.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the filtering zone. When you release the mouse,
the filtering zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
The filtering zone is delimited by a blue line. The data objects outside of the selected zone are filtered out. In the
Network explorer, any folder whose content is affected by the filtering zone appears with a special icon ( ), to indi-
cate that the folder contents have been filtered.
You can also create a filtering zone as follows:
• Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector
Editor toolbar to draw the filtering zone.
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a filtering zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo
explorer and Use As > Filtering Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing filtering zone with any
existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo explorer and selecting Add To > Filtering Zone from the
context menu.
• Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative
area, you can import it and use it as a filtering zone. You can import the polygon by right-clicking the Filtering Zone
folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu.
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• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a filtering zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Filtering
Zone folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a filtering zone, you can use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit the contour. For more information on
the polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
You can save the filtering zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the
following ways:
• Saving the filtering zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the
fiiltering zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on
page 105.
• Exporting the filtering zone: You can export the filtering zone by right-clicking the
Filtering Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting Export from the context menu.
1.4.12.2 The Computation Zone

The computation zone defines the area where Atoll performs calculations. When you create a computation zone, Atoll carries
out the calculation for all base stations that are active, filtered (i.e., that are selected by the current filter parameters), and
whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Therefore, it considers sites inside the
computation zone as well as sites that are outside the computation zone if they have an influence on the computation zone.
In addition, the computation zone defines the area within which the coverage prediction results are displayed.
When working with a large network, the computation zone can restrict your coverage predictions to the part of the network
you are currently working on. By allowing you to reduce the number of sites studied, Atoll reduces both the time and
computer resources necessary for calculations. By considering sites that are inside the computation zone as well as sites that
are outside but which have an influence on the computation zone, Atoll provides realistic results for sites that are close to the
border of the computation zone.
If no computation zone is defined, Atoll performs calculations on all sites that are active and filtered and for the entire extent
of the geographical data available.
The computation zone is considered whether or not it is visible. In other words, if you have drawn a computation zone, it is
taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. You must delete
the zone if you no longer want to define an area for the calculations.
To create a computation zone:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Zones folder.
3. Right-click the Computation Zone. The context menu appears.
• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the computation zone.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the computation zone. When you release the
mouse, the computation zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
The computation zone is delimited by a red line.
You can also create a computation zone as follows:
Editor toolbar to draw the computation zone.
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a computation zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo
explorer and selecting Use As > Computation Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing compu-
tation zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo explorer and selecting Add To >
Computation Zone from the context menu.
area, you can import it and use it as a computation zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Computation Zone in
the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu.
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• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a computation zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Com-
putation Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a computation zone, you can use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the
polygon editing tools, see"Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
You can save the computation zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document,
in the following ways:
• Saving the computation zone in the user configuration: For information on saving
the computation zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on
page 105.
• Exporting the computation zone: You can export the computation zone by right-
clicking the Computation Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting Export from the
context menu.
1.4.12.3 The Focus Zone and Hot Spots

The focus zone and hot spots can define an area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you
can only have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus zone and hot spots. The computation zone defines the area
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, etc., whereas the focus and hot spots are the areas taken into
consideration when generating reports and results.
Atoll bases statistics on the area covered by the focus zone. If no focus zone is defined, Atoll uses the computation zone.
However, by using a focus zone for the report, you can display the statistics for a specific number of sites, instead of displaying
statistics for every site that has been calculated.
Atoll considers the focus zone and hot spots whether or not they are visible. In other words, if you have drawn a focus zone
or hot spot, it is taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer is selected.
You must to delete the zone if you no longer want to define an area for the reports.
A focus zone can consist of more than one polygon. The polygons of a focus zone must not
intersect or overlap each other.
To define a focus zone or a hot spot:

3. Right-click the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder, depending on whether you want to create a focus zone or a hot spot.
The context menu appears.
• Draw Polygon
i. Click once on the map to start drawing the focus zone or hot spot.
ii. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the focus zone or hot spot changes
direction.
iii. Click twice to finish drawing and close the focus zone or hot spot.
• Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the focus zone or hot spot.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the focus zone or hot spot. When you release the
mouse, the focus zone or hot spot will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
A focus zone is delimited by a green line; a hot spot is delimited by a heavy black line. If you clear the zone’s visibility
check box in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
You can also create a focus zone or hot spot in one of the following ways:
Editor toolbar to draw the focus zone or hot spot.
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a focus zone or hot spot by right-clicking it on the map or in the
Geo explorer and selecting Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine
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an existing focus zone or hot spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo explorer and
selecting Add To > Focus Zone or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
area, you can import it and use it as a focus zone or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot
Spots folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can
import the name (in text format) given to each zone as well. Additionally, because you can have several hot spots, you
can import more than one polygon into the Hot Spot folder, with each as a separate hot spot.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a focus zone or hot spot the size of the map window by right-clicking the
Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
You can save the focus zone or hot spot, so that you can use it in a different Atoll docu-
ment, in the following ways:
• Saving the focus zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the
focus zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 105.
• Exporting the focus zone or hot spots: You can export the focus zone or hot spots
by right-clicking the Focus Zone or the Hot Spots folder in the Geo explorer and
selecting Export from the context menu.
1.4.12.4 Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools

Atoll provides several ways of editing a computation zone, focus zone, hot spots, and filtering zones. You can edit these zones
by editing the points that define them, by combining several polygons, or by deleting parts of the polygons that make up these
zones. When you no longer need the zone, you can delete it from the map.
The computation, focus and hot spot polygons can contain holes. Holes within polygonal areas are differentiated from over-
laying polygons by the order of the coordinates of their vertices. The coordinates of the vertices of polygonal areas are in
clockwise order, whereas the coordinates of the vertices of holes within polygonal areas are in counter-clockwise order.
• "Editing Polygon Zones" on page 62
• "Removing a Polygon Zone" on page 64.
1.4.12.4.1 Editing Polygon Zones

Atoll enables you to edit a polygon zone in several different ways. The first step is to select it, eith7er by:
• Selecting the polygon zone in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer
• Selecting the polygon zone by clicking it on the map, or
• Selecting the polygon zone from the list in the Vector Editor toolbar.
The second step is to put the zone in editing mode:

• Right-click the zone you want to edit in the map window and select Edit Zone from the context menu, or
• Right-click the zone in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer and select Edit Zone from the context menu.
If the zone has been selected from the list in the Vector Editor toolbar, it is automatically
put in editing mode.
Once you have the polygon zone in editing mode, you can edit it as explained in the following sections:
• "Editing the Points of a Polygon Zone" on page 62
• "Editing Polygon Zones Using the Toolbar" on page 63
• "Editing Polygon Zones Using the Context Menu" on page 63.
Editing the Points of a Polygon Zone
To edit a point of a polygon zone:

1. Put the polygon zone in editing mode as explained in "Editing Polygon Zones" on page 62.
2. Select the polygon zone. You can now edit it by:
• Moving a point:
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position.
• Adding a point to the polygon zone:
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i. Position the pointer over the polygon zone border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the polygon zone border at the
position of the pointer.
• Deleting a point from a polygon zone:
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
Editing Polygon Zones Using the Toolbar
In Atoll, you can create complex polygon zones by using the tools on the Vector Editor toolbar. The filtering, computation,
and focus zone polygons can contain holes. Holes within polygonal areas are differentiated from overlaying polygons by the
order of the coordinates of their vertices. The coordinates of the vertices of polygonal areas are in clockwise order, whereas
the coordinates of the vertices of holes within polygonal areas are in counter-clockwise order.
To edit a polygon zone using the icons on the Vector Editor toolbar:
1. Put the polygon zone in editing mode as explained in "Editing Polygon Zones" on page 62.
2. Click the contour to edit. The Vector Editor toolbar has the following buttons:
• : To combine several polygon zones:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the new polygon zone.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon zone.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon zone.
v. Draw more polygon zones if desired. Atoll creates a group of polygons of the selected and new contours. If
polygon zones overlap, Atoll merges them.
• : To delete part of the selected polygon zone:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Delete button ( ).

ii. Draw the area you want to delete from the selected polygon zone by clicking once on the map where you want
to begin drawing the area to delete.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the area.
iv. Double-click to close the area. Atoll deletes the area from the selected contour.
• : To create a polygon out of the overlapping area of two polygons:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Intersection button ( ).

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will overlap the selected one.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll creates a new polygon of the overlapping area of the two polygons
and deletes the parts of the polygons that do not overlap.
• : To split the selected polygon into several polygons:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Split button ( ).

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will split the selected one.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll separates the area covered by the polygon from the selected polygon
and creates a new polygon.
Editing Polygon Zones Using the Context Menu
When you are editing polygon zones, you can access certain commands using the context menu.
To edit a polygon zone using the context menu:
1. Click the polygon zone you want to edit.
2. Right-click the polygon zone to display the context menu and select one of the following:
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• Properties: Select Properties to open the Properties dialog box of the selected polygon zone. The Properties
dialog box gives the coordinates of each point that defines the position and shape of the polygon zone.
• Insert Point: Select Insert Point to add a point to the border of the contour at the position of the pointer.
• Move:
i. Select Move from the context menu to move the contour, line, or point on the map.
ii. Move the contour, line, or point.
iii. Click to place the contour, line, or point.
• Quit edition: Select Quit Edition to exit editing mode.
• Delete: Select Delete to remove the selected contour, line, or point from the map.
1.4.12.4.2 Removing a Polygon Zone

When you no longer need a polygon zone, you can remove the zone and redisplay all data objects.
To remove a polygon zone:
3. Right-click the folder containing the zone you want to remove.
4. From the context menu, select Delete Zone. The polygon zone is removed and all document data is now displayed.
You can also delete it by right-clicking its border on the map and selecting Delete from
the context menu.
1.4.12.5 Using a Printing Zone

The printing zone allows you to define an area to be printed. For information on using the printing zone, see "Defining the
Printing Zone" on page 91.
1.4.12.6 Using a Geographic Export Zone

If you want to export part of the map as a bitmap, you can define a geographic export zone. After you have defined a
geographic export zone, Atoll allows you to export only the area covered by the zone if you export the map as a raster image.
To define a geographic export zone and export the map:
3. Right-click the Geographic Export Zone folder. The context menu appears.
• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the zone.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the zone. When you release the mouse, the zone
will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
• Fit Zone to Map Window
Atoll creates a geographic export zone that fits the map window.
The geographic export zone is delimited by a light purple line. If you clear the geographic export zone’s visibility check
box in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
You can also create a geographic export zone as follows:
• Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the
Vector Editor toolbar to draw the geogaphic export zone.
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• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a geographic export zone by right-clicking it on the map or
in the Geo explorer and selecting Use As > Geographic Export Zone from the context menu. You can also combine
an existing geographic export zone with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo explorer
and selecting Add To > Geographic Export Zone from the context menu. The "effective" geographic export zone
will be the rectangle encompassing the several polygons composing the geographic export zone.
• Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, you can import it and use it as a geographic export
zone. You can import it by right-clicking the Geographic Export Zone folder in the Geo explorer and selecting
Import from the context menu.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a geographic export zone the size of the map window by right-clicking
it on the map or in the Geo explorer and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a geographic export zone, you can use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit it. For more infor-
mation on the polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
You can save the geographic export zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll docu-
• Saving the geographic export zone in the user configuration: For information on
saving the geographic export zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Con-
figuration" on page 105.
• Exporting the geographic export zone: You can export the geographic export zone
by right-clicking the Geographic Export Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting
Export from the context menu.
The geographic export zone can only export in raster format. You can not export in raster
format if the coverage prediction was made per transmitter (for example, coverage
predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmitter attribute, by signal
level, by path loss, or by total losses). Only the coverage area of a single transmitter can
be exported in raster format.
5. Select File > Save Image As. The Map Export dialog box appears, with the option Geographic export zone selected.
6. Click Export. The Save As dialog box appears.
7. In the Save as dialog box, select a destination folder, enter a File name, and select a file type from the Save as type list.
The following file formats are supported: BMP, PNG, ArcView Grid (TXT), TIFF, BIL, JPEG 2000, and JPG. If you want to
use the saved file as a digital terrain model, you should select the TIF, BIL, or TXT format. When saving in BIL format,
Atoll allows you to save files larger than 2 Gb.
8. Click Save. The Exported Image Size dialog box appears.
9. You can define the size of the exported image in one of two ways:
• Scale: If you want to define the size by scale, select Scale, enter a scale in the text box and a resolution. If you want
to export the image with rulers, select Include Rulers.
• Pixel size: If you want to define the size by pixel size, select Pixel size, and enter a pixel size in the text box.
If you want to use the exported file as a digital terrain model, you must define the size of
the exported image by pixel size. Atoll then creates a geo-reference file for the exported
image.
10. Click OK.
1.4.13 Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points

Atoll uses different types of polygons, lines, and points in the map window. For example, the zones such as the computation,
focus zone and hot spot, described in "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 58, are specific types of polygons. Other
types of polygons, called contours, along with lines and points, can be used to add additional information to geographic data.
Atoll provides several ways of editing polygons, lines, and points. You can move or delete the points that define polygons,
lines, and points. You can edit polygons by editing the points that define them, by combining several polygons, or by deleting
parts of the polygons.
Polygons, including the computation, focus zone and hot spot polygons can contain holes. Holes within polygonal areas are
differentiated from overlaying polygons by the order of the coordinates of their vertices. The coordinates of the vertices of
polygonal areas are in clockwise order, whereas the coordinates of the vertices of holes within polygonal areas are in counter-
clockwise order.
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When you no longer need the polygon, line, or point, you can delete it from the map.
This section explains the different ways of editing polygons, lines, and points:
• "Adding a Vector Layer" on page 66
• "Creating Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 66
• "Editing the Shape of Polygons and Lines" on page 67
• "Combining or Cropping Polygons Using the Toolbar" on page 67
• "Editing a Point" on page 68
• "Editing Contours, Lines, and Points Using the Context Menu" on page 69.
1.4.13.1 Adding a Vector Layer

You can add vector objects such as polygons, lines or points to geographical map information in a project by first creating a
vector layer. You can also modify certain geographic data maps, for example, population maps, and custom data, by adding a
vector layer to them and adding polygons, lines and points afterwards. For information on modifying certain geographic data
maps by adding a vector layer, see "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 172.
To add a vector layer to the Geo explorer:
• Click the New Vector Layer button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar.
Atoll creates a folder called "Vectors" in the Geo explorer.
For information on adding vector objects such as contours, lines, and points to the vector layer, see "Creating Polygons, Lines,
and Points" on page 66.
1.4.13.2 Creating Polygons, Lines, and Points

Once you have created a vector layer, as explained in "Adding a Vector Layer" on page 66, you can add polygons, lines, and
points to it.
To add a polygon, line, or point to a vector layer:
1. Right-click the vector layer in the Geo explorer. The context menu appears.
2. Select Edit from the context menu. The tools on the Vector Editor toolbar are available.
You can also make the vector tools available by selecting the vector layer to edit from
the Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by
default, it might be difficult to know which vector folder you are selecting. By renaming
each vector folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on
renaming objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 44.
If the Vector Editor toolbar is not visible, select View > Toolbars > Vector Editor.
3. Click one of the following buttons on the Vector Editor toolbar:
New Polygon:
a. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour.
b. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour.
c. Double-click to close the contour.
New Rectangle:
a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle.
b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle.
c. Release the mouse to create the rectangle defined by the two corners.
If the polygon or rectangle is on the vector layer of a population map, or custom data, you
must define the value the polygon or rectangle represents and map the vector layer. For
more information, see "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 172.
New Line:
a. Click once on the map where you want to begin the line.
b. Click each time you change angles on the line.
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c. Double-click to end the line.
New Point: Click once on the map where you want to place the point.
4. Press ESC to deselect the currently selected button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
1.4.13.3 Editing the Shape of Polygons and Lines

You can edit the shape of polygons and lines on the vector layer.
To edit the shape of polygons and lines:
1. In the explorer (the Network explorer or the Geo explorer) containing the vector layer, right-click the vector layer
folder. The context menu appears.
2. Select Draw from the context menu. The vector tools on the Vector Editor toolbar are activated.
You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the
Vector Editor toolbar list.
3. Select the contour or line. You can use the following methods to edit the contour or line:
• Move a point:
ii. Drag the point to its new position. If you are editing a rectangle, the adjacent points on the rectangle change
position as well, in order for the rectangle to retain its shape.
• Add a point to a contour or a line:
i. Position the pointer over the contour border or line where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the contour border or line at the
position of the pointer.
• Delete a point from a contour or a line:
1.4.13.4 Combining or Cropping Polygons Using the Toolbar

In Atoll, you can create complex contours by using the tools on the Vector Editor toolbar.
To edit a vector object using the icons on the Vector Editor toolbar:
You can activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector
Editor toolbar list.
3. Click the contour to edit. The Vector Editor toolbar enables you to perform the following functions:
• : To combine an existing contour with a new one:
i. On the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the new contour.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour.
iv. Double-click to close the contour.
v. Draw more contours if desired. Atoll creates a group of polygons of the selected and new contours. If contours
overlap, Atoll merges them.
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• : To combine two existing contours:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).

ii. Click the contour that you want to combine with the selected one. Atoll combines the two selected contours
into a single object, merging them if they overlap.
• : To draw a hole in the selected contour:

ii. Click once inside the contour where you want to begin drawing the area to delete.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the area.
iv. Double-click to close the area. Atoll deletes the area from the selected contour.
• : To delete an area of the selected contour that is overlapped by another contour:

ii. Click the contour (which overlaps the selected contour) to delete the overlapping area from the first selected
contour. Atoll deletes the area covered by the second contour from the first contour.
• : To create a contour out of the overlapping area of an existing contour and a new one:

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour that will overlap the selected one.
iv. Double-click to close the contour. Atoll creates a new contour of the overlapping area of the two contours and
deletes the parts of the contours that do not overlap.
• : To create a contour out of the overlapping area of two existing contours:

ii. Click the contour (which overlaps the selected contour) that you want to intersect with the first selected con-
tour. Atoll creates a new contour from the area of the two contours that overlaps and deletes the parts of the
contours that do not overlap.
• : To split the selected contour into two contours:

ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour that will split the selected contour.
iv. Double-click to close the contour. Atoll deletes the area defined by the newly drawn contour from the selected
contour, thereby creating two new contours.
• : To split overlapping contours into three contours:

ii. Click the contour (which overlaps the selected contour) that you want to use to crop the first selected contour.
Atoll separates the overlapping area from the first selected contour, thereby creating three contours: the first
contour minus the area overlapped by the second, the second contour (which remains unchanged, and a third
contour created from the area deleted from the first selected contour.
1.4.13.5 Editing a Point

To edit a point:
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You can activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector
Editor toolbar list.
3. Select the point. You can use the following methods to edit the point:
• Move the point:
i. Click the point. The pointer changes ( ).

• Delete the point:
i. Click the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).

ii. Right-click and select Delete from the context menu. The point is deleted.
1.4.13.6 Editing Contours, Lines, and Points Using the Context Menu
When you are editing contours, lines, and points, you can access certain commands using the context menu.
To edit a vector object using the context menu:
1. Click the vector object you want to edit.
2. Right-click the vector object to display the context menu and select one of the following:
• Delete: Select Delete to remove the selected contour, line, or point from the map.
• Convert to Line: Select Convert to Line to convert the selected contour to a line.
• Convert to Polygon: Select Convert to Polygon to convert the selected line to a contour.
• Open Line: Select Open Line to remove the segment between the last and the first point.
• Close Line: Select Close Line to add a segment between the last and the first point of the line.
• Insert Point: Select Insert Point to add a point to the border of the contour at the position of the pointer.
• Move:
i. Select Move from the context menu to move the contour, line, or point on the map.
ii. Move the contour, line, or point.
iii. Click to place the contour, line, or point.
• Quit Edition: Select Quit Edition to exit editing mode.
• Properties: Select Properties to open the Properties dialog box of the selected contour, line, or point. The Prop-
erties dialog box has two tabs:
• General: The General tab displays the name of the vector Layer, the Surface of the object, and any Properties
of the contour, line, or point.
• Geometry: This tab displays the coordinates of each point that defines the position and shape of the contour,
line, or point.
Only the commands relevant to the selected contour, line, or point are displayed in the
context menu.
1.4.14 Copying the Content of a Zone into Another Application

You can copy the content of one of the following zones of the map window into a document created using another application:
• Filtering zone
• Focus zone
• Computation zone
• Hot spot
• Printing zone
• Geographical export zone
To copy the content of a zone into a document created using another application:
1. Select the zone in the map window, or expand the Zones folder in the Geo explorer and select the zone.
You can copy the contents of the zone in the following ways:
• Select Edit > Copy (or press Ctrl+C) to copy a bitmap image of the selected zone, or
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a. Select Edit > Advanced Copy. The Advanced Copy dialog box appears.
b. Select one of the following:
• Bitmap image: Select Bitmap Image to copy the contents of the zone as a bitmap and then select either Screen
resolution or Custom resolution and enter the custom resolution in the text box. The default custom resolu-
tion is 50 m.
• Metafile Image: Select Metafile Image to copy the contents of the zone as a Windows metafile.
• Georeference Coordinates: Select Georeference Coordinates to copy the georeference coordinates to the
clipboard. They will be pasted as the coordinates.
2. Open the application into which you want to paste the image and select Edit > Paste (or press Ctrl+V). The zone of the
map is pasted as an image (or as georeference coordinates) into the new document.
1.4.15 Map Window Pointers

In Atoll, the pointer appears in different forms according to its function. Each pointer is described below:
Appearance Description Meaning

The zone selection pointer indicates:
• On the map, that you can define a zone to print or copy
Selection arrow • In the Panoramic window, that you can define the zone to be displayed on the
map.
To define a zone, click and drag diagonally.
The polygon drawing pointer indicates that you can draw a zone to filter either sites
or transmitters, draw computation/focus/hot spot/filtering/printing/ geographic
Polygon drawing
export zones, or draw vector or raster polygons on the map. To draw a polygon, click
pointer
once to start, and each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of
the polygon. Close the polygon by clicking twice.
The rectangle drawing pointer indicates that you that can draw computation/focus/
Rectangle drawing
hot spot/filtering/printing/geographic export zones, or draw vector or raster
pointer
rectangles on the map. To define a zone, click and drag diagonally.
Hand The hand pointer indicates that you can move the visible part of the displayed map.
The zoom pointer indicates that you can click to zoom in and right-click to zoom out
Zoom tool
at the location of the mouse pointer
The zoom area pointer indicates that you can zoom in on an area of the by clicking
Zoom area
and dragging to define the area.
The transmitter pointer indicates that you can place a transmitter on the map where
New transmitter you click. You can place more than one station by pressing CTRL as you click on the
map.
The point analysis pointer indicates that you have selected the Point Analysis tool
Point analysis
and have not yet chosen the first point.
The point placed pointer indicates the position of the receiver on the map that is
Point placed
used for the point-to-point analysis. The results are displayed in the CW
(Receiver)
Measurements or Point Analysis window.
The pencil pointer indicates that you can create a polygonal clutter zone, by clicking
Pencil once to start the polygon, once to create each corner, and by double-clicking to
close the polygon.
The deletion pointer indicates that you can delete a newly created polygonal clutter
Deletion
zone by clicking its border.
The position indicator pointer indicates that you can select the border of a polygon.
Position indicator Right-clicking the polygon border opens a context menu allowing you to add a point,
delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon.
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Appearance Description Meaning

The select/create points pointer indicates that you can modify the polygon in the
map window. You can add a new point and modify the polygon contour by clicking
Select/create
on one of the edges and dragging. You can move an existing point by clicking and
points
dragging an existing point. You can right-click to open a context menu to delete a
point, delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon.
Placing a CW
The first CW measurement point pointer indicates that you can click a point on the
measurement
map to create the first point of a CW measurement path.
point
Placing points in a The next CW measurement point pointer indicates that the first CW measurement
CW measurement point has been set and you can now click other points on the map. Double-click to
path end the CW measurement path.
The measurement pointer indicates that you can click on the map to set the start
Measurements on
point of your measurement. As you move the pointer, the distance between the first
the map
point and the pointer is displayed in the status bar.
The terrain section pointer indicates that you can create a terrain section by clicking
once on the map to create the first point and once more to create the second point.
Terrain section
The terrain profile between the two points is displayed in the Point Analysis window
and stored under Terrain Sections in the Geo explorer.
1.5 Working with Coverage Predictions

Atoll provides the following features to help you organise coverage predictions and to export the results in other formats:
• "Organising the Contents of the Predictions Folder" on page 71
• "Exporting Coverage Predictions Results" on page 72.
1.5.1 Organising the Contents of the Predictions Folder

When you create a coverage prediction in Atoll, it is listed under Predictions in the Network explorer. Atoll enables you to
organise the created predictions in a series of folders that you can give descriptive names to.
• "Creating Folders in the Predictions folder" on page 71
• "Moving a Coverage Prediction into a Folder" on page 71.
1.5.1.1 Creating Folders in the Predictions folder

Atoll enables you to create folders under Predictions in the Network explorer. Atoll only allows one level of folders. Once you
have created a folder under Predictions, you can move coverage predictions into it. For more information, see "Moving a
Coverage Prediction into a Folder" on page 71
To create a folder under Predictions:
1. Click the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Folder from the context menu. Atoll creates a new folder, Folder<X>, under Predictions where <X> is a
number assigned by Atoll sequentially, according to the number of folders with default names under Predictions.
You can change the name of the folder to give it a more descriptive name.
1.5.1.2 Moving a Coverage Prediction into a Folder

Once you have created folders under Predictions as explained in "Creating Folders in the Predictions folder" on page 71, you
can organise the coverage predictions by moving them into these folders. Atoll also allows you to move coverage predictions
from one folder to another or from a folder to the main Predictions folder.
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To move a coverage prediction from the main Predictions folder to one of its folders:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left Predictions to expand the folder.
3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to move to a folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Move To from the context menu. The Move to Folder dialog box appears.
5. Select the name of the folder in the Move to Folder dialog box and click OK. The coverage prediction is moved to the
selected folder.
The same procedure can be used to move a coverage prediction from one folder to
another or from a folder to the main Predictions folder.
You can also use drag-and-drop to move any coverage prediction to the main Predictions folder or to any of its folders by
dragging the coverage prediction over the Predictions folder or over the name of the destination folder and dropping it. You
can only drop a coverage prediction in a destination folder when this folder is highlighted, as shown in Figure 1.18.
Figure 1.18: Using drag-and-drop to move a coverage prediction to a folder under Predictions
1.5.2 Exporting Coverage Predictions Results

In Atoll, you can export the coverage areas of a coverage prediction in raster or vector formats. Exported files can then be
imported as a vector or raster object in Atoll or in another application.
• Supported raster formats are: BMP, TIF, JPEG2000, ArcView© grid, or Vertical Mapper (GRD and GRC). When
exporting in GRD or GRC formats, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 GB.
• Supported vector formats are: ArcView©, MapInfo©, or AGD formats.
Coverage predictions must be displayed in the map window before they can be exported. For information on displaying
objects in the map window, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
When you export a coverage prediction in vector format, the exported zone is delimited by the rectangle encompassing the
coverage. You can export the entire coverage prediction, or you can export a defined area of the coverage prediction.
All coverage types can be exported, however, you can not export a coverage prediction in raster format if the coverage predic-
tion was made per transmitter (for example, coverage predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmitter
attribute, by signal level, by path loss, or by total losses). In this case, only the coverage area of a single transmitter can be
exported in raster format.
You can export coverage predictions separately or you can export several coverage predictions at the same time. When you
export more than one coverage prediction, Atoll suggests the formats that can be used for all the coverage predictions to be
exported.
When coverage predictions are calculated by value intervals, the corresponding

numerical results are automatically stored in external files. The advantage is to avoid
recalculating a prediction when the legend is modified and to have a numerical
difference feature between basic predictions. For more information, see "External
Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 233.
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To export coverage predictions to a vector or raster format:

1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select Export Coverages from the context menu. The
Coverage Export dialog box appears.
You can also export directly a single coverage prediction, the geographic export zone, or
part of the coverage prediction: by right-clicking the prediction and :
• To export the entire coverage prediction, right-click the coverage prediction you
want to export.
• To export the geographic export zone, define the geographic export zone as
explained in "Using a Geographic Export Zone" on page 64, and right-click the cov-
erage prediction that you want to export.
• To export part of the coverage prediction, expand the coverage prediction and
right-click the part of the coverage prediction that you want to export.
Select Export the Coverage from the context menu, then in the Save As dialog box, select
a destination folder, enter a File name, and select a raster or vector format from the Save
as type list, and skip to step 5.
2. In the Coverage Export dialog box, select the check boxes corresponding to the coverage predictions you want to
export. By default, Atoll selects the check boxes of all coverage predictions whose visibility check box is selected in the
Network explorer.
3. Under Options, you can define the following parameters:
• Directory: Type the name of the folder where you want to store the exported coverage predictions or click the
Browse button to find it.
• Format: Select the file format in which you want Atoll to export the coverage predictions.
The same directory and export format are stored in the registry. They will be available the
next time you want to export coverage predictions from the Predictions folder.
If all the selected coverage predictions are in vector format, only the following export formats will be available:
Figure 1.19: Exporting multiple coverage predictions (vector formats only)
If at least one of the selected coverage predictions is in raster format, all the export formats below are available:
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Figure 1.20: Exporting multiple coverage predictions (vector and raster formats)
• Timestamp: If you select this check box, Atoll appends a date and time suffix to the file name of each exported
coverage prediction, e.g. "_20140314_11h44m45s".
• Resolution: You can define a resolution (in metres) for the exported coverage predictions.
4. Click Export to export the selected coverage predictions.
5. Depending on the output format that you selected, specify the vector or raster export options:
• If you selected the AGD format, the coverage prediction files are exported directly to the specified directory.
• If you selected a vector format other than AGD, the Vector Export dialog box opens.
Figure 1.21: Vector Export dialog box
In the Vector Export dialog box, specify the following export settings:
• Coordinate System: Click Change to select a different coordinate system for the exported coverage.
• Resolution: You can change the grid resolution of the exported coverage. The default resolution is the resolu-
tion of the coverage prediction results (as set in the coverage prediction Properties dialog box).
• Filtering: You can apply a filter to the coverage prediction export to fill empty and orphan pixels with a value
averaged from surrounding pixels. Define the level of filtering by moving the Filtering slider, or entering the
percentage in the text box.
• Smoothing: You can smooth the vectors exported by a set percentage by moving the Smoothing slider, or
entering the percentage in the text box.
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When exporting a prediction coverage in MIF format, the tip text will be exported with it
and will be visible as tip text when you re-import the MIF file in another Atoll project. For
information on defining tip text, see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
• If you selected the BIL raster format, the BIL Raster Export dialog box opens.
Figure 1.22: The BIL Raster Export dialog box
In the BIL Raster Export dialog box, specify the following export settings:
• Image: Select this option to export in image format with the filtering defined under Filter. When the Image
check box is cleared, the generated BIL file contains real values.
• Entire Project area: Select this option to export a rectangle containing only the area covered by the prediction.
• The computation zone: Select this option to export a rectangle containing the entire computation zone.
• Geographic export zone: Select this option to export the rectangle defined by the geographic export zone.
• Filter: Filtering fills empty and orphan pixels with a value averaged from surrounding pixels. Define the level
of filtering by moving the slider or typing a percentage in the text box. The Filter optionis enabled when the
Image option is selected.
• If you selected the TXT raster format, the TXT Raster Export dialog box opens.
Figure 1.23: The TXT Raster Export dialog box
In the TXT Raster Export dialog box, specify the following export settings:
• Format: Specify the Number of decimal digits and the Separator.
• If you selected a raster format other than BIL or TXT, the following Raster Export dialog box opens.
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Figure 1.24: The Raster Export dialog box for raster formats other that BIL and TXT
In this Raster Export dialog box, specify the following export settings:
• Filter: Filtering fills empty and orphan pixels with a value averaged from surrounding pixels. Define the level
of filtering by moving the slider or typing a percentage in the text box.
6. Click Export to finish exporting the coverage prediction results. The coverage prediction files are exported directly to
the specified directory.
When you export several coverage predictions at the same time, Atoll does not consider
the geographic export zone. The latter is only taken into account for raster formats.
1.6 Working with Data Tables

Atoll stores object data (sites, transmitters, cells, repeaters, antennas, etc.) in the form of tables, containing all parameters
and characteristics of the objects. The data contained in prediction reports is also stored in the form of tables.
You can add columns to the data table and you can delete certain columns. When you create a new column, you can create a
default value for a field that you create. You can also create a list of choices (for text fields) from which the user can choose
when filling in the field.
You can filter, sort, and group the data contained in these tables, and view a statistical analysis of the data. You can also export
the data or import data into the Atoll data tables. The options for working with data tables are available from the context
menu or from the Table toolbar displayed above the table.
You can browse the data in tables by either using the vertical or horizontal scroll bars, the mouse wheel, or by moving through
the table cell by cell using the cursor keys or the tab key.
• "Opening a Data Table" on page 76
• "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 77
• "Editing the Contents of a Table" on page 82
• "Opening an Object’s Record Properties dialog box from a Table" on page 79
• "Defining the Table Format" on page 79
• "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83
• "Viewing a Statistical Analysis of Table Contents" on page 86
• "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86
• "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88
• "Exporting Tables to XML Files" on page 89
• "Importing Tables from XML Files" on page 90.
1.6.1 Opening a Data Table

To open a data table:
1. Select the Network or Parameters explorer.
2. Right-click the data folder for which you want to display the data table.
3. Select Open Table from the context menu.
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1.6.2 Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields

The data for each object type is stored in the form of a data table. Every data table in Atoll is created with a default set of
columns, each corresponding to a field. In this section, the following functions are explained:
• "Accessing an Object Type’s Table Fields" on page 77
• "Adding a Field to a Data Table" on page 78
• "Deleting a Field from an Object Type’s Data Table" on page 78
1.6.2.1 Accessing an Object Type’s Table Fields

The fields contained in an object type’s table are defined in a dialog box.
To access an object type’s table fields:
1. In the Network or Parameters explorer, open the data table as described in "Opening a Data Table" on page 76.
2. Right-click the table in the map window. The context menu appears.
3. Select Table Fields from the context menu. A dialog box appears where you can view the existing fields and add or
delete new ones.
The dialog box displays the following information for each type of data (see Figure 1.25):
• Name: The name of the field in the database.
• Legend: The name of the field as it appears in the user interface.
Legends of some fields may be followed by:

• "(NOT USED)" indicating that the field is not used in the current Atoll release. The
corresponding column is hidden in the data table.
• "(OBSOLETE)" indicating that the field is obsolete and will be removed in a future
Atoll release. The corresponding column is not available in the data table.
• Type: The type of the field.

• Size: The maximum size of the field.
• Default: The default value of the field.
• Group: A list of groups (separated by a semicolons ";") to which the field belongs. When opening an Atoll docu-
ment from a database, you can select groups of custom fields to be loaded from the database, instead of loading
all custom fields.
Figure 1.25: The Table tab
You can set default values and choice lists for standard Atoll database fields. For more
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1.6.2.2 Adding a Field to a Data Table

You can add a custom field to any object type’s data table.
To add a custom field to an object type’s data table:
1. Access the object type’s table fields as explained in "Accessing an Object Type’s Table Fields" on page 77.
2. Click Add. The Field Definition dialog box appears (see Figure 1.26).
3. The Field Definition dialog box has the following text boxes:
• Name: Enter the Name for the field that will appear in the database
• Type: Select a type for the field (text, short integer, long integer, single, double, true/false, date/time, or currency)
• Size: The Size field is only available if you have selected "text" as the Type. Enter a size in characters.
• Group: If necessary, you can define the groups to which this custom field will belong separating each group name
with a semicolon. When you open an Atoll document from a database, you can then select groups of custom fields
to be loaded from the database, instead of loading all custom fields.
• Legend: Enter the name for the field that will appear in the Atoll user interface.
• Read-only: Select the Read-only check box if you do not want the custom field to be modifiable in the user inter-
face.
• Default value: If necessary, enter a default value that will appear each time you create a new record of this object
type.
• Choice list: The Choice list field is only available if you have selected "text" as the Type. You can create a choice
list by entering the list items in the Choice list text box and pressing ENTER after each list item, keeping each choice
on a separate line.
Select the Restricted check box if you want the custom field to only accept values listed in the Choice list text box.
Clear the Restricted check box if you want to allow users to enter values other than those in the choice list.
4. Click OK to return to the object type table.
User or custom fields are for information only and are not considered in calculations. You
can find these fields on the Other Properties tab of an object type’s Properties dialog box.
Figure 1.26: The Field Definition dialog box
1.6.2.3 Deleting a Field from an Object Type’s Data Table

You can delete custom fields from an object type’s data table. Custom fields are the fields that the user adds to an object
type’s data table, as explained in "Adding a Field to a Data Table" on page 78.
To delete a custom field from an object type’s data table:
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All data stored in the field is lost when you delete the field itself. Make sure that you are
not deleting important information.
1. Access the object type’s table fields as explained in "Accessing an Object Type’s Table Fields" on page 77.
2. Select the custom field that you want to delete.
Some fields can not be deleted. If you select a field and the Delete button remains
unavailable, the selected field is not a custom field and can not be deleted.
3. Click Delete. The field is deleted from the object type’s data table.
1.6.3 Opening an Object’s Record Properties dialog box from a

Table
You can open the Record Properties dialog box of an object, for example, a site, antenna, transmitter, or cell, from its data
table.
To open the Record Properties dialog box of an object:
1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 76.
2. Right-click the record for which you want to see the properties.
3. Select Record Properties from the context menu.
You can also open the Record Properties dialog box by double-clicking the record. To avoid
editing the record when you double-click, double-click the left margin of the record instead
of the record itself. You can also select the record and click the Record Properties button
( ) in the Table toolbar.
1.6.4 Defining the Table Format

Atoll lets you format the data tables to improve presentation of the data. You can change the format of the data table by:
• "Formatting the Column Headers" on page 79
• "Formatting Table Cells" on page 80
• "Changing Column Width or Row Height" on page 80
• "Displaying or Hiding a Column" on page 81
• "Freezing or Unfreezing a Column" on page 81
• "Moving Columns" on page 82
1.6.4.1 Formatting the Column Headers

To define the format of the column headers:
2. Right-click the table. The context menu appears.
3. Select Format > Header Format from the context menu. The Format dialog box appears.
4. The Format dialog box has the following tabs:
• Font: You can select the Font, Outline (the font style), font Size, Effects, and Text colour.
• Colour: You can select the colour of the column headers by selecting a Foreground colour, a Background colour,
and a pattern from the list box. You can also select a 3D Effect for the header.
• Borders: You can select the Border, the Type, and the Colour for each column header.
• Alignment: You can select both the Horizontal and Vertical alignment of the column header text. The Alignment
tab has additional options as well, allowing you to enable Wrap text, Auto-size, and Allow enter.
5. Click OK.
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1.6.4.2 Formatting Table Cells

To define the format of the table cells:
3. Select Format > Cell Format from the context menu. The Format dialog box appears.
4. The Format dialog box has the following tabs:
• Font: You can select the Font, Outline (the font style), font Size, Effects, and Text Colour.
• Colour: You can select the background colour (Interior) of the column headers, by selecting a Foreground colour,
a Background colour, and a pattern from the list box. You can also select a 3D Effect for the header.
• Borders: You can select the Border, the Type, and the Colour for each column header.
• Alignment: You can select both the Horizontal and Vertical alignment of the column header text. The Alignment
tab has additional options as well, allowing you to enable Wrap text, Auto-size, and Allow enter.
5. Click OK.
1.6.4.3 Changing Column Width or Row Height

You can change the column width and row height in a data table. When you change the column width, you change the width
only for the selected column. When you change the row height, however, you change the row height for every row in the
table.
To change the column width:
2. Click the border separating two column headers and drag to change the column width (see Figure 1.27).
To change the row height:
2. Click the border separating two rows and drag to change the row height (see Figure 1.28).
The width or height of the columns or rows change once you release the mouse.
Hidden columns are displayed again when you close and reopen the table.
Figure 1.27: Changing column width
Figure 1.28: Changing row height
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1.6.4.4 Displaying or Hiding a Column

You can choose to hide or display individual columns in the data table. Hidden columns are displayed again when you close
and reopen the table.
To display or hide a column:
3. Select Display Columns from the context menu or click the Display Columns button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The
Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears (see Figure 1.29).
4. To display a column, select its check box.
5. To hide a column, clear its check box.
You can also hide a column by right-clicking on its header and selecting Hide Columns
from the context menu or by clicking the Hide Columns button ( ) in the Table
toolbar. You can hide more than one column by pressing CTRL while selecting the
columns and then clicking the Hide Columns button ( ).
6. Click Close.
Figure 1.29: The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box
1.6.4.5 Freezing or Unfreezing a Column

In Atoll, you can freeze one or more columns of a data table so that they always remain visible as you scroll horizontally
through the table. For example, while scrolling through the Sites table, you might want to have the Name column always visi-
ble. You can keep this column, or any other column visible, by freezing it.
To freeze a column:
2. Select the header of the column you want to freeze. Click and drag over several headers to select more than one
column to freeze.
You can only freeze adjacent columns.
3. Right-click the selected header or headers and select Freeze Columns from the context menu or click the Freeze Col-
umns button ( ) in the Table toolbar. Frozen columns are grouped to the left of the table and separated from other
columns with a vertical red line.
You can not freeze a column in a report table.
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To unfreeze columns:
• Right-click the table and select Unfreeze All Columns from the context menu or click the Unfreeze All Columns button
( ) in the Table toolbar.
1.6.4.6 Moving Columns

In Atoll, you can change the column order so that you can group similar columns or present data in a determined order.
To move a column:
2. Select the header of the column you want to move. Click and drag over several headers to select more than one
column to move.
You can only move several columns at the same time when they are adjacent.
3. Click again on the selected column and drag to the desired area. As you drag the column, the position the column will
occupy is indicated by a red line (see Figure 1.30).
Figure 1.30: Moving columns
4. Release the mouse button to place the column.
It might be necessary to click Refresh in the Map toolbar for your changes to appear.
1.6.5 Editing the Contents of a Table

You can edit the content of a table in Atoll in several different ways:
• "Editing Table Entries Directly in the Table" on page 82
• "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83
• "Searching for and Replacing Text Entries in Tables" on page 85.
1.6.5.1 Editing Table Entries Directly in the Table

To edit table entries directly in the table:
1. Click the Network or Parameters explorer.
2. Right-click the data folder of which you want to display the data table.
4. Edit the content of the table by entering the value directly in the field (see Figure 1.31).
5. Click elsewhere in the table when you have finished updating the table. Your changes are automatically saved.
If a list of options has been defined for a field, you can select a value from the list (see
Figure 1.32) or enter a new value.
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Figure 1.31: Editing data in the transmitters data tables
Figure 1.32: Choosing data in the transmitters data tables
1.6.5.2 Copying and Pasting in Tables

In Atoll, you can copy and paste data in tables using the Copy (CTRL+C), Cut (CTRL+X), and Paste (CTRL+V) commands on the
Edit menu. You can copy and paste data to create new records or you can copy and paste the same data into several cells.
In this section, the following is explained:
• "Copying and Pasting a Table Record" on page 83
• "Pasting the Same Data into Several Cells" on page 84.
1.6.5.2.1 Copying and Pasting a Table Record

You can create a new record in tables by copying an existing record, pasting it into a new row and editing the details that are
different.
Each record in a table must have a unique Name.
To create a new record by copying and pasting:

2. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the record to select the entire row.
3. Select Edit > Copy to copy the table row.
4. Click in the left margin of the table row marked with the New Row icon ( ) to select the entire row.
5. Select Edit > Paste to paste the copied data into the new row. Atoll, creates a new record from the copied data. The
name of the new record is the same as that of the copied record, preceded by "Copy of." You can edit this name.
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1.6.5.2.2 Pasting the Same Data into Several Cells

You can paste the same data into several cells, using Fill Up or Fill Down.
To paste the same data into several cells:
2. Click on the cell with the data you want to copy and drag to select the cells into which you want to copy the data (see
Figure 1.33).
Figure 1.33: Selecting the cells
3. Copy into the selected cells:

• To copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells, right-click the selection and select Edit >
Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( ) in the Table toolbar (see Figure 1.34).
Figure 1.34: Copying the contents of the top cell
• To copy the contents of the bottom cell of the selection into the other cells, right-click the selection and select
Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar (see Figure 1.35).
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Figure 1.35: Copying the contents of the bottom cell
1.6.5.3 Searching for and Replacing Text Entries in Tables

In Atoll, you can search for and replace text strings in the table entries:
• "Searching for Text Entries in Tables" on page 85
• "Replacing Text Entries in Tables" on page 85
1.6.5.3.1 Searching for Text Entries in Tables

In Atoll, you can search for text strings in the table entries.
To search for text strings in a table:
1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+F. The Find dialog box appears.
You can also click the Find button ( ) in the table toolbar.
2. In the Find button, define what you want to find:
a. Enter the text you want to find in the Find what box.
b. Select whether you want to search Up or Down from your current position in the table.
c. If desired, select the Match case check box.
3. Click Find Next.
1.6.5.3.2 Replacing Text Entries in Tables

In Atoll, you can search for and replace text strings in the table entries.
To search for and replace text strings in a table:
1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+R. The Replace dialog box appears.
You can also click the Replace button ( ) in the table toolbar.
2. In the Replace button, define the text you want to find and replace:
a. Enter the text you want to find in the Find what box.
b. Enter the text you want to replace the text in the Find what box in the Replace with box.
c. If desired, select the Match case check box.
3. Click Find Next. Atoll proceeds to the next entry of the text entered in the Find what box.
You can replace the text found:
• Replace: Atoll replaces the selected text with the entry in the Replace with box.
• Replace All: Atoll replaces all occurrences of the text in the Find what box with the entry in the Replace with box.
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1.6.6 Viewing a Statistical Analysis of Table Contents

You can view a statistical analysis of the contents of an entire column in a table or of the contents of a selection of cells.
To view a statistical analysis of table contents:
2. Select the column data you want to analyse:
To view a statistical analysis of an entire column:
• Click the column title. The entire column is selected.
To view a statistical analysis of a selection of cells in one column:
• Select the cells you want to analyse. You can select contiguous cells by clicking the first cell and dragging to the
last cell of the selection you want to analyse, or by clicking the first cell, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last cell.
You can select non-contiguous cells by pressing CTRL and clicking each cell in the column separately.
In Atoll you can organise data in several different ways, allowing you to select only
certain data. For more information, see "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on
page 96.
3. Right-click the selection of cells. The context menu appears.

4. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics dialog box appears (see Figure 1.36).
Figure 1.36: The Statistics dialog box
The statistics displayed depend on the type of numerical data selected. If you leave the Statistics dialog box open, you
can view the statistical analysis of other cells by selecting them in the table. The contents of the Statistics dialog box
are updated automatically.
1.6.7 Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets

You can export entire Atoll data tables, or selected columns, to ASCII text files (in text and comma-separated value formats),
MS Excel files (XLS), and XML Spreadsheet 2003 files (XML). You can open XML Spreadsheet 2003 files in MS Excel 2003 and
later. Unlike XLS files, XML Spreadsheet files are not limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns.
To export a table:
3. Select Export from the context menu. The Export dialog box appears. You can see how the exported table will appear
in the Preview pane (see Figure 1.37).
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Figure 1.37: Exporting a data table
4. Select the Header check box if you want to export the names of the columns with the data.
5. Select a Decimal Symbol from the list.
6. Select a Field Separator from the list.
7. Select the fields (displayed as columns in the table) you want to export. You can display all the fields belonging to a
table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to the left of the table name. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the
first field, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking
each field separately.
a. To select a field to be exported, select the field in the Available Fields box and click to move it to the Ex-
ported Fields list. All fields in the Exported Fields list will be exported.
b. To remove a field from the list of Exported Fields, select the field in the Exported Fields list and click to re-
move it.
c. To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The fields at the
top of the Exported Fields appear at the left of the exported table.
You can save the choices you have made in the Export dialog box as a configuration file by
clicking the Save button at the top of the dialog box and entering a name for the file in the
Save As dialog box that appears. The next time you export a data table, you can click Load
in the Export dialog box to open your configuration file with the same settings you used
this time.
8. Click Export. The Save As dialog box appears.

9. In the Save As dialog box, enter the File name and select the format from the Save as type list.
10. Click Save to export the table.
You can export the Sites and Transmitters tables to text files by selecting the folder or view in the Network explorer and press-
ing CTRL+E.
For information on importing data into a data table, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
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1.6.8 Importing Tables from Text Files

You can import data in the form of ASCII text files (in TXT and CSV formats) into Atoll data tables.
To import a table:
3. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
4. Select the ASCII text file you want to open and click Open. The Import dialog box appears (see Figure 1.38).
Figure 1.38: Importing information into a data table
5. If the file was created using a different Coordinate system, click the Browse button to select the coordinate system
the file was created with. Atoll converts the coordinates in the imported file to match the coordinate system used in
the Atoll document.
6. Enter the number of the first line of data in the 1st Data Line box.
7. Select a Decimal Symbol from the list.
8. Select a Field Separator from the list.
9. Under Field Mapping, there are two header rows:
• Source: The column headers from the text file you are importing.
• Destination: The column headers from the Atoll data table.
Align the content of the source file with the content of the destination file by clicking the column header in the Desti-
nation row and selecting the corresponding column from the Atoll data file (see Figure 1.38). Select <Ignore> for
source file columns that you do not want to import.
You can change the width of the columns to make the contents easier to work with. See
"Changing Column Width or Row Height" on page 80.
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You can save the choices you have made in the Import dialog box as a configuration file by
clicking the Save button at the top of the dialog box and entering a name for the file in the
Save As dialog box that appears. The next time you export a data table, you can click Load
in the Import dialog box to open your configuration file with the same settings you used
this time.
10. Select the Mode that will be used for import:

• Add: use this mode to add records from the imported file which are missing in the current table. This is the safest
mode as records which are both in the imported file and the current table will not be modified in the current table.
• Update and add: this mode (default) is identical to the Add mode with the addition that the values of records in
the current table will be updated with the corresponding values from the imported file.
An additional import mode is available when you import neighbour, secondary antenna, and GSM TRX records:
• Reset and add: this mode is identical to Update and add with the addition that existing records will be deleted if
and when the imported file is found to contain data for the same transmitter or cell in the current table.
11. Neighbours only: At this point, you can compare the neighbour data you want to import with existing neighbour data.
Click Compare. The neighbour list to be imported is compared with the existing neighbour list and a comparison report
is displayed in text file, "NeighboursDeltaReport.txt", which sums up the changes that would occur after import.
"NeighboursDeltaReport.txt" lists the following:
• The document name and the relations type.
• The number of Neighbour Link(s) Creation(s) that will take place after import, i.e. imported neighbour relations
which are not in the existing neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
• The number of Neighbour Link(s) Deletion(s) that will take place after import, i.e. existing neighbour relations
which are not in the imported neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
A list of Neighbour Link(s) Deletion(s) can only be built in Reset and add import mode.
• The number of Existing Neighbour Link(s), i.e. existing neighbour relations that are also proposed in the imported
neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
A list of Existing Neighbour Link(s) can only be built in Update and add or Reset and add
import modes.
12. Click Import. The contents are imported in the current table according to the selected import Mode.
You can import data from text files into the Sites and Transmitters tables by selecting the
corresponding folder or view in the Network explorer and pressing CTRL+I.
For information on exporting the information in a data table into a text file, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spread-
sheets" on page 86.
1.6.9 Exporting Tables to XML Files

You can export the data tables in your Atoll document to XML files. You can use XML to exchange information between Atoll
and the Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC).
Atoll creates one XML file for each exported data table, and an index.xml file that contains the mapping between the tables
that were exported and the XML files corresponding to each data table. The index.xml file also stores the information on the
system (GSM, UMTS, etc.), the technology (TDMA, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, etc.), and the version of Atoll with which the XML files
were created. For more information about the formats of the XML files, see the Administrator Manual.
To export all the data tables in your document to XML files:
1. Select Document > Data Exchange > XML Export. The Browse for Folder dialog box appears.
2. Select the folder where the XML files are to be stored. Click the Make New Folder button if you want to create a new
folder to store the XML files.
3. Click OK. All the data tables in the document are exported to XML files.
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For information on importing the data tables from XML files into your document, see "Importing Tables from XML Files" on
page 90.
1.6.10 Importing Tables from XML Files

You can import data tables into your Atoll document from XML files. You can use XML to exchange information between Atoll
and the Operation and Maintenance Center (OMC).
In order for Atoll to be able to correctly import the data tables from XML files, the XML files and the current Atoll document
must use the same system (GSM, UMTS, etc.), the technology (TDMA, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, etc.), and the Atoll version used to
create the XML files must be the same as the version used to import the data. For more information about the formats of the
XML files, see the Administrator Manual.
To import data tables into your document from XML files:
1. Select Document > Data Exchange > XML Import. The Browse for Folder dialog box appears.
2. Select the folder where the index.xml file is located.
3. Click OK. The data tables from the XML files listed in the index.xml file are imported in the document .
Tables are imported in the same order they appear in the index.xml file. Do not modify the
order of tables in the index.xml file because the order in which the data is imported is very
important; some data must be imported before other data. For example, antennas used by
transmitters must be imported before the transmitters themselves.
When the data tables are imported:

• Data that exist both in the tables and in the XML files are overwritten by the data from the XML files.
• Data that exist only in the tables and not in the XML files are not deleted from the tables.
• Data that only exist in the XML files and not in the tables are imported from the XML files as new records in the tables.
Once the import is complete, Atoll performs a database integrity check and a duplicate records check to ensure that the
import did not create database problems.
For information on exporting the data tables in your document to XML files, see "Exporting Tables to XML Files" on page 89.
1.7 Printing in Atoll

In Atoll, you can print any part of your document, including maps, data tables, document reports, and antenna patterns. When
printing a map, Atoll enables you to define the area to be printed. Additionally, you can define the layout, for example, you
can add a logo or graphic item, or a legend.
• "Printing Data Tables and Reports" on page 90
• "Printing a Map" on page 91
• "Printing a Docking Window" on page 95
• "Printing Antenna Patterns" on page 95.
1.7.1 Printing Data Tables and Reports

Data tables and reports are both presented in tabular format in Atoll and can, therefore, be printed in the same way.
If you want to see how the table will appear once printed, see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 95.
To print a table:
2. If you want to print an area of the table, select it by clicking in one corner of the area and dragging diagonally to the
opposite corner.
3. Select File > Print.
4. If you want to print only a selected area, choose Selected in the Print dialog box.
5. Click OK to print.
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1.7.2 Printing a Map

Atoll can print maps and generate hard copies of coverage predictions. Atoll allows you to customise and optimise printed
maps and supports printing to a variety of paper sizes, including A4 and A0.
Before printing a map, you can use the following options:
• You can define an area of the map to be printed in one of the following ways:
• By selecting the print area (see "Defining the Printing Zone" on page 91).
• By creating a focus zone (see "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61) and then opting to print only the con-
tents of the focus zone (see "Defining the Print Layout" on page 93).
• You can accept the default layout or you can modify the print layout (see "Defining the Print Layout" on page 93).
• You can preview how the map will appear once printed (see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 95).
Printing graphics is a memory-intensive operation and can put a heavy load on your
printer. Before printing for the first time, review the "Printing Recommendations" on
page 91 to avoid memory-related problems.
To print a map:
1. Select the document window containing the map.
2. You now have the following options before printing the map:
• You can define an area of the map to print with a printing zone (see "Defining the Printing Zone" on page 91) or
with a focus zone (see "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61).
• You can modify the print layout ("Defining the Print Layout" on page 93).
• You can preview how the map will appear once printed (see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 95).
3. Select File > Print.
4. Click OK.
1.7.2.1 Printing Recommendations

The appearance of the map is determined by the arrangement and properties of the objects the map contains. Objects in Atoll
are arranged in layers. The layers on the top (as arranged on the Network and Geo tabs) are the most visible on the screen
and in print. The visibility of the lower layers depends on which layers are above it and on the transparency of these layers
(for information on transparency, see "Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 50).
Before printing a map, when a document contains surface layers (raster maps or polygonal vector maps), lines (vectors such
as roads, or airport), and points (measurements, etc.), organise the layers from top to bottom in the following order:
• Points (vectors)
• Roads and Lines (vectors)
• Surface polygons (vectors)
• Multi-format maps - population, traffic maps (vector or raster), and others
• Clutter class maps (transparent raster maps)
• Images, DTM, or clutter height maps (non-transparent maps).
Sites and transmitters must be above all the other layers. Visible objects in the Network explorer, for example, sites, trans-
mitters, and predictions, are displayed above objects in the Geo explorer. To improve performance, you can place vector
layers, such as roads, over predictions. This ensures that those vector layers are visible when you print the map.
To place vector layers over predictions in the Geo explorer:
2. Right-click the vector layer you want to move to the Network explorer. The context menu appears.
3. Select Move to Network from the context menu.
4. Select the Network explorer.
5. Drag the vector layer to a position above Predictions but below Sites, Antennas, and Transmitters.
1.7.2.2 Defining the Printing Zone

You can define the area of the map to be printed by creating a printing zone.
To create a printing zone:
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3. Right-click the Printing Zone folder. The context menu appears.

• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the printing zone.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the printing zone. When you release the mouse,
the printing zone will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
The printing zone is delimited by a light green line (see Figure 1.39). If you clear the printing zone’s visibility check box
in the Zones folder in the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
Figure 1.39: Printing zone
You can also create a printing zone as follows:
Editor toolbar to draw the printing zone.
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon as a printing zone by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo
explorer and selecting Use As > Printing Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing printing zone
with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Geo explorer and selecting Add To > Printing Zone
from the context menu. The "effective" resulting printing zone will be the rectangle encompassing the several poly-
gons composing the printing zone.
• Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, you can import it and use it as a printing zone. You
can import it by right-clicking the Printing Zone folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context
menu.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a printing zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Printing
Zone folder and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a printing zone, you can change its size by dragging the edges of the zone displayed on the rulers of
the map window. You can also use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit the printing zone. For more information on the polygon
editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
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You can save the printing zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document, in the
following ways:
• Saving the printing zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the
printing zone in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on
page 105.
• Exporting the printing zone: You can export the geographic export zone by right-
clicking the Printing Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting Export from the con-
text menu.
1.7.2.3 Defining the Print Layout

You can use the Print Setup dialog box to define how your map will appear when you print it. In the Print Setup dialog box,
you can perform the following actions:
• Set the scale of the map.
• Choose to print the rulers with the map.
• Choose to print the area outside the focus zone.
• Choose to print the legend.
• Add a title, comment, logo, header, or footer.
• Select paper size and source, as well as the page orientation and the margins.
These settings can be saved as a configuration, allowing you to define a standard appearance which you can then load and
use the next time you print a similar document.
To define the appearance of the map when it is printed:
1. Select File > Print Setup. The Print Setup dialog box appears.
Figure 1.40: Print Setup dialog box
You define the print setup on the Page tab, the Components tab, and the Header/Footer tab. You can see any changes
you make in the schematic preview on the right side of the Print Setup dialog box.
If you have previously defined a configuration file containing all the necessary settings, you
can click the Load button under Configuration file to import those settings.
2. Click the Page tab to define the page size, margins, and orientation and the scale of the printed map:
a. Under Orientation, select whether the page should be printed in Portrait or Landscape.
b. Under Paper, select the Size of the paper and, optionally, the Source of the paper.
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c. Under Scaling, define the scale of the printed image either by selecting Fit to page, or by selecting Scale and de-
fining the scale.
d. Under Margins, set the margins of the page in millimetres.
3. Click the Components tab.
a. Under Map, you can define the appearance of the printed map:
• Select the Rulers check box if you want to print the map with a scale around it.
• Select the Area inside focus zone only check box if you only want to print the part of the map inside the focus
zone.
b. Under Legend, you can define the placement of the legend.
• Select the Legend check box if you want to print a legend with the map.
• Click a button to set the Position of the legend. The buttons

inside the square will place the legend on top of the map. The
buttons outside of the square will place the legend outside of the
map.
• Click the Font button to open the Font dialog box to define the font of the legend.
c. Select the Comments check box if you want to print a comment with the map and set its Position. Clicking the
Properties button opens a dialog box where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date.
If you want the comment to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box.
4. Click the Header/Footer tab to set the position of graphic items.
a. Select the Map title check box to define a title for the map and set its Position. Clicking the Properties button
opens a dialog box where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date. If you want the
title to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box.
b. Under Logo 1 and Logo 2, you can define graphics that appear for the map. The graphics can be a company logo
or other information, such as copyright information, in the form of a BMP graphic.
i. For the selected logo check box, click the Properties button. The Logo dialog box appears.
By default, Atoll searches for a file named logo.bmp in the Atoll installation folder to use as the default header
logo. However, you can select a different file.
ii. In the Logo dialog box, click File. The Open dialog box appears.
iii. Select the your graphic in BMP format and click Open.
Only BMP graphics can be used as logos. If your logo is in a different format, you must first
convert it using a graphics programme to the BMP format.
iv. Select the correct Width and Height (in pixels).

v. Click OK.
c. Select the Header/Footer Note check box if you want to define a header or footer for the map and set its Position.
Clicking the Properties button opens a dialog box where you can enter text and set variables such as the current
time and date. If you want the header or footer to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the
map check box.
5. You can preview how your map will appear when it is printed by clicking the Preview button. For more information,
see "Previewing Your Printing" on page 95.
6. Once you have configured your settings, click OK to close the Print Setup dialog box, or click Print to print the docu-
ment.
You can save the current settings as a configuration file by clicking the Save button under
Configuration file. This enables you to re-use the same settings the next time by loading
them.
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1.7.3 Previewing Your Printing

When you want to print maps, data tables, or reports, you can preview your printing.
To preview your printing:
1. Select the map or table you want to print.
2. Select File > Print Preview. The Print Preview window appears. You can also access the Print Preview window directly
from the Print Setup dialog box by clicking the Preview button.
In the Print Preview toolbar, you can:
• Click the Print button ( ) to open the Print dialog box.

• Click the Next Page and Previous Page buttons ( and ) to preview different pages to print. If your printing zone
contains more than one polygon, each printing zone appears on a separate page.
• Click the Toggle One/Two Pages Display button ( ) to switch display from one to two pages side by side.
• Click the Zoom In button ( ) to zoom in on the print preview.
• Click the Zoom Out button ( ) to zoom out on the print preview.
• Click Close to close the print preview.
1.7.4 Printing a Docking Window

You can print the content of many docking windows using the context menu; selecting File > Print only prints the contents of
a document window, as explained in "Printing a Map" on page 91. The docking windows whose contents you can print are:
• Legend Window (for more information on this tool, see "Adding an Object Type to the Legend" on page 52)
• Point Analysis Tool
• CW Measurement Analysis Tool (for more information on this tool, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
• Drive Test Data Analysis Tool
To print the content of a docking window:
1. Open the docking window you want to print.
• If you want to print a Point Analysis window, click the tab you want to print.
2. Right-click the window you want to print.
3. Select Print from the context menu. The Print dialog box appears.
4. Click OK to print.
1.7.5 Printing Antenna Patterns

You can print the horizontal or vertical pattern of an antenna.
To print an antenna pattern:
1. Click the Parameters explorer.
2. Open the Antennas table:
To open the RF Antennas table:
a. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of the Radio Network Equipment folder.
b. Right-click the Antennas folder.
c. Select Open Table from the context menu.
3. Right-click the antenna whose pattern you want to print.
4. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
5. Select the Horizontal Pattern tab or the Vertical Pattern tab.
6. Right-click the antenna pattern and select Linear or Logarithmic from the context menu.
7. Right-click the antenna pattern and select Print from the context menu.
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1.8 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data

In Atoll you can organise data in several different ways, allowing you to select only certain data and then, for example, modify
only selected data or run calculations on the selected data. Atoll allows you to quickly group, sort, or filter data by one or
multiple criterion, or by several.
After you have defined how you will group, sort, or filter data, you can save this information as a folder configuration.
• "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96
• "Sorting Data" on page 99
• "Filtering Data" on page 100
• "Folder Configurations" on page 109
• "Creating and Comparing Views" on page 111
1.8.1 Grouping Data Objects

You can group objects according to a selected property in the Network explorer. The objects to be grouped can be in a data
folder or in a view (see "Creating and Comparing Views" on page 111). You can also define the properties by which you can
group objects. Grouping objects in the Network explorer is similar to sorting data in the data table because it puts all records
with the selected property together.
Once you have grouped data objects, you can access their Properties dialog box from the context menu to edit properties on
all grouped objects. You can save the grouping parameters as a folder configuration. For information, see "Folder Configura-
tions" on page 109.
• "Grouping Data Objects by a Selected Property" on page 96
• "Configuring the Group By Submenu" on page 96
• "Advanced Grouping" on page 97.
For examples of grouping data objects, see "Examples of Grouping" on page 98.
1.8.1.1 Grouping Data Objects by a Selected Property

You can group data objects by a selected property using the Group By command on the context menu.
To group data objects by a selected property:
2. Right-click the folder or view whose objects you want to group. The context menu appears.
3. From the Group By submenu, select the property by which you want to group the objects. The objects in the folder
are grouped by that property.
If the range of properties available in the Group By submenu has been configured as
explained in "Configuring the Group By Submenu" on page 96, you can select additional
properties by selecting More Fields from the Group By submenu. For information on using
the dialog box that appears, see "Configuring the Group By Submenu" on page 96.
To undo the grouping:

2. Right-click the folder or view whose objects you have grouped.
3. From the context menu, select from the Group By > None.
See "Examples of Grouping" on page 98.
1.8.1.2 Configuring the Group By Submenu

Some data objects, such as transmitters, have a large number of properties that will appear by default in the Group By
submenu. You can make it easier to group data objects by configuring the Group By submenu to display only the properties
that are relevant for grouping.
To configure the Group By submenu:
2. Right-click the folder whose Group By submenu you want to configure. The context menu appears.
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3. Select Properties from the context menu.

4. Select the General tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. Click the Configure Menu button next to the Group By field that shows how the data objects are presently grouped.
The Menu Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 1.41).
Figure 1.41: The Menu Configuration dialog box
6. Select the fields you want to appear in the Group By submenu. You can display all the fields belonging to a table by
clicking the Expand button ( ) to the left of the table name. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field,
pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking each field
separately.
• To select a field to appear in the Group By submenu, select the field in the Available fields list and click to
move it to the Grouping Fields list.
• To remove a field from the list of Grouping Fields, select the field in the Grouping fields list and click to
remove it.
• To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will
be grouped in the order of the fields in the Grouping fields list, from top to bottom.
7. Click OK to close the Menu Configuration dialog box and click OK to close the Properties dialog box. The Group By
submenu will now contain only the fields you selected.
1.8.1.3 Advanced Grouping

You can group data objects by one or more properties, using the Group By button on the Properties dialog box.
To group data objects by one or more properties:
4. Select the General tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. Click the Group By button. The Group dialog box appears (see Figure 1.42).
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Figure 1.42: The Group dialog box
6. Select the fields by which you want to group the objects. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field,
pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking each field
separately.
• To select a field to be used to group the objects, select the field in the Available Fields list and click to move
it to the Grouping Fields list.
• To remove a field from the list of Grouping Fields, select the field in the Grouping Fields list and click to
remove it.
• To change the order of the fields, select a field and click or to move it up or down in the list. The objects will
be grouped in the order of the fields in the Grouping Fields list, from top to bottom.
7. Click OK to close the Group dialog box and click OK to close the Properties dialog box and group the objects.
To undo the grouping:
3. From the context menu, select from the Group By > None.
1.8.1.4 Examples of Grouping

This example shows an Atoll document that contains a large number of sites and therefore transmitters. While it is easy to
see on the map which transmitters are part of which site, in the Network explorer, you can only see a very long list of trans-
mitters under the Transmitter folder.
By right-clicking the Transmitter folder and selecting Group By > Site, you can group the transmitters by the site they are
located on. The result of grouping can be seen in Figure 1.43.
Figure 1.43: Transmitters grouped by site
You can also group objects by the computation or focus zone. You normally create a computation or focus zone when you
want to concentrate on a given subset of transmitters, for example, when you are working on a certain area of the network.
By grouping them by computation or focus zone, the transmitters you are working on are immediately visible under the Trans-
mitter folder.
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By right-clicking the Transmitter folder and selecting Group By > Polygon > Focus Zone, you can group the transmitters in the
focus zone together. The result of grouping can be seen in Figure 1.43. The transmitters are now in two groups: those inside
the focus zone and those outside the focus zone.
Figure 1.44: Transmitters grouped by site
1.8.2 Sorting Data

In Atoll, you can sort the document data either in the data tables or using the Sort function of Properties dialog box. You can
sort the data in ascending (A to Z, 1 to 10) or descending (Z to A, 10 to 1) order.
You can sort the data by either one or by several columns. When you sort data by several columns, Atoll sorts the records by
the first column and then, within each group of identical values in the first column, Atoll then sorts the records by the second
column, and so on.
Once you have sorted data objects, you can save the settings as a folder configuration. For information, see "Folder Configu-
rations" on page 109.
This section explains the following:
• "Sorting Data in Tables" on page 99
• "Advanced Sorting" on page 100
1.8.2.1 Sorting Data in Tables

When sorting data in tables, you can sort by one or several columns:
• "Sorting by One Column" on page 99
• "Sorting by Several Columns" on page 99.
Sorting by One Column
To sort data in a table by one column:

2. Select the header of the column that you want to sort on. The entire column is selected.
3. Right-click the column header. The context menu appears.
4. From the context menu, select how you want to sort:
• Sort Ascending: sort the data table records from the lowest value in the reference column to the highest value.
• Sort Descending: sort the data table records from the highest value in the reference column to the lowest value.
You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking
either the Sort Ascending ( ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar.
Sorting by Several Columns
You can only sort in a table by adjacent columns. If you want to sort by columns that are not adjacent, you can move the
columns first as explained in "Moving Columns" on page 82.
If you want to sort data by several columns without moving the columns, you can use the
Sort function on the Properties dialog box. For information, see "Advanced Sorting" on
page 100.
To sort data in a table by several columns:

2. Click the header of the first column and drag over the adjacent columns that will be your sort references. The entire
column is selected.
3. Right-click the column headers. The context menu appears.
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4. From the context menu, select how you want to sort:

• Sort Ascending: sort the data table records from the lowest value in the first reference column to the highest
value.
• Sort Descending: sort the data table records from the highest value in the first reference column to the lowest
value.
You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking
either the Sort Ascending ( ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar.
1.8.2.2 Advanced Sorting

You can sort data by several criteria using the Sort function of the Properties dialog box.
To sort data using the Sort function of the Properties dialog box:
2. Right-click the folder whose data you want to sort. The context menu appears
4. Select the General tab in the Properties dialog box.
5. Click the Sort button. The Sort dialog box appears (see Figure 1.45).
6. For the first column you want to sort on:
a. Select the column name from the Sort by list.
b. Choose whether you want to sort in ascending or descending order.
7. For each other column you want to sort on:
a. Select the column name from the And by list.
b. Choose whether you want to sort in ascending or descending order.
8. Click OK.
Figure 1.45: The Sort dialog box
1.8.3 Filtering Data

In Atoll, you can filter data according to one or several criteria. You can filter data to work with a subset of data, or to reduce
the amount of records displayed in large documents.
The filtered data objects are the data objects that remain after you have applied your filter criteria.
You can save the filtering parameters as a folder configuration. For information, see "Folder Configurations" on page 109.
• "Filtering in Data Tables by Selection" on page 101
• "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 102
• "Restoring All Records" on page 104.
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1.8.3.1 Filtering in Data Tables by Selection

You can filter a data table by selecting one or more values. Once you have selected one or more values, you can choose to
view only records that have the same value or only records that do not have that value.
To filter a data table on one or more fields:
2. Select the value to filter on. You can select multiple values by pressing CTRL as you click the other values.
3. Right-click the selected value or values and select one of the following from the table’s context menu:
• Filter by Selection: All records with the selected value or values are displayed. You can modify the filtered records
or make calculations on them as you would normally do with the entire data table (see Figure 1.46 on page 101).
• Filter Excluding Selection: All records without the selected value or values are displayed. You can modify the fil-
tered records or make calculations on them as you would normally do with the entire data table (see Figure 1.47
on page 102).
When the data in a table are filtered, a filter icon ( ) appears at the top of the leftmost
column and in the corresponding column header(s), as shown in Figure 1.46 and
Figure 1.47. The icon in the leftmost column can prove useful when the column
containing the filtered data is not displayed due to a large table width.
Figure 1.46: Filtering by selection
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Figure 1.47: Filtering excluding selection
You can also filter data in a table by selecting the values as described and then clicking
either the Filter by Selection ( ) or Filter Excluding Selection ( ) buttons in the Table
toolbar.
1.8.3.2 Advanced Data Filtering

You can specify complex filters by combining filtering conditions on multiple fields using AND and OR operators. Advanced
data filtering uses a table to express the filtering conditions where columns are used to specify the criteria for each field and
the choice of the row is used to express the logical operators. The following principles allow you to express complex condi-
tions:
• To express a filter on one or several fields combined with an AND operator (for example: a=1 AND b>5 AND b<10)
specify all the criteria on a single Criteria row, as in Figure 1.48. In the following example, the filtered table displays
antennas for which the manufacturer name starts with K and for which the gain is between 15 and 20 dBi:
Figure 1.48: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on multiple fields combined with an AND operator
• To express a filter on a single field combined with an OR operator (for example: a<1 OR a>2) specify the first criteria
on the Criteria row and other criteria on the Or row, as in Figure 1.49. In the following example, the filtered table dis-
plays antennas for which the gain is either 17, or 18, or above 20 dBi:
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Figure 1.49: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on a single field combined with an OR operator
• To express a filter on multiple fields combined with an OR operator (for example: a=1 OR b=2) specify the first criteria
in the first column of the Criteria row and the other criteria on the OR row of the next column, as in Figure 1.50. You
can combine the OR expressions with AND expressions. In the following example, the filtered table displays antennas
for which either the manufacturer name starts with K, or the gain is between 15 and 20 dBi:
Figure 1.50: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on multiple fields combined with AND and OR operators
In the filtering table, the priority of AND and OR conditions is defined by combining them first horizontally, then vertically.
To create an advanced filter:

2. Click the Advanced Filter button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The Filter dialog box appears.
You can also access the Filter dialog box by clicking the Filter button of the table’s
3. Click the Filter tab:

a. Select a Field from the list.
b. Under Values to Include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next
to the values you want to include in the filter. Click Clear All to clear all check boxes.
Making selections on the Filter tab of the Filter dialog box is equivalent to filtering by selec-
tion as explained in "Filtering in Data Tables by Selection" on page 101.
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4. Click the Advanced tab:

a. In the Column row, select the name of the field to be filtered from the list. Select as many fields as you want (see
Figure 1.48).Underneath each field name, specify the condition on which the field will be filtered as explained in
the following table:
Formula Data is kept in the table only if

=X Value equal to X (X can be a number or characters)
<> X Value not equal to X (X can be a number or characters)
<X Numerical value is less than X
>X Numerical value is greater than X
<=X Numerical value is less than or equal to X
>=X Numerical value is greater than or equal to X
=*X* Text objects that contain X
=X* Text objects that start with X
To combine conditions with an AND operator, enter the conditions in separate columns on the same row.
To combine conditions with an OR operator, enter the conditions on separate rows.
5. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined.
1.8.3.3 Restoring All Records

After you have applied filter criteria to records, you may want to cancel the filter criteria and display all the records again.
To restore all records:
• Click the Remove Filter button ( ) in the Table toolbar.
1.8.4 User Configurations

In Atoll, you can save many parameters and settings in user configurations and then load them in other documents. User
configurations are used to store parameters and settings that are not stored in databases. User configuration files enable you
to ensure that all users in a multi-user environment use the same settings.
The file extension of user configuration files is CFG. The file extension GEO is, however, used if only the geographic data set
or zones are being saved in a user configuration file. User configuration files are XML files and can be opened in text and XML
editors.
You can save the following information in user configuration files:
• Geographic data set: Full paths of imported geographic maps, map display settings (such as, the visibility scale, trans-
parency, tip text, etc.), clutter description (code, name, height, standard deviations, etc.), and raster or user profile
traffic map description.
When you save the geographic data set in a user configuration file, the coordinate
system of all vector geographic data must be the same as that of the raster geographic
data.
• Map centre and zoom level: X and Y coordinates of the centre of the map window and the zoom level.
• Zones: Filtering, focus, computation, printing, hot spot, and geographic export zones in the current document.
• Folder configurations: Sort, group, and filter settings (the current folder configuration, even if not saved, and other
defined configurations for the folders), the filtering zone, the display settings of network data folders (including meas-
urement display settings), and LTE and WiMAX AFP parameters (including constraint weights for frequency planning,
physical cell ID planning, and preamble index planning).
• Automatic Neighbour Allocation Parameters: The input parameters of the automatic neighbour allocation.
• Automatic Scrambling Code Allocation Parameters: The parameters of the automatic scrambling code allocation.
• Automatic PN Offset Allocation Parameters: The parameters of the automatic PN offset allocation.
• LTE Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running the LTE AFP.
• WiMAX Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running the
WiMAX AFP.
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• Wi-Fi Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running the Wi-Fi
AFP.
• Prediction List: The list of predictions in the Predictions folder and their settings (general, coverage conditions, and
display).
• GSM Automatic Frequency Planning Parameters: Calculation options selected when starting a GSM AFP session as
well as calculation parameters used for interference histograms.
• Macros: Full paths of any macros. Macros are loaded for entire Atoll sessions and not for a specific Atoll document.
You can export the macros to a user configuration even if you do not have an Atoll document open.
For a detailed description of the user configuration file, see the Administrator Manual.
• "Saving a User Configuration" on page 105
• "Loading a User Configuration" on page 105.
1.8.4.1 Saving a User Configuration

You can create a user configuration by saving the selected settings to an external file.
To save a user configuration:
1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Save. The User Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 1.51).
Figure 1.51: Saving a user configuration
2. Select the check boxes of the settings that you want to export as part of the user configuration.
3. Click OK. The Save As dialog box appears.
4. Enter a File name for the user configuration file and click Save. The folder configuration has been saved.
1.8.4.2 Loading a User Configuration

You can load a user configuration that was created by you or another user into your current Atoll document. If the user config-
uration contains macro information, it will only be loaded if no document is currently open. When there is no Atoll document
open, only macro information is loaded from the user configuration.
To load a user configuration:
1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Load. The Open dialog box appears.
2. Select the user configuration file with the data you want to use in your current document.
3. Click Open. The User Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 1.52).
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Figure 1.52: Loading a user configuration
4. Select the check boxes of the settings that you want to load.
5. Click OK. The user configuration is loaded into your current document.
1.8.5 Site and Transmitter Lists

In Atoll, you can create lists of sites and transmitters. Once you have created a site or transmitter list, you can modify the list
and use it to filter data to be able to work with a subset of data, or to facilitate working with large documents by reducing the
number of records displayed.
In a multi-user environment, site lists can be stored in the database. When you open a document from a database, you can
select the sites to load according to any defined site lists. In a large radio-planning project, this allows you to more effectively
manage your resources by reducing the unnecessary data you retrieve from the database.
• "Creating a Site or Transmitter List" on page 106
• "Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List in the Network Explorer" on page 107
• "Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Map Window" on page 107
• "Adding Sites or Transmitters to a List Using a Zone" on page 107
• "Editing a Site or Transmitter List" on page 108
• "Importing a Site or Transmitter List" on page 108
• "Exporting a Site or Transmitter List" on page 109
• "Filtering on a Site or Transmitter List" on page 109.
1.8.5.1 Creating a Site or Transmitter List

You can create lists of sites or transmitters that you can then use to filter the data displayed.
To create a site or transmitter list:
2. Right-click the folder where you want to create the list:
Site list: if you want to create a site list:
a. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears.
b. Select Site Lists > Open Table from the context menu. The Site Lists table appears.
Transmitter list: if you want to create a transmitter list:
a. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
b. Select Transmitter Lists > Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitter Lists table appears.
3. Enter the name of the new list in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
You can create a series of blank site or transmitter lists by importing a text file with the
names of the new lists. You can import the text file by clicking the Actions button on the
Site Lists or Transmitter Lists dialog box and then selecting Import from the menu that
appears. You can also export the names of all existing site or transmitter lists by
selecting Export from the same menu.
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1.8.5.2 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List in the Network Explorer

You can add a site or transmitter to a list by selecting it from the Network explorer.
To add a site or transmitter to a list:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of Sites or Transmitters folder to expand the folder.
3. Right-click the site or transmitter you want to add to the list. The context menu appears.
Site list: if you want to add a site to a list:
• Select Add Site to a List from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
Transmitter list: if you want to add a transmitter to a list.
• Select Add Transmitter to a List from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
4. Select the name of the list from the dialog box.
You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
5. Click OK. The site or transmitter is added to the selected list.
You can quickly create a complete list by first filtering the contents of the Sites or
Transmitters folder as explained in "Filtering Data" on page 100. Then, by right-clicking
the Sites or Transmitters folder and selecting Site Lists > Add Sites to a List or
Transmitter Lists > Add Transmitters to a List from the context menu, you can add the
filtered contents of folder to the list you select.
1.8.5.3 Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Map Window

You can add a site or transmitter to a list by selecting it from the map window.
To add a site or transmitter to a list:
1. In the map window, right-click the site or transmitter that you want to add to a list.
Site list: if you want to add a site to a list:
• Select Add Site to a List from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
Transmitter list: if you want to add a transmitter to a list.
• Select Add Transmitter to a List from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
3. Click OK. The site or transmitter is added to the selected list.
1.8.5.4 Adding Sites or Transmitters to a List Using a Zone

You can add the sites or transmitters contained in a zone to a site or transmitter list.
To add the sites or transmitters contained in a zone to a list:
1. Create a zone (as explained in "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 58) that contains the sites or transmitters
that you want to add to a list. You can use a filtering, computation, focus, hot spot, printing, or geographic export zone.
2. In the Geo explorer, right-click the zone and select one of the following from the context menu:
• Add Sites to a List: Select Add Sites to a List to add the sites in the zone to a site list. A dialog box appears.
• Add Transmitters to a List: Select Add Transmitters to a List to add the sites in the zone to a site list. A dialog box
appears.
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4. Click OK. The sites or transmitters contained in the zone are added to the selected list.
1.8.5.5 Editing a Site or Transmitter List

You can edit a site or transmitter list using the Site List or Transmitter List table.
To edit a site or transmitter list:
2. Right-click the folder where you want to edit the list:
Site list: if you want to edit a site list:
Transmitter list: if you want to edit a transmitter list:
3. Select the name of the list you want to edit and click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. You can now edit the list:
To add a site or transmitter to the list:
• Select the name of the site or transmitter in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
To delete a site or transmitter from the list:
a. Click in the left margin of the row containing the site or transmitter to select it.
b. Press DEL to delete the site or transmitter from the list.
5. Click OK when you have finished editing the site or transmitter list.
1.8.5.6 Importing a Site or Transmitter List

You can import a site or transmitter list from a text file by using the Site List or Transmitter List table.
To import a site or transmitter list:
2. Right-click the folder where you want to import the list:
Site list: if you want to import a site list:
Transmitter list: if you want to import a transmitter list:
3. Select the name of the list into which you want to import entries and click Properties. The Properties dialog box
appears.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Import button. The Open dialog box appears.
5. Select the text file with the site or transmitter names you want to import and click Open. The contents of the text file
are added to the list.
6. Click OK in the Properties dialog box when you have finished importing the file.
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1.8.5.7 Exporting a Site or Transmitter List

You can export a site or transmitter list to a text file using the Site List or Transmitter List table.
To export a site or transmitter list:
2. Right-click the folder where you want to export the list:
Site list: if you want to export a site list:
Transmitter list: if you want to export a transmitter list:
3. Select the name of the list you want to export and click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Export button. The Save As dialog box appears.
5. Enter a file name and click Save. The site or transmitter list is saved as a text file.
1.8.5.8 Filtering on a Site or Transmitter List

You can use site or transmitter lists to filter the contents of the Sites and Transmitters folders.
To filter folder contents using a site or transmitter list:
2. Right-click the folder whose contents you want to filter. The context menu appears.
4. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, click the Filter button. The Filter dialog box appears.
5. If you have created a list, there will be an additional tab:
• Sites: Click the Site Lists tab.
• Transmitters: Click the Transmitter Lists tab.
6. Select the check box of the list or lists that you want to display.
7. Click OK to close the Filter dialog box.
8. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. Only sites or transmitters that belong to the selected list are now displayed
in the Network explorer and in the map window.
1.8.6 Folder Configurations

In Atoll, the parameters that define how data contained in a folder is grouped, sorted, or filtered are referred to as a folder
configuration. You can define folder configurations and save them, which allows you to consistently apply the same grouping,
filtering, or sorting criteria.
• "Creating a Folder Configuration" on page 109
• "Applying a Saved Folder Configuration" on page 110
• "Reapplying the Current Folder Configuration" on page 110
• "Saving a Folder Configuration in an External File" on page 110
• "Loading a Folder Configuration from an External File" on page 110
• "Deleting a Folder Configuration" on page 111.
For transmitters, there is a default folder configuration called Same as Sites Folder. You
can apply this configuration to arrange the transmitters in the Transmitters folder with the
same parameters as those defined for sites.
1.8.6.1 Creating a Folder Configuration

In Atoll, you can save the parameters that define how data contained in a folder is grouped, filtered, or sorted as a folder
configuration.
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To create a configuration:
2. Right-click the folder whose settings you want to save.
5. If you have not yet done so, set the following parameters as desired:
• Group By (see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96)
• Sort (see "Sorting Data" on page 99)
• Filter (see "Filtering Data" on page 100).
6. Under Folder configuration, click Save.
7. Enter the name of the configuration in the Save Configuration dialog box.
8. Click OK to save the configuration and click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
The saved folder configuration is only available for the current folder and can be reapplied to the folder by selecting it from
the Folder Configuration submenu on the folder’s context menu.
1.8.6.2 Applying a Saved Folder Configuration

You can apply a folder configuration that has been created and saved for the current folder.
To apply a saved folder configuration:
2. Right-click the folder to which you want to apply a folder configuration. The context menu appears.
3. On the Folder Configuration submenu, select the name of the folder configuration you want to apply. The folder con-
figuration is applied to the current folder.
1.8.6.3 Reapplying the Current Folder Configuration

If you have grouped, filtered, or sorted a data folder, you have created and applied a folder configuration. If you then add or
modify data, the properties of these may not match the folder configuration that you previously made on the data folder. In
this case, you can reapply the same filter or sort settings to the new or modified data.
To reapply the folder configuration:
2. Right-click the folder whose folder configuration you want to reapply.
3. Select Update Folder Configuration from the context menu. The previously configured folder configuration is reap-
plied to the data.
1.8.6.4 Saving a Folder Configuration in an External File

When you create a folder configuration, you save it in the current ATL document. However, you can save it as part of a user
configuration in an external file, so that it can be used in other documents.
To save a folder configuration in an external file:
1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Save. The User Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 1.51 on page 105).
2. Select the Folder Configuration check box.
If you want to export other configurations at the same time, select those check boxes as well.
4. Enter a File name for the CFG file and click Save. The folder configuration has been saved.
1.8.6.5 Loading a Folder Configuration from an External File

Once you have saved a folder configuration as explained in "Saving a Folder Configuration in an External File" on page 110,
you can load it into your current document.
To load a folder configuration:
2. Select the CFG file with the folder configuration you want to import.
3. Click Open. The User Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 1.52 on page 106).
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4. Select the Folder Configuration check box.

If you want to import other configurations at the same time, select those check boxes as well.
5. Click OK. The folder configuration is imported.
1.8.6.6 Deleting a Folder Configuration

You can delete a folder configuration from the Atoll document when you no longer need it.
To delete a folder configuration:
2. Right-click the folder with the folder configuration you want to delete.
5. Under Folder configuration, select the name of the configuration from the list.
6. Click Delete. The folder configuration is deleted.
When you delete a folder configuration, Atoll does not ask for confirmation; it is deleted
immediately.
1.8.7 Creating and Comparing Views

You can compare the effects of different grouping, sorting, or filtering settings by creating views of object folders in the
Network explorer and applying different settings to each view. Each view contains a copy of the data in the object folder in
which it was created.
To create a view of a folder:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the folder you want to create a view of.
2. Select Create View from the context menu. A view is created containing a copy of the original folder content.
You can now perform the following actions on the view:
• Grouping (see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96)
• Sorting (see "Sorting Data" on page 99)
• Filtering (see "Filtering Data" on page 100).
If you have created several views, you can rename each one to provide a more
descriptive name. For information on renaming an object, see "Renaming an Object" on
page 44.
Once you have performed the actions on each view, you can compare the differences by displaying each view, with its group-
ing, sorting, or filtering settings, on the map. For more information on display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects"
on page 47.
To compare views:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the check boxes to the left of each view. The data objects are not displayed on the map.
2. Select the check box of one of the views, leaving the check boxes of the other views cleared. The data objects of the
selected view, with its associated grouping, sorting, or filtering settings, are displayed on the map.
3. Clear this check box and select the check box of a different view. How the objects are displayed on the map will
change, depending on the different grouping, sorting, or filtering settings of the selected view.
You can remove views by deleting them. When you delete a view, the data contained are not deleted. When you delete the
last view, the data reappear under the initial folder.
To delete a view:
• Select the view to be deleted and press DEL.
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If, after deleting the last view, the data do not reappear under the initial folder, you can
refresh the display by right-clicking the folder and selecting Group By > None from the
context menu.
1.8.8 Filtering Data Using a Filtering Zone

In Atoll, you can simplify calculations by using a polygon on the map to limit the amount of data considered in calculations.
By limiting the number of sites, you can reduce the time and cost of calculations and make the display of data objects on the
map clearer. You can select a pre-existing computation or focus zone as a filter zone or you can draw a new filtering zone.
The data objects filtered by the polygon are reflected on the map and in the data tables. In the Network explorer, any folder
whose content is affected by the filtering zone appears with a special icon ( ), indicating- that the folder contents have
been filtered.
When you have applied a polygon filter, you can perform the following actions on the filtered data:
• Grouping (see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96)
• Sorting (see "Sorting Data" on page 99)
• Filtering (see "Filtering Data" on page 100).
For more information on creating and editing a filtering zone, see "The Filtering Zone" on page 59.
1.9 Tips and Tricks

This section provides shortcuts and tricks to help you work more efficiently in Atoll:
• "Undoing and Redoing" on page 112
• "Refreshing Maps and Folders" on page 112
• "Searching for Objects on the Map" on page 113
• "Using the Status Bar to Get Information" on page 114
• "Saving Information Displayed in the Event Viewer" on page 115
• "Using Icons from the Toolbar" on page 116
• "Using Shortcuts in Atoll" on page 118.
1.9.1 Undoing and Redoing

You can undo or redo most actions in Atoll up to a maximum of 10 actions. If you perform an action that can not be undone,
such as simulations, the Undo and Redo histories are erased.
For example, you can undo or redo:
• Most modifications in the workspace: such as creating, deleting, and moving a site, a station or a group of stations,
modifying the antenna azimuth, moving a transmitter, or deleting a transmitter,
• Tasks performed in the Explorer: such as creating and deleting objects (sites, transmitters, antennas, repeaters or
remote antennas, links, groups of hexagons, measurement paths, coverage predictions, maps, propagation models,
etc.).
• Tasks performed in tables: such as adding or deleting records, pasting in tables.
To undo an action:
• Select Edit > Undo.
To redo an action that you have undone:
• Select Edit > Redo.
1.9.2 Refreshing Maps and Folders

Under certain circumstances, for example, when you add data that is inconsistent with an applied filter, the data displayed on
the map or in the Network explorer may not be actual. You can refresh the display to get Atoll to reload the data and reapply
the current folder configurations.
To refresh the display of the Network explorer and the map:
• Click the Refresh button ( ) on the toolbar or press F5.
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1.9.3 Searching for Objects on the Map

Atoll provides the Find on Map tool for finding data objects on the map. You can search for some objects (sites, vectors, trans-
mitters, repeaters) by their name or by any text field, using Find on Map. You can also use Find on Map to search for a point
on the map by its X and Y coordinates, or by its postal address. Additionally, Find on Map enables you to find technology-
specific attributes such as a BSIC-BCCH pair in GSM. Using Find on Map to find technology-specific attributes is covered in the
chapter for that technology.
This section explains:
• "Searching for a Map Object by Its Name" on page 113
• "Searching for a Map Object using Any Text Property" on page 113
• "Searching for a Point on the Map" on page 114.
1.9.3.1 Searching for a Map Object by Its Name

You can use Find on Map to search for the following map objects by name:
• Vectors
• Sites
• Transmitters
• Repeaters
• Remote antennas
• Transmitter cells
To search for a map object by name using the Find on Map tool:
1. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, choose the map object you are searching for:
• Vector
• Site
• Transmitter
• Repeater/Rem. Antenna
• Cell
The map object you select appears in the Field box.
3. Enter the name of the object in the text box marked with an equal sign ("="). You can use an asterisk ("*") as a wild
card by entering it as the first character. For example, entering "*X*" will find all names which contain "X".
Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window.
4. Select the object from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window. You can also right-click the object in the list to dis-
play the context menu for the object.
1.9.3.2 Searching for a Map Object using Any Text Property

You can use Find on Map to search for the following map objects using any text (i.e., non-numeric) property:
• Vectors
• Sites
• Transmitters
• Repeaters
• Remote antennas
• Transmitter cells
To search for a map object by a text property using the Find on Map tool:
2. From the Find list, choose the map object you are searching for:
• Vector
• Site
• Transmitter
• Repeater/Rem. antenna
• Cell
3. From the Field list, select the text property on which you want to search, for example "Support Type" when you are
looking for a "Site".
4. Enter the name of the object in the text box marked with an equal sign ("="). You can use an asterisk ("*") as a wild
card by entering it as the first character. For example, entering "*X*" will find all names which contain "X".
Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window.
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5. Select the object from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window. You can also right-click the object in the list to dis-
play the context menu for the object.
1.9.3.3 Searching for a Point on the Map

You can use Find on Map to search for a point by its X and Y coordinates or by its postal address.
Make sure that the coordinate system used in your document uses the same projection
system as the tile server. Failing to do so will lead to inappropriate behaviour when an
online map is specified (disproportionate and badly rendered map tiles) as you drag the
map away from the area targeted by the specified projection coordinate system. For more
information on displaying online maps, see "Displaying Online Maps" on page 163.
1.9.3.3.1 Searching for a Point on the Map by its Coordinates

To search for a point on the map by its X and Y coordinates:
2. From the Find list, choose Position.
3. Enter the X and Y coordinates of the point, using the same units as defined under Display on the Coordinates tab of
the Document Properties dialog box (see "Projection and Display Coordinate Systems" on page 126).
4. Click Search. Atoll centres the point in the map window.
1.9.3.3.2 Searching for a Point on the Map by its Full or Partial Postal Address
To search for a point on the map by its full or partial postal address:
2. From the Find list, choose Online.
3. Enter a postal Address. You can specify a full or partial address, e.g. street name, precinct, city, county, country, etc.
4. Click Search. Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window.
"Nominatim Search Courtesy of MapQuest" appears at the bottom of the Find on Map
window when the results are returned by MapQuest, the default address search server.
5. Select a result from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window.
1.9.4 Using the Status Bar to Get Information

Atoll displays the following information, if available, about the current position of the mouse pointer in right side of the status
bar (see Figure 1.53):
• the current X-Y coordinates (according to the defined display coordinate system)
• the altitude (as defined in the DTM)
• the clutter class (as defined in the clutter classes properties)
• the clutter height (as defined in the clutter height file, or in the clutter classes).
X-Y coordinates Altitude  Clutter class
Figure 1.53: Information displayed in the status bar
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1.9.5 Saving Information Displayed in the Event Viewer

Atoll displays information about the current document in the Event Viewer. The Event Viewer displays information ( ),
warning ( ), and error ( ) messages, as well as the progress of calculations. You can save the information displayed in the
Event Viewer to a log file.
To save events in the Event Viewer to a log file:
1. If the Event Viewer is not displayed, select View > Event Viewer to display it.
2. Click the event in the Event Viewer to select it. Click and drag to select several events.
3. Right-click the select event(s). The context menu appears.
4. Select Save As. The Save As dialog box appears.
5. In the Save As dialog box, select a destination folder, enter a File name, and select a file type from the Save as type list.
6. Click OK. The selected events are saved in the text file.
You can also automatically generate log files for each Atoll session and select the level of information displayed in the Event
viewer. For more information about these settings, see the Administrator Manual.
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1.9.6 Using Icons from the Toolbar

You can access many commands in Atoll by clicking its icon on the toolbar. Some of them are also linked to shortcut keys (see
"Using Shortcuts in Atoll" on page 118).
The different icons located in the toolbar are listed below:
• In the Standard toolbar
Open the Project Templates dialog box (CTRL+N)
Open the Open dialog box (CTRL+O)
Save the current document (CTRL+S)
New from an existing database
Refresh from database
Save pending changes in database
Import a file
Load a user configuration
Save a user configuration
Cut the selected data (CTRL+X)
Copy the selected data (CTRL+C)
Paste the content of the clipboard (CTRL+V)
Undo the last modification (CTRL+Z)
Redo the previous undone modification (CTRL+Y)
Print the current window (table or map) (CTRL+P)
Preview the current window before printing (table or map)
Open the Atoll Help

• In the Radio Planning toolbar
Station template currently selected
Create a new transmitter or station based on the currently selected model
Create a new group of hexagons based on the currently selected station template
A new hexagon group is created in the Hexagonal Design folder if the check box to the left
of this folder is selected when you create a new station or a group of stations. If the check
box is not selected, you can create a new station without creating a corresponding hexa-
gon group.
Create a new repeater or remote antenna for the currently selected transmitter
Graphically manage neighbours for the selected transmitter
Open the Point Analysis window
Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (F7)
Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (CTRL+F7)
Stop the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (ESC)
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• In the Map toolbar
Refresh display of map and folders (F5)
Select an object and disable zooming and panning tools.
Move the map (CTRL+D)
Map scale currently used
Previous view (zoom and location) (ALT+←)
Next view (zoom and location) (ALT+→)
Zoom in or out on the map and centre on the cursor location (CTRL+Q)
Define a zoom area on the map (CTRL+W)
Display a terrain section
Measure distances on the map
Turn on tip text
Find on the map

• In the Vector Editor toolbar
Create a new vector layer (in either the Geo or the Network explorer)
Select the vector layer to edit
Draw a new polygon
Draw a new rectangle
Draw a new line
Draw points
Combine several vector polygons
Cut out areas in polygons
Create new polygon from overlapping areas
Split one polygon along the drawn lines.

• In the Windows toolbar
Display the Network explorer
Display the Geo explorer
Display the Parameters explorer
Display the Event Viewer
Display the Legend Window
Display the Panoramic Window

• In the Table toolbar
Import data from a file into the table
Export data from the table to a file
Display the properties of the current record
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Centre the current record on the map
Define which columns should be displayed
Hide the selected columns
Freeze the selected columns
Unfreeze all frozen columns
Filter by the selected fields
Filter excluding all records with the selected values
Define an advanced filter
Remove the filter
Sort the selected columns in ascending order
Sort the selected columns in descending order
Display statistics
Copy the contents of the top selected row into the rows below
Copy the contents of the bottom selected row into the rows above
Select the entire table
Align the contents of the selected columns to the left
Centre the contents of the selected columns
Align the contents of the selected columns to the right
Display the selected columns in bold
Display the selected columns in italics
Find specified text in the table
Replace specified text in the table
When you place the cursor over an icon, tip text appears, giving a short description.
1.9.7 Using Shortcuts in Atoll

Atoll provides many shortcuts that enable you to access commonly used tools and commands more quickly.
The shortcuts available are listed below (some of the same commands can be accessed using a toolbar icon; see "Using Icons
from the Toolbar" on page 116):
• Using the CTRL key:
• CTRL++: Zoom in on the map (in the toolbar, click and click the map)
• CTRL+–: Zoom out on the map (in the toolbar, click and right-click the map)
• CTRL+A: Select all records in a table
• CTRL+C: Copy the selected data (in the toolbar, click )

• CTRL+D:
• In tables: Copy the first cell of a selection down into all selected cells
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• In the map window: Move the map in the map window (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+E: Export the table of the selected Sites or Transmitters folder or view to a text file. For more information,
see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
• CTRL+F:
• Open the Find on Map window when the map is active (in the toolbar, click )
• Open the Find dialog box when a table is active (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+H: Open the Replace dialog box when a table is active (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+I: Import the table of the selected Sites or Transmitters folder or view from a text file. For more information,
see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
• CTRL+N: Open the Project Templates dialog box (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+SHIFT+N: Create a new document from an existing database
• CTRL+O: Open the Open dialog box (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+P: Print the current window (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+Q: Select Zoom In/Out tool (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+S: Save the current active document (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+U: Copy the last cell of a selection up into all selected cells
• CTRL+V: Paste the content of the clipboard (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+W: Define a zoom area on the map (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+X: Cut the selected data (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+Y: Redo the previous undone modification (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+Z: Undo the last modification (in the toolbar, click )

• Using the ALT key:
• ALT+←: Previous zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click )
• ALT+→: Next zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click )
• ALT+F8: Open the Add-ins and Macros dialog box
• Using the Function Keys
• F5: Refresh display of map and folders (toolbar: select )
• F7: Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click )
• CTRL+F7: Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click
)
You can also access menus and commands by pressing the ALT key and typing the
underlined letter in the menu or command name.
1.9.8 Add-ins and Macros

A series of add-ins and macros are available to extend the capabilities of Atoll.
The following add-ins is included with Atoll:
• Export to Google Earth Add-in: This add-in can export items such as sites, transmitters, microwave links, their prop-
erties, and coverage prediction plots from Atoll single-RAT and multi-RAT documents to Google Earth.
Many other add-ins are available from the Forsk support web-site, at:
http://www.forsk.com/support/
For more information about using an add-ins, see the user manual for each add-in. The user manual is located in the installa-
tion directory of each add-in.
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The add-in versions that are installed with the product are the latest available at the
release of the Atoll version. Check the Forsk web-site for updates.
To enable an add-in or macro:

1. Select Tools > Add-ins and Macros from the menu bar. The Add-ins and Macros dialog box appears.
2. Select the check box of the add-in or macro.
3. Click Close. The add-in is now available in Atoll.
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Chapter 2
Atoll Projects
This chapter explains how to start a new Atoll project.
In this chapter, the following are explained:

• "Before Starting a Radio-Planning Project" on page 123
• "Creating an Atoll Document" on page 123
• "Making a Backup of Your Document" on page 135
• "Making and Sharing Portable Atoll Projects" on
page 137
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AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 2: Atoll Projects
2 Atoll Projects
When you want to start a new project, you base it on a template that has the data and folder structure necessary for the tech-
nology you are using. Once you have started your new Atoll project, you can modify the network parameters to meet your
particular needs. Atoll supplies a number of templates for various technologies. You can also create your own templates by
opening an existing template, making the changes necessary to meet your own needs and then saving it as a new template.
When you open an existing project, you can select it from the File menu if it is one of the last projects you have worked on,
or you can open it from the Open dialog box. Atoll can work with linked geographic data files, so it may happen that one of
the linked files was moved or renamed since the last time you worked on that project. Atoll enables you to find the file and
repair the link.
In this chapter, the following are explained:
• "Before Starting a Radio-Planning Project" on page 123
• "Creating an Atoll Document" on page 123.
2.1 Before Starting a Radio-Planning Project

For every radio-planning project you must assemble the information necessary:
• Radio equipment: sites, transmitters, antennas, repeaters, and other equipment. For more information on radio
equipment, see the technology-specific chapters.
• Radio data: frequency bands, technology-specific parameters, coordinate systems, etc. For more information on radio
data, see the technology-specific chapters.
• Geographic data: clutter classes, clutter heights, DTM, population maps, etc. For more information on geographic
data, see Chapter 3: Geographic Data.
Once the necessary data has been assembled, you can create the Atoll document.
2.2 Creating an Atoll Document

Whatever the radio technology you will be modelling, you create an Atoll document in one of two ways:
• From a document template: You can create a new Atoll document, including a multi-RAT document, from a template.
Atoll is delivered with a template for each technology you will be planning for. For information on creating a document
from a template, see "Creating a New Atoll Document from a Template" on page 123.
You can also create your own template by basing it on an existing document that you have already customised with,
for example, certain geo data or antennas.
• From an existing database: When you create a new Atoll document from a database, the database you connect to
has been created with the technology or technologies, in the case of a multi-RAT document, and data you need.
Working with a database allows several users to share the same data while at the same time managing data consist-
ency. The exact procedure for creating a new Atoll document from a database differs, depending on the database con-
taining the data. Atoll can work with several common databases. For information on starting a document from a
database, see "Creating a New Atoll Document from a Database" on page 129.
2.2.1 Creating a New Atoll Document from a Template

You can create a new Atoll document from a template. Atoll has a template for each technology you will be planning for. Each
template provides data and a data structure suitable for the technology. For example, the tables and fields for transmitters
as well as the radio parameters available differ according to the project. As well, the objects that are available are appropriate
for the technology. For example, UMTS cells are only available in UMTS documents and TRX are only available in GSM-TDMA
documents.
If you create a multi-RAT document, Atoll enables you to select the multiple radio technologies you will be planning for. In a
multi-RAT document, the data and data structures for each radio technology planned for are made available in the new Atoll
document.
Once you have selected the appropriate template for your radio-planning project, you configure the basic parameters of the
Atoll document (see "Setting-up a New Atoll Document" on page 126).
In this section, the following are explained:
• "Available Templates" on page 124
• "Creating an Atoll Document from a Template" on page 124
• "Setting-up a New Atoll Document" on page 126
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Chapter 2: Atoll Projects © 2014 Forsk
2.2.1.1 Available Templates

Depending on your configuration of Atoll, the following templates are available:
• GSM GPRS EDGE: This template can be used to model second generation (2G) mobile telecommunications using
TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) technology. This template can be used to model the following technologies:
• GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication): GSM is a 2G technology based on TDMA.
• GPRS (General Packet Radio Service): GPRS is a packet-switched technology that enables data applications on
GSM networks. It is considered a 2.5G technology.
• EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution): EDGE is an advancement for GSM/GPRS networks that triples
throughputs. Because it is based on existing GSM technology, it allows for a smooth upgrade for GSM operators,
giving them capabilities approaching those of a 3G network, while remaining with the existing 2G system. Two
types of EDGE are considered: standard EDGE (also called EGPRS) and EDGE Evolution (EGPRS2).
• CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO: This template can be used to model third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications
based on CDMA2000 technology. CDMA2000 is an evolution of CDMA, or code division multiple access. This template
can be used to model the following technologies:
• 1xRTT (1x Radio Transmission Technology): 1xRTT is sometimes considered not as 3G but as 2.5G in terms of
mobile telecommunications. It offers increased voice capacity as compared to 2G technologies, but not as much
as pure 3G solutions.
• 1xEV-DO (1x Evolution - Data Only): 1xEV-DO is an evolution of CDMA2000 that provides data transfer rates of
over 10 times those of 1xRTT. It is considered a 3G solution and addresses, as its name suggests, data only.
• UMTS HSPA: UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)
and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), collectively referred to as HSPA, are third generation (3G) mobile tel-
ecommunication systems based on WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) technology. Although WCDMA
is similar in implementation to CDMA, the two technologies are incompatible. UMTS and HSPA are usually imple-
mented in place and over GSM networks.
• TD-SCDMA: TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA) is a 3G mobile telecommunication system based on Time
Division Duplex (TDD) mode. TD-SCDMA transmits uplink and downlink traffic in the same frame in different time
slots.
• WiMAX: Atoll WiMAX is a state-of-the-art WiMAX and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) network planning tool
developed in cooperation with world-leading WiMAX equipment suppliers. Atoll WiMAX supports IEEE 802.16e.
• Wi-Fi: Atoll Wi-Fi enables modelling of IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLAN) and to study mobile traffic
offloading to Wi-Fi networks.
• LTE: This template can be used to model the new fourth generation (4G) networks based on the UTRAN LTE (UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access Networks’ Long Term Evolution) specifications proposed by the 3GPP. Atoll LTE strictly fol-
lows the latest 3GPP LTE specifications, and has been developed in collaboration with the market-leading equipment
manufacturers. Atoll LTE is the first and most comprehensive LTE network planning tool available on the market.
• 3GPP Multi-RAT: This template can be used to model 2G/3G/4G multi-technology projects. When starting a new 3GPP
multi-RAT project, Atoll allows you to model any GSM/UMTS/LTE technology combination in the same project.
The 3GPP multi-RAT template can also be used to create a GSM, UMTS, or LTE single-
RAT document. By using the 3GPP multi-RAT template to create a single-RAT document,
you make it possible to add other 3GPP technologies to the document at a later time.
• 3GPP2 Multi-RAT: This template can be used to model 3G/4G multi-technology projects. When starting a new 3GPP2
multi-RAT project, Atoll allows you to model the CDMA2000/LTE technology combination in the same project.
The 3GPP2 multi-RAT template can also be used to create a CDMA2000 or LTE single-
RAT document. By using the 3GPP2 multi-RAT template to create a single-RAT
document, you make it possible to add the other 3GPP2 technology to the document at a
later time.
2.2.1.2 Creating an Atoll Document from a Template

To create a new document from a template:
1. Select File > New > From a Document Template. The Project Templates dialog box appears.
2. Select the template on which you want to base your document and click OK. Atoll creates a new document based on
the template selected.
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• If the template you selected was "Multi-RAT," Atoll displays a dialog box enabling you to select the radio technol-
ogies you want to model in the new document: GSM, UMTS, or LTE.
Figure 2.1 shows a new Atoll document based on the UMTS HSPA template. The Network explorer now has a folder structure
suitable for a UMTS HSPA radio-planning project, with, among other UMTS-specific elements, UMTS HSPA HSPA simulations.
Figure 2.2 shows the contents of the Geo explorer of the new document. Figure 2.3 shows the contents of the Parameters
explorer, with other UMTS HSPA parameters. The Antennas folder is expanded to show the UMTS-compatible antennas
suggested by Atoll. These can be modified or replaced.
Figure 2.1: New Atoll document based on a template
Figure 2.2: New Atoll document — Geo explorer Figure 2.3: New Atoll document — Parameters explorer
When you create an Atoll document from a template, the document is not connected to a database.
To verify whether the document is connected to a database:
• Select Document > Database > Connection Properties. The following message appears.
Figure 2.4: A template-based document is not connected to a database
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2.2.1.3 Setting-up a New Atoll Document

Once you have created a new Atoll document as explained in "Creating an Atoll Document from a Template" on page 124,
you configure the basic parameters of the Atoll document. You can accept the default values for some parameters, such as
basic measurement units, but you must set projection and display coordinate systems.
• "Projection and Display Coordinate Systems" on page 126
• "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 127
• "Selecting the Degree Display Format" on page 127
• "Setting Measurement Units" on page 127
2.2.1.3.1 Projection and Display Coordinate Systems

In Atoll, you define the two coordinate systems for each Atoll document: the projection coordinate system and the display
coordinate system. By default, the same coordinate system is used for both.
A projection is a method for producing all or part of a round body on a flat sheet. This projection cannot be done without
distortion, thus the cartographer must choose the characteristic (distance, direction, scale, area or shape) which is to be
shown appropriately at the expense of the other characteristics, or he must compromise on several characteristics1. The
projected zones are referenced using cartographic coordinates (meter, yard, etc.).
Two projection systems are widely used:
• The Lambert Conformal-Conic projection: a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cone conceptually
secant at one or two standard parallels. This projection type is useful for representing countries or regions that lay
primarily east to west.
• The Universal Transverse Mercator projection (UTM): a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cylinder
tangent to a meridian (which is transverse or crosswise to the equator). This projection type is useful for mapping large
areas that are oriented north-south.
A geographic system is not a projection, but a representation of a location on the earth's surface from geographic coordinates
(degree-minute-second or grade) giving the latitude and longitude in relation to the origin meridian (Paris for the NTF system
and Greenwich for the ED50 system). The locations in the geographic system can be converted into other projections.
Atoll has databases including more than 980 international coordinate system references, a database based on the European
Petroleum Survey Group and another one regrouping only France's coordinate systems. Atoll uses the cartographic coordi-
nate systems for projection and either cartographic or geographic coordinate systems for display.
The maps displayed in the workspace are referenced with the same projection system as the imported geographic data files;
thus, the projection system depends on the imported geographic file. By choosing a specific display system, you can see (using
the rulers or status bars) the location of sites on the map in a coordinate system different from the projection coordinate
system. You can also position on the map sites referenced in the display system: the coordinates are automatically converted
from the projection system to the display system and the site is displayed on the map.
Figure 2.5 shows that the geographic data file of Brussels was imported. The map shows Brussels projected with the UTM
cartographic system (coordinates in metres). On the other hand, site coordinates are displayed in the WGS 84 geographical
system (coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds).
Figure 2.5: UTM system used with WGS 84 system
1. Snyder, John. P., Map Projections Used by the US Geological Survey, 2nd Edition, United States Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C., 313 pages, 1982.
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All imported raster geographic files must be use the same cartographic system. If not, you
must convert them to a single cartographic system.
2.2.1.3.2 Setting a Coordinate System

Because you are working with maps, you must set a coordinate system for your Atoll document. By default, projection and
display coordinate systems are the same, but you can choose a different display coordinate system if you want.
To define the coordinate system:
2. On the Coordinates tab, click the Browse button to the right of the Projection field. The Coordinate Systems dialog
box appears.
3. In the Coordinate Systems dialog box, select a catalogue from the Find in list. For the projection system, only carto-
graphic systems ( ) are available.
4. Select a coordinate system from the list.
If you frequently use a particular coordinate system you can add it to a catalogue of
favourites by clicking Add to Favourites.
5. Click OK. The selected coordinate system appears in the Projection field and, by default, in the Display field as well.
6. If you wish to set a different coordinate system for the display, click the Browse button to the right of the Display field
and repeat step 3. to step 5. For the display system, both cartographic systems (identified by the symbol) and geo-
graphic systems ( ) are available.
2.2.1.3.3 Selecting the Degree Display Format

Atoll can display longitude and latitude in four different formats. For example:
• 26°56’29.9’’N
• 26d56m29.9sN
• 26.93914N
• +26.93914
To change the degree display format:
2. On the Coordinates tab, select the format from the Degree Format list.
3. Click OK.
The degree format options apply only to the geographic coordinate systems.
2.2.1.3.4 Setting Measurement Units

When you create a new Atoll document, Atoll sets certain measurement units for reception, transmission, antenna gain,
distance, height and offset to internal defaults. You can accept these default measurement units, or you can change them
using the Properties dialog box.
To set the measurement units:
2. On the Units tab, select the desired unit for the following measurements:
• Radio:
• Radiated power: Select either "EIRP" (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) or "ERP" ()
• Antenna gain: Select either "dBi" (decibel (isotropic)) or "dBd" (decibel (dipole))
• Transmission: Select either "dBm" (decibel (milliWatt)), "W" (Watt), or "kW" (kiloWatt)
• Reception: Select either "dBm" (decibel (milliWatt)), "dBµV" (decibel (microvolt)), "dBµV/M" (decibel (micro-
volt per metre)), or "V/M" (volts per metre)
• Geo:
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• Distance: Select either "m" (metres), "Km" (kilometres), or "mi" (miles)

• Height and offset: Select either "m" (metres) or "ft" (feet)
• Climate:
• Temperature: Select either "°C" (Celsius) or "°F" (Fahrenheit)
3. Click OK.
2.2.2 Working in a Multi-User Environment

A multi-user environment is one where a number of users, or groups of users, work simultaneously on given parts of a single,
large (perhaps nation-wide) network. Different user groups might be working on regional or smaller sections of the network.
This section describes the different components of multi-user environments and outlines their purpose.
When you create a new Atoll document from a database, Atoll loads the data to which you have rights from database into
your new document and then disconnects it from the database. The connection to the reference database is reactivated only
when necessary, thus ensuring access to the database by other users.
When you work on a document created from a database, you are working on data that you are sharing with other users.
Consequently, there are issues related to sharing data that do not arise when you are working on a stand-alone document.
For example, when you archive your changes to the database, the changes you have made may occasionally interfere with
changes other users have made and you will need to resolve this conflict.
• "The Atoll Multi-User Environment" on page 128
• "Creating a New Atoll Document from a Database" on page 129
• "Working With a Document on a Database" on page 130
• "Refreshing an Atoll Document from the Database" on page 131
• "Archiving the Modifications of an Atoll Document in the Database" on page 132.
2.2.2.1 The Atoll Multi-User Environment

An Atoll multi-user environment consists of the following items, connected over a network:
• A central Atoll project: The central Atoll project can only be accessed, modified, and updated by the Atoll adminis-
trator. Through this central Atoll project, the Atoll administrator can manage all the data shared by all the individual
Atoll users or groups of users.
• Shared data: Shared data is initially set up by the administrator using the central Atoll project and are then accessed,
modified, worked on, and updated by the Atoll users and the administrator. The shared data is mainly of the following
three types:
• The central database: The central database stores all the radio data of all the Atoll user documents. It is initiated
through the central Atoll project by the administrator, and is then subdivided into sections on which users or
groups of users can work simultaneously. Once the database is in place, users can modify their projects, refresh
their projects from the data stored in the database, and archive their modifications in the database. The use of a
database means that potential data conflicts due to modifications from other users, modified or deleted records,
for example, can be detected and resolved.
• Shared geographic data: Shared geographic data files are usually stored on a common file server with a fast access
connection. Since geographic data files are usually large, they are usually linked to an Atoll file, i.e., they are stored
externally, so as to minimise the size of the Atoll file. Users who modify geographic data locally, for example,
editing edit clutter or traffic in their respective projects, usually store these modifications locally, since these mod-
ifications rarely have an impact on other users.
• Path loss matrices: The path loss matrices are calculated through the central Atoll project by the administrator
and can be updated only by the administrator. Each user can read these path loss data but cannot modify them.
If users modify their Atoll documents in such a way that the path loss data becomes invalid for their document,
any path loss matrices calculated by these users are stored locally, either embedded in the ATL file or linked to an
external file. The shared path loss data is not modified.
Shared path loss matrices are updated when the calculation administrator performs an update, taking into ac-
count the modifications made by other users which have been stored and updated in the central database. Shared
path loss matrices enable a number of users to work with a centralised path loss matrices folder, containing path
loss matrices corresponding to the central Atoll project.
• User Documents: Individual user documents are initialised by the administrator but are later worked upon and man-
aged by each user. User documents are Atoll files which are connected to the central database, load only the required
part of the geographic data (as defined by the CFG file, for example), and have access to the shared path loss matrices
folder.
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Figure 2.6: Components of Multi-user Environments
For information on creating and maintaining the database, see the Administrator Manual.
2.2.2.2 Creating a New Atoll Document from a Database

When you create a new document from a database, you must connect to the database. Once connected, Atoll loads the data-
base into a new Atoll document. Then the connected is interrupted. A new connection with the database will be created only
when necessary, in order to allow other users access to the database.
The exact procedure of connecting with the database differs from one database to another. Atoll can work with the following
databases:
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Oracle
• Microsoft Data Link files
The following sections give examples of connecting to two different databases and loading data:
• "Connecting to a Database" on page 129.
• "Selecting the Data to Load From the Database" on page 130.
An example of a new Atoll document created from a database is shown in:
• "Working With a Document on a Database" on page 130
2.2.2.2.1 Connecting to a Database

To create a new document from a database:
1. Select File > New > From an Existing Database. The Open from a Database dialog box appears.
2. In the Files of type list, select the option corresponding to the type of your database. Depending on the type of the
database, a dialog box may appear where you can enter your User Name, Password, and Server.
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• By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can configure Atoll to always use a
defined database type (MS Access, SQL Server, or Oracle). The Open from a Data-
base dialog box will not appear. Instead the database-specific authentication
dialog box will appear immediately. For more information, see the Administrator
Manual.
• Additional dialog boxes might open asking you to choose which project in the data-
base to load or which site list to load.
3. Click OK. The Data to Load dialog box appears, allowing you to select the data to load into Atoll as a new document
(see "Selecting the Data to Load From the Database" on page 130).
2.2.2.2.2 Selecting the Data to Load From the Database

When you create a new document from a database, you can select the data to be loaded from the database to create the
document in the Data to load dialog box. You can select which Project, Site List, Custom Fields Groups, and Neighbours to
load. If you load the intra-technology or the inter-technology neighbour list, Atoll will also load the associated exceptional
pairs table.
Figure 2.7: Selecting the data to load
2.2.2.3 Working With a Document on a Database

Figure 2.8 shows a new Atoll document based created from a database. The Network explorer now has a folder structure suit-
able for a UMTS radio-planning project. The Sites folder is expanded to show that a document created from a database can
have additional data, such as sites, unlike a document created from a template. These can be modified or replaced. Figure 2.9
and Figure 2.10 show the contents of the Geo and Parameters tabs of the new document, respectively.
Figure 2.8: New Atoll document opened from a database
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The new document might open with no site displayed in the map window. This is because
the north-west point of the project is by default the axis origin. You can re-centre the docu-
ment on the data displayed in the Network explorer by expanding the Sites folder, right-
clicking any site, and selecting Centre in Map Window from the context menu.
Figure 2.9: New Atoll document — Geo explorer Figure 2.10: New Atoll document — Parameters explorer
When you create an Atoll document from a database, you can view the characteristics of the database connection.
To view the characteristics of the database connection:
1. Select Document > Database > Connection Properties. The Database Connection dialog box appears (see
Figure 2.11).
2. You can now:
• Disconnect your document from the database.
If you disconnect your document from the database, it will be become a stand-alone
document and you will not be able to reconnect it to the database.
• Modify your connection to the database.
Figure 2.11: The Database Connection dialog box
2.2.2.4 Refreshing an Atoll Document from the Database

As you are working on your document, other users who have access to the database may have modified some of the data. You
can ensure that you have the most recent data in your document by refreshing the information from the database. How
frequently you refresh the document depends on how frequently the database is updated. If the database is updated
frequently, you should refresh your document frequently as well, in order to continue working with the most up-to-date data.
To refresh an Atoll document from the database:
1. Select Document > Database > Refresh From the Database. The Refresh dialog box appears.
2. In the dialog box, you can do one of the following if you have modified your document but have not yet saved those
changes in the database:
• Archive your changes in the database: This option allows you to archive your changes to the server instead of
refreshing your document from the server.
• Refresh unmodified data only: This option allows you to refresh from the database only those items that you have
not modified in your document.
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• Cancel your changes and reload database: This option allows you to cancel any changes you have made and start
over from the point of the last archive to the database.
• If you chose Refresh unmodified data only or Cancel your changes and reload
database, Atoll proceeds without asking for confirmation.
• If you chose Archive your changes in the database, the Archive dialog box
appears. For information on using the Archive dialog box, see "Archiving the Mod-
ifications of an Atoll Document in the Database" on page 132.
3. Under Take into account, you can select the neighbour lists, Intra-technology Neighbours and Inter-technology
Neighbours, to refresh.
4. Under Modifications Since the Last Refresh, you can select the Generate Report check box to create a report for the
refresh process.
5. Click OK. The document is refreshed according to the selected options.
If you selected to generate a report, Atoll creates a text file in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format in the temporary files
system folder, and opens it. You can then rename the file and save it where you want. The report lists all the modifications
(deletions, additions, and updates) that were stored in the database since the last time you refreshed or opened your docu-
ment.
2.2.2.5 Archiving the Modifications of an Atoll Document in the Database

When you are working on an Atoll document that is attached to a database, you should from time to time archive the modi-
fications you have made to the data on the database. How frequently you should archive your document depends on several
factors: the amount and size of changes you make, the number of other users using the database who might benefit from your
modifications, etc. What you can archive depends on the user rights the database administrator has given to you. For example,
you can have read access to the antennas table, allowing you to create a new Atoll document with the given antennas.
However, because only the administrator can modify the properties of the antennas, you will not be able to archive any
changes you make to the antennas without write access to the table.
The Atoll archiving process is flexible. You can archive all your modifications or only the site-related modifications. As well,
when you are archiving, Atoll shows you all modifications that will be archived and, if you want, you can archive only some of
them or even undo modifications you have made locally. Occasionally, other users might have modified some of the same
data and, when you archive your changes, Atoll will inform you of the possible conflicts and help you resolve them.
• "Archiving All Modifications in the Database" on page 132
• "Archiving Only Site-Related Data in the Database" on page 133
• "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 133.
2.2.2.5.1 Archiving All Modifications in the Database

To archive all your modifications in the database:
1. Select Document > Database > Archive. The Archive dialog box appears (see Figure 2.12).
2. In the Archive dialog box, you can do the following:
• Click Run All to archive all your changes to the database.
• Select one item under Pending changes and click Run to archive the selected modification to the database
• Select one item under Pending changes and click Differences to view the differences between the local item and
the item on the database.
• Select one item under Pending changes and click Undo to refresh the modification with the original data from the
database.
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Figure 2.12: The Archive dialog box
3. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and
asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 133.
4. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
2.2.2.5.2 Archiving Only Site-Related Data in the Database

Atoll allows you to archive only site-related data if you want. Which data is archived depends on the radio technology you are
working with. For example, in a UMTS HSPA radio planning project, the site-related data is: sites, transmitters, cells, and neigh-
bours.
To archive only the site-related data in the database:
2. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Archive. The Archive dialog box appears with only site-related data displayed.
4. In the Archive dialog box, you can do the following:
• Click Run All to archive all your changes to the database.
• Select one item under Pending Changes and click Run to archive the selected modification to the database
• Select one item under Pending Changes and click Differences to view the differences between the local item and
the item on the database.
• Select one item under Pending Changes and click Undo to refresh the modification with the original data from the
database.
5. If some of the data has been modified on the database since you last refreshed, Atoll stops the archiving process and
asks you to resolve the conflict. For information on managing conflicts, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on page 133.
6. When you are finished archiving, click Close.
2.2.2.5.3 Resolving Data Conflicts

Atoll enables several users to use the same database by allowing user to load the data and then freeing the database for other
users. However, this also creates the possibility of two users modifying the same data. When a second user attempts to
archive his changes, Atoll warns them that the data has been changed since they last refreshed the data and that there is a
conflict.
Atoll can resolve data conflicts. When Atoll finds a conflict, it displays the warning window shown in Figure 2.13.
Figure 2.13: Conflict warning
You have three options:

• Ignore: If you click Ignore, Atoll ignores items causing conflicts in the table being archived, archives all other modifi-
cations in the table, and continues with the next table. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has
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ended. However, if conflicts are found in other tables, Atoll will warn you with the Database Transfer Error dialog box
again.
• Ignore All: If you click Ignore All, Atoll ignores all items causing conflicts in all tables being archived, and archives all
other modifications. You can resolve the conflicts after the archiving process has ended.
• Abort: If you click Abort, the archiving process stops. You can attempt to resolve conflicts before restarting the
archiving process.
Whether you abort the archive process to resolve the conflict immediately, or wait until the end of the archive process, the
procedure to resolve the conflict is the same.
To resolve data conflicts one by one:
1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialog box, select the conflict you want to resolve and click Resolve. There
are two different types of data conflicts:
• On a modified record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user
has modified the same data since you last archived or refreshed your data. A conflict is caused only by differences
in the same field of the same record between the database and the current Atoll document.
The Conflict in Changes dialog box appears, with the fields in conflict highlighted (see Figure 2.14). In the Conflict
in Changes dialog box, you can see the value of the field in the database in the Database values column, as well
as the value of the same field in your document in the Current values column.
Figure 2.14: The Conflict in Changes dialog box
• If you want to overwrite the database value with the value of the same field in your document, select the check
box next to the highlighted change and click Okay. Your modification will be written to the database, overwrit-
ing the value there.
• If you want to accept the value of the field in the database, clear the check box next to the highlighted change
and click Okay. Your modification will be lost and the value in the database will remain unchanged.
• On a deleted record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has
deleted a record since you last archived or refreshed your data. For information, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on
page 133.
Atoll displays a message explaining that the record you are trying to update has been deleted from the database
(see Figure 2.15). Select one of the following:
Figure 2.15: Conflict on a deleted record
• Yes: Select Yes to store your modifications in the database, thereby recreating the deleted record.
• No: Select No to abandon your modifications to this record and delete this record from your document.
• Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialog box.
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To resolve all the data conflicts:

1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialog box, select any conflict and click Resolve All. Atoll displays a
message explaining how Resolve All works (see Figure 2.16). Select one of the following:
Figure 2.16: Resolving all the data conflicts simultaneously
• Yes: Select Yes to accept all the modifications made by other users in the database and update your document
with values from the database.
• No: Select No to overwrite the modifications made by other users in the database with the values from your doc-
ument.
• Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialog box.
You should only resolve all the data conflicts when you are certain about the
modifications.
2.3 Making a Backup of Your Document

Atoll can create and automatically update backups of documents you are working on. Once you have saved the document,
Atoll creates a backup of the original document and updates it at a defined interval. For example, for a document named "file-
name.atl," Atoll will create a backup file called "filename.atl.bak" in the same folder as the original document. You can define
the update interval each time you start Atoll.
You can also configure Atoll to create automatic backups of external path loss matrices (LOS files) by setting an option in the
When you have activated automatic backup, Atoll automatically creates a backup for every document open. Consequently, if
you have a lot of documents open, this operation can take a long time. However, you can optimise the process by opening
large documents in separate Atoll sessions, instead of in the same Atoll session. This also improves memory management
because each instance of Atoll has its own 2 GB (under 32-bit operating systems; 4 GB under 64-bit operating systems)
memory allocation. If you open two large documents in the same Atoll session, these documents will use the same 2 GB
memory pool. If you open them in two different Atoll sessions, each document will have its own 2 GB allocated memory.
• "Configuring Automatic Backup" on page 136
• "Recovering a Backup" on page 136.
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2.3.1 Configuring Automatic Backup

You can set up automatic backup for each Atoll session.
To configure automatic backup:
1. Select Tools > Configure Auto Backup. The Auto Backup Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 2.17).
Figure 2.17: Auto Backup Configuration dialog box
2. Select the Activate Auto Backup check box.

3. Select the Prompt before starting Auto Backup check box if you want Atoll to ask you before saving the backup of
your file every time (see Figure 2.18).
4. Enter a time interval, in minutes, between consecutive backups in the Automatically save backups every text box.
It can take a long time to back up large documents. Therefore, you should set a corre-
spondingly longer interval between backups when working with large documents in order
to optimise the process.
5. Click OK.
If you selected the Prompt before starting automatic backup check box, Atoll prompts you each time before backing up the
document. If you click OK, Atoll proceeds to back up all open documents. If you click Cancel, Atoll skips the backup once.
Figure 2.18: Automatic backup prompt
The automatic backup timer is stopped while the prompt is displayed. Atoll displays a message in the Event Viewer every time
a backup file is updated. If you are performing calculations, i.e., coverage predictions or simulations, the automatic backup is
delayed until the calculations have ended. The timer starts again once the calculations are over. If you save the original docu-
ment manually, the timer is reset to 0.
2.3.2 Recovering a Backup

You can easily recover your backup document and open it in Atoll just like any other Atoll document.
To recover your backup document:
1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder containing your original Atoll document and its backup.
2. If the original document was named "filename.atl," the backup document will be in the same folder and will be called
"filename.atl.bak". Rename the document and remove the BAK extension. For example, you could change the name
to "filename-backup.atl."
If you just remove the BAK extension, your backup file will have the same file name as
the original file and Windows will not allow you to rename the file. Therefore, it is safer
to give a new name to the backup file and keep the original file until you are sure which
version is most recent.
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3. Open the renamed backup document in Atoll. You will be able to recover all the work up to the last time the backup
was saved.
2.4 Making and Sharing Portable Atoll Projects

You can create portable Atoll documents in two ways:
• by embedding all the geographic data in the ATL file, or
• by creating a compressed archive (ZIP file) containing the ATL file and all geographic data linked to the Atoll document.
In most working environments, geographic data files are stored on a common file server and are linked to the ATL documents
of different users over a network. Often these geographic data files are quite large, and it is not feasible to embed these files
in an ATL file for reasons related to file size, memory consumption, and performance. It is, therefore, more useful to make a
project portable by creating an archive that contains the ATL and all geographic data files.
Atoll lets you make an archive containing the ATL file and all geographic data directly from the File menu.
To make an archive containing the ATL file and all linked geographic data files:
1. Select File > Save to Zip. The Save As dialog box appears.
2. Select the folder where the created archive is to be stored, enter a File name for the archive to be created, and select
"Zip Files (*.zip)" from the Save as type list.
Atoll creates a ZIP file containing:
• A copy of the ATL file with the same name as the name of the archive (ZIP file).
The ATL file added to the archive contains all the data that might be embedded in it (path loss matrices, geographic
data, coverage predictions, simulation results, measurement data, etc.).
• A ".losses" folder containing a pathloss.dbf file and a LowRes subfolder which contains the pathloss.dbf file corre-
sponding to the extended path loss matrices.
Externally stored path loss matrices are not added to the archive because they are not necessary for making a
portable document; they can be recalculated based on the network and geographic data in the ATL file. The path-
loss.dbf files are stored in the archive because they are needed when reopening the archive in Atoll.
• A "Geo" folder with all the linked geographic data available in the Geo explorer for the Atoll document.
This folder contains subfolders with the same names as the folders in the Geo explorer. Geographic data that are
found outside folders in the Geo explorer are stored in files under the Geo folder, and data present within folders
in the Geo explorer are stored inside their respective folders. If the geographic data files linked to the document
are located on a remote computer, such as a file server over a network, they are first copied to the local computer
in the Windows’ temporary files folder and then added to the archive.
Once the portable archive is created, you can open it directly from Atoll without first having to extract it using another tool.
To open an archive containing an ATL file and all linked geographic data files:
1. Select File > Open from Zip. The Open dialog box appears.
2. Select the ZIP file that contains the ATL file and linked geographic data files.
3. Click Open. The Browse For Folder dialog box appears.
4. Select the folder where you want to extract the contents of the ZIP file.
5. Click OK. Atoll extracts all the files from the archive to the selected folder. If necessary, it creates the subfolders
required for extracting the contents of the Geo folder. Once Atoll has finished extracting files from the archive, it
opens the extracted ATL file. Geographic data extracted from the archive are linked to the ATL file.
• You do not need to have a compression utility, such as WinZip or WinRAR, installed
on the computer when working with archived ATL files.
• The highest compression level is used when creating the archive.
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138
Chapter 3
Geographic Data
This chapter provides information on working with In this chapter, the following are explained:
geographic data in an Atoll project.
• "Geographic Data Types" on page 141
• "Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 143
• "Importing Geo Data Files" on page 143
• "Digital Terrain Models" on page 152
• "Clutter Classes" on page 153
• "Clutter Heights" on page 156
• "Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 157
• "Scanned Images" on page 158
• "Population Maps" on page 160
• "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 160
• "Displaying Online Maps" on page 163
• "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 165
• "Displaying Information About Geo Data" on page 168
• "Geographic Data Sets" on page 169
• "Editing Geographic Data" on page 170
• "Saving Geographic Data" on page 173
140
AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 3: Geographic Data
3 Geographic Data
Several different geographic data types are used in an Atoll document. For example: the digital terrain model (DTM), clutter
classes, clutter heights, online maps, population maps, traffic data maps, and scanned images are types of the geographic data
that you can import or create. Some data types, such as clutter classes, can be used to give more realistic calculations. Other
types such as scanned images, are used to create a more realistic display of the region under study.
You can import a wide variety of both vector and raster-format geo data files. When you import a geo data file into Atoll, you
can decide in which folder it goes. The Geo explorer window has folders for the commonly used data types. Therefore, choos-
ing a folder is choosing what the file will be used for. You can also create your own data type by importing a file and defining
what data is to be used.
Once you have imported a file into the Atoll document, you can edit the data, define how the geo data will be displayed. Atoll
also allows you to manage multiple files for a single data type, deciding the priority of data files with different information or
different resolutions. You can also display geo data over items in the Network explorer, either by transferring them to the
Network explorer, or by importing them directly to the Network explorer.
You can also create and edit geographic data. You can add a vector layer to certain data types to which you can add contours,
lines, or points, create new geographic data, or modify existing data. You can also create raster-based geographic data such
as traffic maps or clutter classes.
You can export most geo data objects (for example, DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights, raster polygons, or vector layers) for
use in other Atoll documents or in other applications. Atoll also allows you to save changes you make to geo data objects back
to the original files. This enables you to update the original files and, through the process of saving them, recompact the file.
This chapter explains the following topics:
• "Geographic Data Types" on page 141
• "Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 143
• "Importing Geo Data Files" on page 143
• "Digital Terrain Models" on page 152
• "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 160
• "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 165
• "Editing Geographic Data" on page 170
• "Saving Geographic Data" on page 173.
3.1 Geographic Data Types

An Atoll document can contain several different geographic data types. Atoll supports a wide range of file formats for
geographic data files. The different geographic data types play different roles in the Atoll document:
• Geographic data used in propagation calculation:
• Clutter classes
• Clutter heights
• Geographic data used in dimensioning:
• Traffic maps
• Geographic data used in statistics:
• Population maps
• Custom maps
• Geographic data used for display purposes:
• Scanned maps
• Online maps
• Images from web map services (WMS)
• Contours, lines, and points representing, for example, roads, railways, or regions.
In this section, the following data types are described:
• "Digital Terrain Model" on page 142
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Chapter 3: Geographic Data © 2014 Forsk

• "Traffic Data Maps" on page 142
• "Custom Data Maps" on page 142
• "Online Maps" on page 143
Digital Terrain Model
The DTM describes the elevation of the ground over sea level. You can display the DTM in different ways: by single value,
discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47).
The DTM is automatically taken into account by the propagation model during computations.
Clutter Classes
The clutter class geo data file describes land cover or land use. Clutter classes are taken into account by the propagation model
during computations.
Each pixel in a clutter class file contains a code (from a maximum of 256 possible classes) which corresponds to a clutter class,
or in other words to a certain type of ground use or cover. The height per class can be defined as part of the clutter class,
however, the height will be defined as an average height for each clutter class. For information on defining the height per clut-
ter class, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153. Clutter heights can also be defined by a separate clutter heights
file (see "Clutter Heights" on page 142). A clutter height map can represent height much more accurately because it allows a
different height to be assigned for each pixel of the map.
Clutter Heights
Clutter height maps describe the altitude of clutter over the DTM with one altitude defined per pixel. Clutter height maps can
offer more precise information than defining an altitude per clutter class because, in a clutter height file, it is possible to have
different heights within a single clutter class.
When clutter altitude is defined both in clutter classes and in a clutter height map, clutter altitude is taken from the clutter
height map.
You can display the clutter height map in different ways: by single value, discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Display
Properties of Objects" on page 47).
The only propagation models that can take clutter heights into account in calculations are
the Standard Propagation Model, CrossWave, and the WLL model.
Contours, Lines, and Points
Atoll supports contours, lines, and points to represent polygons such as regions, or lines such as roads or coastlines, or points.
They are used for display only and have no effect on computations. Contours can also be used to create filtering polygons or
computation or focus zones.
Scanned Images
Scanned images are geographic data files which represent the actual physical surroundings, for example, road maps or satel-
lite images. They are used to provide a precise background for other objects or for less precise maps and are used only for
display; they have no effect on calculations.
Population Maps
Population maps contain information on population density or on the total number of inhabitants. Population maps can be
used in prediction reports in order to display, for example, the absolute and relative numbers of the population covered.
Population maps have no effect on prediction and simulation results.
Traffic Data Maps
Traffic data maps contain information on capacity and service use per geographic area. Traffic data maps are used for network
capacity analyses.
Custom Data Maps
You can import many different types of files for, for example, revenue, rainfall, or socio-demographic data. You could use the
imported data in prediction reports. For example, you could display the predicted revenue for defined coverage.
This imported data has no effect on prediction and simulation results.
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Online Maps
You can display various types of online maps in the map window. From the Geo explorer, you can access these maps directly
or by specifying their server URLs. For more information, see "Displaying Online Maps" on page 163.
3.2 Supported Geographic Data Formats

Atoll supports the following geographic data formats:
• DTM files in the following formats: TIF (8 or 16-bit integer), BIL (8, 16 or 32-bit integer, 32-bit float), Planet (16-bit
integer), BMP (8-bit integer), GRD Vertical Mapper (16-bit integer), and Erdas Imagine (8, 16 or 32-bit integer, 32-bit
float)
• Clutter height files in the following formats: TIF (8 or 16-bit integer), BIL (8, 16 or 32-bit integer, 32-bit float), Planet
(16-bit integer), BMP (8-bit integer), GRD Vertical Mapper (16-bit integer), and Erdas Imagine (8, 16 or 32-bit integer,
32-bit float)
• Clutter class and traffic files in the following formats: TIF (8-bit), BIL (8-bit), IST (8-bit), BMP (8-bit), Planet, GRC Vertical
Mapper (8-bit), and Erdas Imagine (8-bit)
• Vector data files in the following formats: AGD, DXF, Planet, SHP, MIF, and TAB.
• Vector traffic files in the following formats: AGD, DXF, Planet, SHP, MIF, and TAB.
• Scanned image files in the following formats: TIF (1 to 24-bit), JPEG (1 to 24-bit), JPEG 2000 (1 to 24-bit), BIL (1 to
24-bit), IST (1 to 24-bit), BMP (1 to 24-bit), Planet, Erdas Imagine (1 to 24-bit), GRC Vertical Mapper (1 to 24-bit), and
ECW (8 or 24-bit)
• Population files in the following formats: TIF (16-bit), BIL (16-bit), IST (16-bit), Planet, BMP (16-bit), Erdas Imagine
(16-bit), GRD/GRC Vertical Mapper (16-bit), AGD, DXF, SHP, MIF, and TAB.
• Other data in the following formats: TIF (16-bit), BIL (16-bit), IST (16-bit), Planet, BMP (16-bit), Erdas Imagine (16-bit),
GRD/GRC Vertical Mapper (16-bit), AGD, DXF, SHP, MIF, and TAB.
All imported raster maps must have the same projection coordinate system.
3.3 Importing Geo Data Files

You can import the geographic data you need into the current Atoll document. As explained in "Supported Geographic Data
Formats" on page 143, Atoll supports a variety of both raster and vector file formats. When you import a new geo data file,
Atoll recognises the file format and suggests the appropriate folder in the Geo explorer. You can embed geo data files in the
Atoll document while you are importing them or afterwards (see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 152).
You can share the paths of imported maps and display settings with other users by using Atoll’s user configuration files. For
information on exporting the paths of your document’s files or to import the path from another document using user config-
uration files, see "Geographic Data Sets" on page 169.
The instructions in this section do not apply to custom geo data maps. For information on
importing or creating a custom geo data map, see "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 160.

• "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 144
• "Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File" on page 145
• "Importing MSI Planet® Data" on page 146
• "Importing a WMS Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 148
• "Grouping Geo Data Files in Folders" on page 150
• "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 152.
You can use drag-and-drop to import geo data files into a document. The format is
automatically recognised and Atoll presents you with the appropriate dialog box.
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3.3.1 Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File

All raster geo data files must be represented in the same projection coordinate system as the Atoll document itself.
To import a geographic data file in a raster format:
1. Select File > Import. The Open dialog box appears.
2. Select the geo data file you want to import.
You can import more than one geo data file at the same time, providing that the geo data files are of the same type.
You can select contiguous files by clicking the first file, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last file you want to import. You
can select non-contiguous files by pressing CTRL and clicking each file.
3. Click Open. The File Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.1).
If the Vector Import dialog box appears, go to "Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File"
on page 145.
Depending on the type of geo data file you are importing, choose one of the following options:
• DTM: Select Altitudes (DTM) from the Data Type list.
• Clutter Classes: Select Clutter Classes from the Data Type list.
• Clutter Heights: Select Clutter Heights from the Data Type list.
• Scanned Images: Select Image or Scan from the Data Type list.
• Population:
i. Select Population from the Data Type list. The Use as list becomes available.
ii. Select from the Use as list whether the imported data is to be interpreted as a Density (number of inhabitants
per square kilometre) or as a Value (number of inhabitants).
• Traffic Data Maps: See "Importing Traffic Maps" on page 146
• Custom Geo Data: See "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 160.
4. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file in the Atoll document, select the
Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 152.
5. Click Import. The geo data file is imported and listed in the Geo explorer.
When you import a traffic data map, the traffic map’s Properties dialog box appears:
a. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must
equal 100.
b. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must
equal 100.
c. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentages must equal
100.
d. Under Clutter Distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users.
e. For UMTS and CDMA, select whether the users are active in the Uplink/Downlink, only in the Downlink, or only
in the Uplink.
f. Click OK.
Figure 3.1: Importing a clutter class file
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3.3.2 Importing a Vector-format Geo Data File

When you import geo data files in vector format, their geographic system can be converted to the system used by the Atoll
document. When you import extremely large vector geo data files, for example, vector files that cover an entire country, you
must ensure that at least the centre of the bounding box defining the vector file is within the projection coordinate system
defined for the Atoll document.
To import a vector-format geographic data file:
2. Select the geo data file you want to import.
You can import more than one geo data file at the same time, providing that the geo data files are of the same type.
You can select contiguous files by clicking the first file, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last file you want to import. You
can select non-contiguous files by pressing CTRL and clicking each file.
3. Click Open. The Vector Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4).
If the File Import dialog box appears, go to "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on
page 144.
Depending on the type of geo data file you are importing, choose one of the following options:
• Vector Data:
• Select Geo from the Import to list.
When you import vector data, you can simultaneously import the corresponding display configuration file
(CFG) by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. The display configuration file will only be imported if it has the
same file name and if it is located in the same directory as the imported vector-format file. For more informa-
tion about setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
• Population:
i. Select Population from the Import to list.
ii. Under Fields to be imported, the first list contains the attributes of the population vector data file that you
are importing, and the second list lets you select whether the attribute corresponds to population density or
to a number of inhabitants.
iii. Select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list whether the imported field is a
Density (number of inhabitants per square kilometre for polygons, number of inhabitants per kilometre for
lines, or number of inhabitants for points) or a Value (number of inhabitants) (see Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3).
Figure 3.2: Population density (number of inhabitants/km²)
Figure 3.3: Population values (number of inhabitants per item – polygon/road/point)
• Traffic Data Maps: See "Importing Traffic Maps" on page 146

• Custom Geo Data: See "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 160.
4. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file in the Atoll document, select the
Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 152.
5. Click Import. The geo data file is imported and listed in the Geo explorer.
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Figure 3.4: Vector Import dialog box
• You can import ellipses and arcs from MapInfo files (MIF and TAB). Rectangles are
interpreted as polygons.
• You can define mappings between the coordinate system used for the MapInfo/
ESRI vector files, defined in the corresponding MIF/PRJ files, and Atoll. This way,
when you import a vector file, Atoll can detect the correct coordinate system auto-
matically. For more information about defining the mapping between coordinate
systems, please refer to the Administrator Manual.
3.3.3 Importing Traffic Maps

Unlike for other geo data files, you can only import a traffic map in the following way:
2. Right-click the Traffic Maps folder.
3. Select New Map from the context menu. The New Traffic Map dialog box appears.
4. Select the type of map you want to import and click Import. The Open dialog box appears.
5. Select the relevant file and click Open.
3.3.4 Importing MSI Planet® Data

MSI Planet® data is contained in a series of files described in index files. The index file is in ASCII text format and contains the
information necessary to identify and properly interpret each data file. When you import MSI Planet® data, you can import
each type of data separately, by importing the corresponding index file, or you can import several MSI Planet® data files at
the same time, by importing several index files.
• "Importing One MSI Planet® Data Type" on page 146
• "Importing a MSI Planet® Database" on page 147.
3.3.4.1 Importing One MSI Planet® Data Type

When you want to import a certain type of MSI Planet® data, such as a DTM or clutter heights, you import the index file
containing the information necessary to import the set of files containing the data.
To import one type of MSI Planet® data:
2. Select the index file you want to import and click Open. The Data Type dialog box appears (see Figure 3.5).
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Figure 3.5: Importing an MSI Planet® index file
3. Select the type of data you are importing and select the Embed check box if you want to embed the data in the current
Atoll document.
4. Click OK to import the data into the current Atoll document.
3.3.4.2 Importing a MSI Planet® Database

You can import all available MSI Planet® data at the same time by importing all index files.
To import the MSI Planet® database:
2. Select "Planet® database" from the Files of Type list. The Planet Data Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.6).
Figure 3.6: Importing an MSI Planet® database
3. For each type of data that you want to import:

a. Select the corresponding check box.
b. If you want to embed the data, select the Embed check box.
c. To locate the MSI Planet® index file, click . The Open dialog box appears.
d. Select the MSI Planet® index file and click Open. The path and name of the file appears in the corresponding field
of the Planet Data to Be Imported dialog box.
4. If you are also importing network data, select the network Technology.
5. When you have selected all the types of data you want to import, click OK. The data is imported into the current Atoll
document.
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3.3.5 Importing a WMS Raster-format Geo Data File

You can import raster images from a Web Map Service (WMS) server into your Atoll document. The images can be in TIF, BMP,
PNG, or JPEG formats. All images imported at the same time are imported as a single image. Before you import them, you can
arrange them by placing the more important images, such as roads, on top; or you can place the least transparent image
towards the bottom so that the other images imported at the same time remain visible.
The image will be referenced in the document; it can not be embedded. Only WMS data mapped with a projection system (for
example, the Lambert Conformal-Conic or the Universal Transverse Mercator projection) can be imported. Before importing
an image from a WMS server, you must ensure that the coordinate system used in your document is the same projection
system supported by the server. All raster geo data files must be represented in the same projection coordinate system as
that used by the Atoll document itself.
To import a geographic data file from a web map service:
2. From the Files of Type list, select Connection to a Web Map Services server... (*.url). The Web Map Services Data
Import dialog box appears.
3. Select the URL of the WMS server from the Server URL list or enter it directly.
Figure 3.7: Server URL list in the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box
The list of WMS servers that appears in the Server URL list is defined by entries in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on defining these entries, see the Administrator Manual.
4. Click the Connect button. Atoll connects to the URL of the WMS server and displays the information available along
with a description of the service (Figure 3.7 on page 148).
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5. In the left pane of the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box, click the Expand button ( ) to navigate to the item
you want to add in the right pane.
6. Select the check box that precedes the image or the image group, i.e. a group preceded by an Expand button ( ).
The images you select are automatically listed in the right pane.
• Unless you select one or several images, the image or the group of images listed in the right pane will be imported.
• To select the images you want to import:
i. Click the first image, press SHIFT, and then click the last image to select contiguous images.
ii. Press CTRL and click each image separately to select non-contiguous images.
7. Arrange the order in which you want multiple images to appear by selecting each image in the right pane and clicking
to move it towards the top or to move it toward the bottom. The images will be imported as a single object and
their appearance will depend on the order you define here.
8. If you want, you can also click to reverse the order of the list.
9. Click Import in the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box. The WMS Map Import dialog box appears.
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Figure 3.10: WMS Map Import dialog box
The following information is given about the imported WMS data:

• Data Types: "Image or Scan" is selected.
• Name: The suggested Name is the name of the image currently selected in the left pane of the Web Map Services
Data Import dialog box (e.g "Raster France 1/4 000 000"), or the name of the top folder when more than one
image is selected (e.g. Serveur Geosignal_0"). If you want, you can enter a new name (e.g."my_server").
• Geographic Coordinates: The geographic coordinates that the WMS data is given.
10. In the WMS Map Import dialog box, click Import. The image is imported by reference into the Atoll document. You
can not embed a WMS image in your document.
If you had selected more than one image or an image group, Atoll imports the group as a single object. You can not
modify this object. If you want to remove one of the images or add another one you will have to go through the import
process again.
11. In the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box, click Close.
12. In the Open dialog box, click Cancel to exit.
3.3.6 Organising Geo Data Files

Atoll provides the following features to help you organise geo data files:
• "Grouping Geo Data Files in Folders" on page 150
• "Creating Folders for Vectors and Images" on page 151
• "Moving a Vector or Image into a Dedicated Folder" on page 151
3.3.6.1 Grouping Geo Data Files in Folders

By default, when you import scanned images and contours, lines, and points, they appear directly in the Geo explorer. Other
data files, such as clutter classes, are listed together in a single Clutter Classes folder. You can, however, group scanned images
and contours, lines, and points into folders as well.
Once grouped, these geo data files can be displayed or hidden and moved more easily. They retain, however, their own indi-
vidual display settings; the display settings cannot be managed at the folder level.
You create the folder when you import the first geo data file that will be imported into it. When you import the next geo data
file, either raster or vector, you can import it directly into the new folder.
To create a new geo data folder when importing:
2. Select the geo data file and click Open. If the file to be imported is a raster file, the File Import dialog box appears (see
Figure 3.1). If the file to be imported is a vector file, the Vector Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4).
3. From the Data Type list (on the File Import dialog box) or the Import To list (on the Vector Import dialog box), select
New folder in Geo. The New Folder dialog box appears.
If you want to import your file to the Network explorer, you can select New folder in
Network.
4. Enter a name for the folder in Folder Name box and click OK.
5. Click Import. Your file is imported into the newly created folder.
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You can now import other geo data files into this folder by selecting it from the Data Type list (on the File Import dialog box)
or the Import To list (on the Vector Import dialog box) when you import.
You can transfer geo data that has been imported from the Geo explorer to the Network
explorer, or vice versa. Right-click the data in the Explorer window and select Move to
Network or Move to Geo.
3.3.6.2 Creating Folders for Vectors and Images

Atoll enables you to create folders for vectors and images in the Network and Geo explorers. You can create as many levels
of folders as you want. Once you have created a vector or image folder, you can move vectors and images into it. For more
information, see "Moving a Vector or Image into a Dedicated Folder" on page 151.
To create a vector or image folder in the Network or Geo explorer:
1. Right-click anywhere in the Network or Geo explorer, except on a folder or a command. A New Folder for Vectors or
Images popup appears.
2. Click the New Folder for Vectors or Images popup. Atoll creates a new folder, New folder<X>, at the top of the Net-
work or Geo explorer where <X> is a number assigned by Atoll sequentially, according to the number of folders with
default names in the corresponding folder, see Figure 3.11 on page 151.
Figure 3.11: New folder for vectors or images in Network and Geo explorers
3.3.6.3 Moving a Vector or Image into a Dedicated Folder

Once you have created folders for vectors or images in the Network or Geo explorers as explained in "Creating Folders for
Vectors and Images" on page 151, you can organise the vectors and images by moving them into these folders. Atoll allows
you to move vectors and images from the root level of the corresponding explorer to a folder, or from one folder to another.
To move a vector or image to a dedicated folder:
1. Select the explorer where the vector or image you want to move can be seen (Network or Geo).
2. Click on the vector or image you want to move and, without releasing the mouse button, drag the vector or image and
drop it over the name of the destination folder. You can only drop a vector or image in a destination folder when this
folder is highlighted, as shown in Figure 3.12.
Figure 3.12: Using drag-and-drop to move a vector or image to a dedicated folder
You can also move a folder of any level into another folder, as long as the destination
folder does not belong to the folder you want to move.
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3.3.7 Embedding Geographic Data

By default, when you import a geo data file, Atoll creates a link to the file. You can, however, choose to embed the geo data
file in your Atoll document, either when you import it or later. When Atoll is linked to a geo data file, the geo data file remains
separate and modifying or saving the Atoll document has no effect on the geo data file. When the geo data file is embedded
in the Atoll document, it is saved as part of the document.
Both linking and embedding present advantages and disadvantages. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
If you are using distributed calculations, you must link your geo data files. Distributed
calculations will not work with embedded geo data files. For information, see the
Administrator Manual.
To embed a geo data file in the current Atoll document while you are importing:
• Select the Embed in Document check box on the File Import or Vector Import dialog box.
To embed a geo data file that is already linked to the current Atoll document:
2. Right-click the file you want to embed in the current document.
4. Click the General tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. Click Embed.
6. Click OK. The geo data file is now embedded in the current Atoll document.
3.3.8 Repairing a Broken Link to a Geo Data File

By default, when you import a geo data file, Atoll creates a link to the file; the geo data file remains separate and modifying
or saving the Atoll document has no effect on the geo data file. If, however, the geo data file is moved, the link will be broken.
To repair a broken link from within the Atoll document:
• If the geo data file is in a folder, such as the Clutter Classes, Traffic Maps, or DTM folder, click to expand the
folder.
2. Right-click on the geo data file whose link you want to repair. The context menu appears.
4. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, click the Find button.
5. Browse to the geo data file, select it and click OK.
3.4 Digital Terrain Models

The Digital Terrain Model (DTM) is a geographic data file representing the elevation of the ground over sea level.
To manage the properties of the DTM:
2. Right-click the Digital Terrain Model folder.
4. Click the Display tab to define the display properties for the DTM.
• For information on Display tab settings, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
5. Move the Relief slider towards Flat, if you want to display very few little relief or towards x6 if you want to emphasise
the differences in altitude.
6. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
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3.5 Clutter Classes

The clutter class geo data file describes land cover or land use.
Each pixel of a clutter class file contains a code (from a maximum of 256 possible classes) which corresponds to a clutter class,
or in other words to a certain type of ground use or cover. The height per class can be defined as part of the clutter class,
however this height is only an average per class. A clutter height map can represent height much more accurately because it
allows a different height to be assigned for each bin of the map. For information on clutter height maps, see "Clutter Heights"
on page 156.
• "Assigning Names to Clutter Classes" on page 153
• "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153
• "Adding a Clutter Class" on page 155
• "Refreshing the List of Clutter Classes" on page 156
• "Displaying Total Surface Area per Clutter Class" on page 156.
3.5.1 Assigning Names to Clutter Classes

The clutter class file identifies each clutter class with a code. To make it easier to work with clutter classes, you can assign a
descriptive name to each clutter class name. When a clutter class has a descriptive name, it is the name that appears in tip
text and reports.
When you import a clutter class file in BIL, TIF, JPEG 2000, or IMP format, Atoll can automatically assign names to clutter
classes if the clutter class file has a corresponding MNU file. The MNU file contains a list with the clutter class codes and their
corresponding names. For more information on the MNU file format and on creating an MNU file, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
To assign names to clutter classes:
2. Right-click the Clutter Classes folder.
4. Click the Description tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. In the Name column, enter descriptive text for each class identified in the Code column.
3.5.2 Defining Clutter Class Properties

The parameters are applied in relation to the location of the receiver being studied and the clutter class of the receiver loca-
tion. These parameters can be set on the Properties dialog box:
To define clutter class properties:
4. Click the Description tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. Enter a Name and average Height (m) for each code.
• If Height is left blank, propagation models that use this value use 0 by default.
• If clutter class heights are modified, you must recalculate path loss matrices by
clicking Force Calculation ( ) to apply the changes to any predictions and simu-
lations.
6. Enter default values in the first row of the table on the Description tab. or information about each field, see the
descriptions in the following step.
The default values are used if no clutter map is available. Even if there is a clutter classes map, you can select the Use
default values only check box on the at the bottom of the Description tab to make Atoll use the values specified in
this row instead of the values defined per clutter class.
7. If necessary, you can enter a value for each of the following fields applicable to the current document:
• For all Atoll documents:
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• Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss, as related to a user-defined
cell edge coverage probability.
• Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte
Carlo simulations. Use this setting to define a value of indoor loss per frequency. If a network item operates
on a frequency for which the indoor loss is not defined in the indoor loss graph, an indoor loss value is inter-
polated from the values available in the graph.
• For GSM GPRS EDGE documents:
• C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/I values, as related to a user-defined
• Additional Transmit Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the 3 dB gain if Tx diversity is active at the subcell level.
• Antenna Hopping Gain (DL) (dB): to apply on a calculated C/I if antenna hopping is active at the subcell level.
• For UMTS HSPA, and CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO documents:
• Ec/Io Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Ec/Io values, as related to a user-defined
• DL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a user-
defined cell edge coverage probability.
• UL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a user-
defined cell edge coverage probability.
• % Pilot Finger: to be used in the Ec/Io calculations. This factor represents the percentage of energy received
by the mobile pilot finger. Mobile user equipment has one searcher finger for pilot. The searcher finger selects
one path and only energy from this path is considered as signal; energy from other multipaths is considered
as interference. For example, if 70% of the total energy is in one path and 30% of the energy is in other
multipaths, then the signal energy is reduced to 70% of total energy).
• Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt. This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality
at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multi-
path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
• Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max Spatial Multi-
plexing Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of reception equipment.
• Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the user’s downlink HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, if the user and its reference
cell supports transmit diversity.
• For TD-SCDMA documents:
• P-CCPCH Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the P-CCPCH Eb/Nt or C/I
values, as related to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• DL Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt or C/I values, as related
to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• UL Eb/Nt or C/I Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt or C/I values, as related
to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• DL Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt or C/I. This parameter indicates the remaining
orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality
because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
• UL Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate UL Eb/Nt or C/I. This parameter indicates the remaining
orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality
because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
• Spreading Angle (°): to be used in determining the cumulative distribution of C/I gains for statistical smart
antenna modelling.
• For WiMAX and Wi-Fi documents:
• C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values, as related to a user-de-
fined cell edge coverage probability.
• SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs in
the MIMO tab of reception equipment.
• Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the user’s downlink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell
support transmission diversity.
• Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the user’s uplink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell
support reception diversity.
• For LTE documents:
• C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values, as related to a user-de-
fined cell edge coverage probability.
• SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs in
the MIMO tab of reception equipment.
• Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the user’s downlink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell
support transmit diversity.
• Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the user’s uplink C/(I+N), if the user and its reference cell
support receive diversity.
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• For multi-RAT documents:

• GSM Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from GSM transmitters
only), in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• GSM C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/I values (from GSM transmitters
• GSM Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the 3 dB gain if diversity is set at the subcell level (GSM
transmitters only).
• UMTS Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from UMTS cells only),
in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• UMTS Ec/Io Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Ec/Io values (from UMTS cells
• UMTS DL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values (from UMTS cells
• UMTS UL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values (from UMTS cells
• UMTS % Pilot Finger: to be used in the Ec/Io calculations (from UMTS cells only). This factor represents the
percentage of energy received by the mobile pilot finger. (Mobile user equipment has one searcher finger for
the pilot. The searcher finger selects one path and only energy from this path is considered as signal; energy
from other multipaths is considered as interference. For example, if 70% of the total energy is in one path and
30% of the energy is in other multipaths, then the signal energy is reduced to 70% of total energy).
• UMTS Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt (from UMTS cells only). This parameter indicates
the remaining orthogonality at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining
orthogonality because of multi-path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
• UMTS Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max Spatial
Multiplexing Gain graphs on the MIMO tab of UMTS reception equipment.
• UMTS Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the user’s downlink HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, if the user’s mobile
and his reference UMTS cell support transmit diversity.
• LTE Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss (from LTE cells only), in
relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• LTE C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values (from LTE cells only),
in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
• LTE SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs
in the MIMO tab of LTE reception equipment.
• LTE Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the user’s downlink C/(I+N), if the user’s mobile and his
reference LTE cell support transmit diversity.
• LTE Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the user’s uplink C/(I+N), if the user’s mobile and his refer-
ence LTE cell support receive diversity.
8. If you want to use default values for all clutter classes, select the Use only default values check box at the bottom of
the Description tab.
9. Click the Display tab to define the display properties for clutter classes. In addition to the Display tab options described
in "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47, each clutter class display type has a visibility check box. By selecting or
clearing the visibility check box, you can display or hide clutter class display types individually.
Selecting white as the colour for a clutter class value or value interval will cause that clutter
class value or value interval to be displayed as transparent.
10. Click OK.
You can copy the description table into a new Atoll document after importing the clutter
classes file. To copy the description table, select the entire table by clicking the cell in the
upper-left corner of the table and press CTRL+C. On the Description tab of the clutter
classes Properties dialog box in the new Atoll document, press CTRL+V to paste the
values in the table.
3.5.3 Adding a Clutter Class

You can add a new clutter class to your document.
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To add a new clutter class to the your document:

4. Select the Description tab from the Properties dialog box.
5. In the blank row marked with at the bottom of the table, enter an unused number from 1 to 255 in the Code
column.
6. Fill in the remainder of the fields as described in step 5. and step 7. of "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
7. Click OK.
You can now use the new clutter class when modifying the clutter class map. For information on modifying the clutter class
map, see "Creating a Clutter Polygon" on page 170.
3.5.4 Refreshing the List of Clutter Classes

Under certain circumstances, it can happen that the list of clutter classes on the Description tab of the clutter classes Proper-
ties dialog box contains unused clutter classes. For example, if you have imported two clutter class files and then deleted one
of them, the list of clutter classes will still contain the clutter classes of the deleted file, even if they are not used in the remain-
ing file. Whenever you want to ensure that the list of clutter classes is accurate and current, you can refresh the list.
To refresh the list of the clutter classes:
4. Select the Description tab from the Properties dialog box.
5. Click Refresh. Atoll removes the unused clutter classes from the list.
6. Click OK.
3.5.5 Displaying Total Surface Area per Clutter Class

You can display the total surface area covered by each clutter class in the document. Atoll displays the surface area covered
by each clutter class in the focus zone if there is one, in the computation zone if there is no focus zone and, if there is no focus
or computation zone, Atoll displays the total surface area covered by each clutter class in the entire document. This informa-
tion is also available in prediction reports.
To display the surface area covered by each clutter class:
3. Select Statistics from the context menu.
The Statistics dialog box appears, displaying the surface area (Si in km²) of each clutter class (i) and its percentage (%
of i) in the computation zone or focus zone, if one exists.
Si
% of I = --------------  100
 Sk
k
3.6 Clutter Heights

Clutter height maps describe the altitude of clutter over the DTM. Clutter height files allow for a higher degree of accuracy
because they allow more than one height per clutter class. In a clutter height file, a height is given for each point on the map.
If you define clutter height as a property of clutter classes, the height is given as an average per clutter class.
When a clutter height file is available, Atoll uses its clutter height information for calculations using certain propagation
models (the Standard Propagation Model and WLL model), for display (in tip text and in the status line), and for CW measure-
ments and test mobile data paths. If no clutter height file exists, Atoll uses the average clutter height per clutter class as
defined in the clutter classes properties (see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153).
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To manage the properties of clutter heights:

2. Right-click the Clutter Heights folder.
4. Click the Display tab to define the display properties for clutter heights.
• For information on Display tab settings, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
5. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
The clutter height of the current pointer position as given in the clutter height file or in the clutter classes is displayed in the
status bar.
3.7 Contours, Lines, and Points

In Atoll, you can import or create vector objects such as contours, lines, and points. The imported or created vectors are used
primarily for display purposes, but polygons can be used as filters, or computation or focus zones. Vector files can also be used
for traffic maps or for population maps. They can also be used as part of an custom geo data map (see "Custom Geo Data
Maps" on page 160).
In an Atoll document, vector objects such as contours, lines, and points are arranged in vector layers. When you import a
vector file, with, for example, roads, Atoll adds the file as a new vector layer containing all the vector objects in the file. The
vector object data can be managed in the vector layer table. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with
Data Tables" on page 76.
• "Managing the Display of a Vector Layer" on page 157
• "Managing the Properties of the Vector Layer" on page 157
• "Moving a Vector Layer to the Network Explorer" on page 158.
3.7.1 Managing the Display of a Vector Layer

Imported geographic vector files can have different attributes depending on their file formats. Atoll can use additional infor-
mation related to vectors as display parameters. In addition, Atoll can read three-dimensional vector data.
To manage the display of a vector layer:
1. Click the Network or Geo explorer on which the vector layer is located.
2. Right-click the vector layer. The context menu appears.
4. Select the Display tab of the Properties dialog box. For information on using the display tab, see "Display Properties
of Objects" on page 47.
You can manage the display of an individual vector object by right-clicking the vector
object in the vector layer folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
3.7.2 Managing the Properties of the Vector Layer

The properties of the objects on the vector layer can be managed in two ways: either from a table containing all vectors and
their attributes or from the Properties dialog box.
Vector Layer Table
All the vector objects of a vector layer and their attributes are listed in the vector table.
To open the vector layer table:
1. On the Explorer window tab containing the vector layer, right-click the vector layer folder. The context menu appears.
2. Select Open Table from the context menu. The vector table appears.
You can edit the contents of this table using the commands from the context menu or from the Edit, Format, and Records
menus. For more information on editing tables in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
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Vector Layer Properties dialog box
The vector layer Properties dialog box has three tabs: a General tab, a Table tab, and a Display tab.
To open the Properties dialog box of a vector layer:
3. Click the General tab. The following options are available:
• Name: The name of the vector layer. You can rename the vector layer using this field.
• Source File: The complete path of the vector layer file if the file is linked to the Atoll document; otherwise the file
is described as embedded.
• Find: Click the Find button to redefine the path when the file’s location has changed.
• Embed: Click the Embed button to embed a linked vector layer file in the Atoll document.
• Coordinate System: When a vector layer is linked, the coordinate system used is the file’s, as specified when the
file was imported. When the a vector layer is embedded, the coordinate system used is document’s, as specified
when the file was embedded.
• Change: Click the Change button to change the coordinate system of the vector layer.
• Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data contained in the vector layer. For information on sorting, see "Advanced
Sorting" on page 100.
• Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data contained in the vector layer. For information on filtering, see
"Advanced Data Filtering" on page 102.
4. Click the Table tab. You can use the Table tab to manage the vector layer table content. For information on the Table
tab, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 77.
5. Click the Display tab. You can use the Display tab to manage the vector layer display. For information on the Table tab,
see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
3.7.3 Moving a Vector Layer to the Network Explorer

In Atoll, all objects in the Network explorer, such as transmitters, antennas, and predictions, are displayed over all objects in
the Geo explorer. You may wish, however, to ensure that certain geo data, for example, major geographical features, roads,
etc., remain visible in the map window. You can do this by transferring the geo data from the Geo explorer to the Network
explorer and placing it above data such as predictions.
To transfer a vector layer to the Network explorer:
2. Right-click the vector layer you want to transfer. The context menu appears.
3. Select Move to Network from the context menu. The vector layer is transferred to the Network explorer.
You can transfer the vector layer back to the Geo explorer by right-clicking it in the Network explorer and selecting Move to
Geo from the context menu. For more information about display priority in Atoll, see "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on
page 165.
3.8 Scanned Images

Scanned images are geographic data files which represent the actual physical surroundings, for example, road maps or satel-
lite images. They are used to provide a precise background for other objects or for less precise maps.They have no effect on
calculations.
• "Importing Several Scanned Images" on page 158
• "Defining the Display Properties of Scanned Images" on page 159.
3.8.1 Importing Several Scanned Images

You can import scanned images into the current Atoll document one at a time, as explained in "Importing Geo Data Files" on
page 143, or you can import a group of images by importing an index file listing the individual image files. The index file is a
text file with the information for each image file on a separate line.
Each line contains the following information, with the information separated by a space:
• File name: The name of the file, with its path relative to the current location of the index file.
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• XMIN: The beginning X coordinate of the file.

• XMAX: The end X coordinate, calculated as XMIN + (number of horizontal bins x bin width).
• YMIN: The beginning Y coordinate of the file.
• YMAX: The end Y coordinate, calculated as YMIN + (number of horizontal bins x bin width).
• 0: The zero character ends the sequence.
nice1.tif 984660 995380 1860900 1872280 0

nice2.tif 996240 1004900 1860980 1870700 0
File name XMIN XMAX YMIN YMAX 0
To import an index
1. Select File > Import.
2. Select the index file and click Open. The File Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.1).
3. Select Image or Scan from the Data Type list.
4. Click Import. The image files imported and listed in the Geo explorer.
3.8.2 Defining the Display Properties of Scanned Images

Because imported images cannot be modified, they have fewer display parameters than other object types.
To define the display properties of a scanned image:
2. Right-click the scanned image. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 3.13).
4. Select the Display tab and set the following options:
• Colour: Select either Automatic, Shades of gray, or Watermark from the list.
• Transparent Colour: Select White from the list if you wish parts of the scanned image that are coloured white to
be transparent, allowing objects in lower layers to be visible.
• Lightness: Move the slider to lighten or darken the scanned image.
• Contrast: Move the slider to adjust the contrast.
• Visibility Scale: Enter a visibility scale minimum in the between 1: text box and maximum in the and 1: text box.
When the displayed or printed scale is outside this range, the scanned image is not displayed.
5. Click OK.
Figure 3.13: Scanned image Properties dialog box
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3.9 Population Maps

Population maps contain information on population density or on the total number of inhabitants.
Population maps can be used in prediction reports in order to display, for example, the absolute and relative numbers of the
population covered.
• "Managing the Display of Population Data" on page 160
• "Displaying Population Statistics" on page 160.
3.9.1 Managing the Display of Population Data

You can manage the display of population data.
To manage the display of population data:
2. Right-click the Population folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select the Display tab of the Properties dialog box. For information on using the display tab, see "Display Properties
Vector points added to a vector population map are not displayed if the map is displayed
by population density.
3.9.2 Displaying Population Statistics

You can display the relative and absolute distribution of population, according to the defined value intervals in the display
properties (for information on defining value intervals, see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48), as well as the total popu-
lation. Atoll displays the statistics for the focus zone if there is one, for the computation zone if there is no focus zone and, if
there is no focus or computation zone, Atoll displays the statistics for the entire document.
To display the population distribution statistics:
2. Right-click the Population folder.
3. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics window appears with the distributions of each value interval
defined in the display properties.
Statistics are displayed only for visible data. See "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map
Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
3.10 Custom Geo Data Maps

You can import maps other than the default maps that Atoll uses. For example, you can import files for the revenue, rainfall,
or socio-demographic data. Depending on the type of information displayed, you could use it in prediction reports. For exam-
ple, you could display the predicted revenue for defined coverage.
These maps can be raster files of 8, 16, or 32 bits per pixel or vector-format files that you have either imported or created
using the Vector Editor toolbar "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65.
You create an custom data map by:
1. Importing an custom geo data file and creating the custom data map folder.
2. Importing other custom geo data files into the newly created custom data map folder, if more than one file will be
used for this custom geo data map.
• "Creating a Custom Geo Data Map" on page 161
• "Adding a File to a Custom Geo Data Map" on page 162
160
• "Managing the Properties of a Custom Geo Data Map" on page 162

• "Displaying Statistics on Custom Geo Data" on page 163
• "Integrable versus Non-integrable Data" on page 163.
3.10.1 Creating a Custom Geo Data Map

The first step in creating a custom geo data map is importing the first file and creating the custom data map folder.
To create an custom geo data map:
2. Select the first geo data file that will be a part of the custom data map and click Open.
• If the selected file is a raster file, the File Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.1).
• If the selected file is a vector file, the Vector Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4).
3. Click the Advanced button. The New Type dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4).
4. Enter a Name for the custom geo data map. Atoll creates a folder with this name in the Geo explorer and all other
files of the new custom geo data map will go in here.
5. Under Supported Input Formats, select the check boxes corresponding to the formats of both the present file and all
other files that will constitute the new custom geo data map:
• 8-bit Raster
• 16-bit Raster
• 32-bit Raster
• Vector
If you do not select all the formats you need now, you will not be able to add a format
later.
6. Under Supported Input Formats, select the check box corresponding to the type of value of the present file and all
other files that will constitute the new custom geo data map:
• Classes (8 bits): to create a map of value classes (such as clutter classes) with classes from 0 to 255.
• Short Integer (16 bits): to create a map with whole values.
• Long Integer (32 bits): to create a map with whole values.
• Float (32 bits): to create a map with decimal values.
• Double (64 bits): to create a map with decimal values.
7. Select the Integrable check box if you want to be able to use imported data as a surface density value and show cumu-
lative custom geo data in prediction reports.
• To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable
check box.
• You can not change the integrable setting once you have created your custom geo
data map.
8. Click OK.
9. If the imported file is a raster file, the File Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.1 on page 144); if the imported file
is a vector file, the Vector Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4 on page 146):
• File Import dialog box: From the Use as list, select whether the new data is to be used a Density or as a Value.
• Vector Import dialog box: Under Fields to be imported, select from the first list which field is to be imported and
from the second list whether the imported field is a Density or a Value (see Figure 3.2 on page 145 and Figure 3.3
on page 145).
If the file you first import when you create your custom geo data map is an 8-bit raster
map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available for any file that is
imported into your new custom geo data map. The values in 8-bit maps are codes and
not values such as densities.
10. .Click Import. A new folder is created in the Geo explorer containing the geo data file you imported.
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Figure 3.14: The New Type dialog box
3.10.2 Adding a File to a Custom Geo Data Map

Once you have created the custom geo data map by importing the first file, you can add more files that will be part of the
custom map.
To add a file to an custom geo data map:
2. Select the geo data file that you want to add to the custom data map and click Open.
• If the selected file is a raster file, the File Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.1).
i. From the File Type list, select the name of the custom geo data map.
ii. From the Use as list, select whether the new data is to be used a Density or as a Value.
• If the selected file is a vector file, the Vector Import dialog box appears (see Figure 3.4).
i. From the Import To list, select the name of the custom geo data map.
ii. Under Fields to be imported, select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list
whether the imported field is a Density or a Value (see Figure 3.2 on page 145 and Figure 3.3 on page 145).
• If the file you first imported when you created your custom geo data map was an
8-bit raster map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available
for any file that is imported into your new custom geo data map.
• To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable
check box.
3. Click Import. The file is added to the custom geo data file in the Geo explorer containing the geo data file you
imported.
3.10.3 Managing the Properties of a Custom Geo Data Map

To manage the properties of an custom geo data map:
1. Right-click the custom geo data map in the Geo explorer.
2. Select Properties from the context menu:
3. Depending on the imported file types, the following tabs are available:
• Description: This tab lists the classes of all 8-bit raster files contained in the custom geo data map. You must enter
a different value for each class.
• Table: This tab enables you to manage the contents of the class table presented on the Description tab. For infor-
mation on working with the Table tab, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 77.
• Data Mapping: This tab enables you to select which value from each imported vector file is part of the custom geo
data map. The imported vector files are listed in the Name column, with the relevant data selected in the Field
column. You can change this value by selecting another value from the Field list. If the custom geo data map is
marked as integrable (see "Integrable versus Non-integrable Data" on page 163), there is also a Density check box.
If the value in the Field column is to be considered as a density, select the Density check box.
• Display: This tab enables you to define how the custom geo data map appears in the map window. Discrete value
and value interval are the available display types.
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In the Field list, display by value is not permitted if the custom geo data map has:
• different raster maps with different resolutions
• both line and polygon vectors
• both raster and vector maps.
In the Field list, display by density is not permitted if the custom geo data map consists of vector points or lines.
For information on using the display tab, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
3.10.4 Displaying Statistics on Custom Geo Data

You can display the relative and absolute distribution of each value interval (for information on defining value intervals, see
"Defining the Display Type" on page 48) of an custom geo data map. Atoll displays the statistics for the focus zone if there is
one, for the computation zone if there is no focus zone and, if there is no focus or computation zone, Atoll displays the statis-
tics for the entire document.
To display the statistics of an custom geo data map:
2. Right-click the custom geo data map.
3. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics window appears with the distributions of each value interval.
Statistics are displayed only for visible data. See "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map
3.10.5 Integrable versus Non-integrable Data

Integrable data can be summed over the coverage area defined by the item in a prediction report (for example, by transmitter
or threshold). The data can be value data (revenue, number of customers, etc.) or density data (revenue/km², number of
customer/km², etc.). For example, if the integrable data comes from a revenue map, a prediction report would indicate:
• The percentage of coverage for each revenue class for the entire focus zone, and for each single coverage area (trans-
mitter, threshold, etc.),
• The revenue of the focus zone and of each single coverage area,
• The percentage of the revenue map covered for the entire focus zone and for each single coverage area.
Data is considered as non-integrable if the data given is per pixel or polygon and cannot be summed over areas, for example,
socio-demographic classes, etc.
In the example of a socio-demographic classes map, a prediction report would indicate:
• The coverage of each socio-demographic class for the entire focus zone and for each single coverage area (transmitter,
threshold, etc.)
3.11 Displaying Online Maps

Several types of online maps can be displayed in the map window. These maps have no effect on coverage prediction results
and simulation results.
You can display online maps in two different ways:
• From an external tile server. See "Displaying Online Maps from a Tile Server" on page 163.
• From a geo data file or a user configuration file. See "Displaying Online Maps from a GEO or CFG File" on page 165.
3.11.1 Displaying Online Maps from a Tile Server

You can display online maps from:
• a generic tile server (see "Displaying Online Maps from a Generic Tile Server" on page 164) or
• the Microsoft Bing tile server (see "Displaying Online Maps from the Microsoft Bing Tile Server" on page 164).
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3.11.1.1 Displaying Online Maps from a Generic Tile Server

To display online maps from a generic tile server:
1. Make sure that a projection coordinate system is specified (see "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 127) and that
it is the same system supported by the tile server.
If the projection coordinate systems are different, the map tiles can look disproportionate
when you drag the map away from the area targeted by the projection coordinate system.
2. In the Geo explorer, right-click the Online Maps folder ( ). The context menu appears.
3. Select New from the context menu. The Add a Tile Server dialog box appears.
4. Click the small triangle to the right of Name and select a tile server from the drop-down list.
Figure 3.15: Predefined Tile Servers for Online Maps
Selecting a tile server from the drop-down list next to Name automatically fills the Name and Server URL fields.
Provider, Type, and Language fields remain greyed.
• Name: Indicates the name of the tile server you selected. If you want, you can modify the name.
• Server URL: (Read-only) Indicates the URL of the tile server you selected.
A server URL includes a tile set where:

• "%z" represents the detail level, and "%x" and "%y" the tile coordinates, or
• "%q" represents a quadkey identifying a single tile at a particular detail level.
5. Click OK to validate and close the Add a Tile Server dialog box. A new item appears in the Online Maps folder with the
online map icon ( ) followed by the Name currently defined in the Add a Tile Server dialog box.
6. In the Geo explorer, select the check box preceding the online map that you specified. The selected online map
appears in the background of the map window according to the scale currently defined in the toolbar.
The map tiles that you load in Atoll are stored in a specific cache directory named after the
corresponding tile server. By default, the location of this cache is "%TEMP%\OnlineMaps".
You can change this location by setting the TilesCachePath option in the [OnlineMaps]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
3.11.1.2 Displaying Online Maps from the Microsoft Bing Tile Server
To display online maps from the Microsoft Bing tile server:
1. Set the relevant option with a valid key in the [OnlineMaps] section of the Atoll.ini file, e.g. BingKey=<key>.
it is the same system supported by the tile server.
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3. In the Geo explorer, right-click the Online Maps folder ( ). The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Add a Tile Server dialog box appears.
5. In the Add a Tile Server dialog box, set the following options:
• Name: Type the name you want to display in the Geo explorer under the Online Maps folder, for this tile server.
• Provider: Select a provider from the drop-down list, e.g. "Bing"
• Type: Select a map type from the drop-down list, e.g. "Aerial", "Road", "Hybrid"
• Language: Select a language from the drop-down list (default languages are "English", "French", and "Japanese").
You can display other languages if they are specified in the Atoll.ini file (for example if Provider="Bing", you must
set the BingLanguage"X" and BingCulture"X" options in the [OnlineMaps] section for each additional language ).
Figure 3.16: Predefined Tile Servers for Online Maps
6. Click OK to validate and close the Add a Tile Server dialog box. A new item appears in the Online Maps folder with the
online map icon ( ) followed by the Name currently defined in the Add a Tile Server dialog box.
7. In the Geo explorer, select the check box preceding the online map that you specified. The selected online map
appears in the background of the map window, according to the scale currently defined in the toolbar.
The map tiles which are loaded in Atoll are stored in a specific cache directory named after
the corresponding tile server. By default, the location of this cache is "%TEMP%\Online-
Maps". You can change this location by setting the TilesCachePath option in the [Online-
Maps] section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
3.11.2 Displaying Online Maps from a GEO or CFG File

To display an online map from a geo data file or from a user configuration file:
it is the same system supported by the tiles you want to display.
2. Follow the procedure described in "Loading a Geo Data Set" on page 170.
3.12 Setting the Priority of Geo Data

Atoll lists the imported DTM, clutter class or traffic objects in their respective folders and creates a separate folder for each
imported vector data file and scanned image. Each object is placed on a separate layer. Thus, there are as many layers as
imported objects. The layers are arranged from top to bottom in the map window as they appear in the Geo explorer.
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It is important to remember that all objects in the Network explorer, such as transmitters, antennas, and predictions, are
displayed over all objects in the Geo explorer.
3.12.1 Setting the Display Priority of Geo Data

There are several factors that influence the visibility of geo data:
• The display check box: The check box immediately to the left of the object name in the Geo explorer controls whether
or not the object is displayed on the map. If the check box is selected ( ), the object is displayed; if the check box is
cleared ( ), the object is not displayed. If the check box, is selected but shaded ( ), not all objects in the folder are
displayed. For more information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on
page 42.
• The order of the layers: The layer at the top of the Geo explorer is on top of all other layers in the map window. Data
on layers below is only visible where there is no data on the top layer or if you adjust the transparency of the objects
on the top layer. You can use drag and drop to change the order of layers by dragging a layer in the Geo explorer
towards the top or the bottom of the tab.
All objects in the Network explorer, such as transmitters, antennas, and predictions, are
displayed over all objects in the Geo explorer. Vector geo data, however, can be trans-
ferred to the Network explorer, where they can be placed over data such as predictions.
In this way, you can ensure that certain vector geo data, for example, major geographical
features, roads, etc., remain visible in the map window For more information, see "Moving
a Vector Layer to the Network Explorer" on page 158.
• The transparency of objects: You can change the transparency of some objects, such as predictions, and some object
types, such as clutter classes, to allow objects on lower layers to be visible on the map. For more information, see
"Defining the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 50.
• The visibility range of objects: You can define a visibility range for object types. An object is visible only in the map
window if the scale, as displayed on the zoom toolbar, is within this range. For more information, see "Defining the
Visibility Scale" on page 50.
In Figure 3.17, vector data (including the linear vectors HIGHWAYS, COASTLINE, RIVERLAKE, MAJORROADS, MAJORSTREETS,
RAILWAYS and AIRPORT), clutter classes, DTM and scanned image have been imported and a UMTS environment traffic map
has been edited inside the computation zone. In the map window, the linear objects (ROADS, RIVERLAKE, etc.) are visible both
inside and outside the computation zone. The clutter class layer is visible in the area where there is no traffic data (outside
the computation zone). On the other hand, the DTM layer which is beneath the clutter class layer and the scanned map which
is beneath the DTM layer, are not visible.
Figure 3.17: Displaying Geo data layers
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3.12.2 Setting the Priority of Geo Data in Calculations

The priority of geo data in calculations is determined in much the same way as it is for display.
When you make calculations in Atoll, the data taken into account in each folder (Clutter Classes, DTM, etc.) is the data from
the top down. In other words, Atoll takes the object on top and objects below only where there is no data in higher levels;
what is used is what is seen.
The visibility in the context of calculations must not be confused with the display check box
( ). Even if the display check box of an object is cleared ( ), so that the object is not
displayed on the map, it will still be taken into consideration for calculations. The only
cases where clearing the display check box means that the data will not be used are for
population data in reports, and for custom geo data maps.
Object folders, for example, the DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights, and traffic density folders, can contain more than one
data object. These objects can represent different areas of the map or the same parts of the map with the same or different
resolutions. Therefore for each folder, you should place the objects with the best data at the top. These are normally the
objects which cover the least area but have the highest resolution. For example, when calculating coverage in an urban area,
you might have two clutter class files: one with a higher resolution for the downtown core, where the density of users is
higher, and one with a lower resolution but covering the entire area. In this case, by placing the clutter class file for the down-
town core over the file with the lower resolution, Atoll can base its calculations for the downtown core on the clutter class
file with the higher resolution, using the second file for all other calculations.
Population maps and custom geo data maps, both of which can be used in prediction reports follow the same rules of calcu-
lation priority.
The following sections provide examples that illustrate how data is used in Atoll:
• "Example 1: Two DTM Maps Representing Different Areas" on page 167
• "Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area" on page 167
• "Example 3: Two Clutter Class Maps Representing a Common Area" on page 168.
3.12.2.1 Example 1: Two DTM Maps Representing Different Areas

In this example, there are two imported DTM files:
• "DTM 1” represents a given area and has a resolution of 50 m.
• “DTM 2” represents a different area and has a resolution of 20 m.
In this example, the file order of the DTM files in the Explorer window does not matter because they do not overlap; in both
Case 1 and Case 2, Atoll will take all the data from both "DTM 1” and "DTM 2” into account.
Explorer window Work space
Case 1
DTM
• DTM 2 (20m)
• DTM 1 (50m)
Case 2
DTM
• DTM 1 (50m)
• DTM 2 (20m)
Figure 3.18: Multi-layer management in calculations – two DTM maps representing different areas
3.12.2.2 Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area
In this example, there are two imported maps:
• A clutter class map called “Clutter.”
• A DTM map called “DTM”.
Independently of the order of the two maps in the Explorer window, Atoll uses both the clutter and DTM data in calculations.
In Case 1, the clutter class map is on top of the DTM map. In Case 2, the DTM map is on top of the clutter class map. In both
Case 1 and Case 2, Atoll will use both the clutter and DTM data in calculations.
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Case 1
Clutter classes
• Clutter
DTM
• DTM
Case 2
DTM
• DTM
Clutter classes
• Clutter
Figure 3.19: Multi-layer management in calculations – Clutter and DTM maps representing the same area
3.12.2.3 Example 3: Two Clutter Class Maps Representing a Common Area

In this example, there are two imported clutter classes maps:
• "Clutter 1" represents a large area with a resolution of 50 m.
• "Clutter 2" represents a smaller area with a resolution of 20 m. This area is also covered by "Clutter 1"
In the case of two clutter class maps, Atoll uses the order of the maps in the Clutter Classes folder in the Geo explorer to
decide which data to use. In Case 1, "Clutter 2" is on top of "Clutter 1". Atoll will therefore use the data in "Clutter 2" where
it is available, and the data from "Clutter 1" everywhere that is covered by "Clutter 1" but not by "Clutter 2." In Case 2,
"Clutter 1" is on top and completely covers "Clutter 2." Therefore, Atoll will only use the data from "Clutter 1."
Case 1
Clutter classes
• Clutter 2 (20m)
• Clutter 1 (50m)
Case 2
Clutter classes
• Clutter 1 (50m)
• Clutter 2 (20m)
Figure 3.20: Multi-layer management in calculations – two clutter maps representing the same area
3.13 Displaying Information About Geo Data

You can display information about a geo data map by using tip text. For information on how to display information in tip text,
see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
To display information about the geo data in tip text:
• Hold the pointer over the geo data until the tip text appears. The surface area is only given for closed polygons.
Tip text only appears when the Tip Text button ( ) on the toolbar has been selected.
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3.14 Geographic Data Sets

In Atoll, once you have imported geographic data and defined their parameters, you can save much of this information in a
user configuration file. Then, another user, working on a similar Atoll document, can import the user configuration file
containing the paths to the imported geographic data and many of the defined parameters.
When you save the geographic data set in a user configuration, you save:
• the paths of imported geographic maps
• map display settings (visibility scale, transparency, tips text, etc.)
• clutter description (code, name, height, standard deviations, etc.)
• raster or user profile traffic map description.
• "Exporting a Geo Data Set" on page 169
• "Loading a Geo Data Set" on page 170.
You can save and load other types of information with user configuration files as well. For
3.14.1 Exporting a Geo Data Set

When you save a geo data set in a user configuration file, the information listed in "Geographic Data Sets" on page 169 is saved
into a file.
Vectors must be in the same coordinate system as the raster maps.
To save a geo data set in a user configuration file:

1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Save. The User Configuration dialog box appears (see Figure 3.21).
2. In the User Configuration dialog box, select the Geographic Data Set check box.
Figure 3.21: The User Configuration dialog box
3. Click OK, The Save As dialog box appears.

4. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the file and enter a File name.
5. Click OK.
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3.14.2 Loading a Geo Data Set

When you load a user configuration file containing a geo data set, the information listed in "Geographic Data Sets" on
page 169 is loaded into your current Atoll document.
To load a user configuration file containing a geo data set into your current Atoll document:
2. Browse to the user configuration file, select it and click Open.
3. The User Configuration dialog box appears.
When you load a user configuration file including a geographic data set, Atoll checks if there are already geographic
data in the current Atoll document. If so, the option Delete existing geo data appears with other options in the User
Configuration dialog box.
4. In the User Configuration dialog box, select the check boxes of the items you want to load into your current Atoll doc-
ument.
5. If you already have geographic data in your current Atoll document and would like to replace it with any data in the
user configuration file you are loading, select the Delete existing geo data check box.
If you do not want to replace existing geo data with imported data, clear the Delete existing geo data check box.
6. Click OK.
You can automatically start Atoll with a user configuration file by naming the file "Atoll.cfg"
and placing it in the same folder as the Atoll executable. You can also edit the Windows
shortcut to Atoll and add "-cfg <CFG_file>" where "<CFG_file>" is the full path to the user
configuration file.
3.15 Editing Geographic Data

In Atoll, you can edit geo data that you have imported or you can create geo data by, for example, adding a vector layer to
the Population folder and then adding polygons.
The following types of geographic data can be edited:
• Clutter classes (for more information, "Editing Clutter Class Maps" on page 170)
• Contours, lines, and points (for more information, "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65)
• Population maps, if they are in vector format, i.e. Erdas Imagine (16-bit), AGD, DXF, SHP, MIF, or TAB format (for more
information, "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 172)
• Traffic data maps
• Custom data maps (for more information, "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 172).
3.15.1 Editing Clutter Class Maps

Clutter class maps and certain traffic maps are raster maps. You can edit these maps by creating or modifying polygons.
• "Creating a Clutter Polygon" on page 170
• "Editing Clutter Polygons" on page 171
• "Displaying the Coordinates of Clutter Polygons" on page 171.
• "Deleting Clutter Polygons" on page 172
3.15.1.1 Creating a Clutter Polygon

In Atoll, you can modify imported clutter class maps or create your own maps by adding data in the form of polygons. You can
later edit and export the polygons you have created. All modifications you make to clutter class maps are taken into account
by propagation model calculations.
To create a polygon:
2. Right-click the Clutter Classes folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Edit from the context menu. The Editor toolbar appears with a clutter or traffic list, a polygon drawing tool ,
a polygon deletion tool , and a Close button (see Figure 3.22).
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Figure 3.22: Editor toolbar
4. From the list, select the clutter class for the polygon you want to create.
Clutter classes are defined on the Descriptions tab of the clutter classes Properties dialog
box.
5. Click the polygon drawing button ( ). The pointer changes to a pencil ( ).

6. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon.
7. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon.
8. Double-click to close the polygon.
You can copy the exact coordinates of a closed polygon by right-clicking it on the map and
selecting Properties from the context menu.
3.15.1.2 Editing Clutter Polygons

You can edit clutter polygons by moving existing points of the polygon or by adding or deleting points.
To edit clutter polygons:
3. Select Edit from the context menu. The Editor toolbar appears (see Figure 3.22).
4. Select the polygon. You can now edit the clutter polygon by:
• Moving a point:
• Adding a point:
i. Position the pointer over the polygon border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the border at the position of the
pointer.
• Deleting a point:
3.15.1.3 Displaying the Coordinates of Clutter Polygons

To display the coordinates of the points defining the polygon area:
4. Right-click the polygon and select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears with the coor-
dinates of the points defining the polygon and the total area.
You can select and copy the coordinates displayed in the Properties dialog box of the
polygon.
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3.15.1.4 Deleting Clutter Polygons

You can delete clutter polygons.
To delete a clutter polygon:
4. Click the polygon deletion tool ( ). The pointer changes ( ).

5. Click the polygon you want to delete. The polygon is deleted.
3.15.2 Editing Population or Custom Data Maps

Some geographic data maps, for example population maps, and custom data, are made up of individual vector objects. You
can modify and create these geo data maps by adding a vector layer and then adding vector objects (contours, lines, and
points) to this layer.
To create a vector layer and vector objects on a geo data map:
2. Right-click the Population or Custom Data folder to which you want to add a vector layer. The context menu appears.
3. Select Add Vector Layer from the context menu. A new data object called "Vectors" is created in the selected geo data
object folder.
4. Right-click the new vector layer. The context menu appears.
5. Select Edit from the context menu. The vector tools on the Vector Editor toolbar are activated.
You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the
Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by
default, it might be difficult to know which Vectors folder you are selecting. By renaming
each vectors folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on
renaming objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 44.
6. To draw a polygon, click the New Polygon button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar:
a. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour.
b. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour.
c. Double-click to close the contour.
7. To draw a rectangle, click the New Rectangle button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar:
a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle.
b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle.
c. Release the mouse to create the rectangle defined by the two corners.
8. Right-click the new polygon or rectangle and select Properties from the context menu.
9. Enter a value:
• Population: Enter a value in the Population field to indicate the number of inhabitants or the population density.
• Custom Data Map: The value you enter will depend on the type of custom data map you created.
10. Press ESC to deselect the New Polygon ( ) or the New Rectangle ( ) button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
11. For Atoll to consider the new vector layer as part of the data map, you must map the vector layer. Right-click the Pop-
ulation or Custom Data folder. The context menu appears.
13. Click the Data Mapping tab. For the following geo data:
• Population Map:
i. In the Field column, "Population" is selected by default.
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ii. If the vector layer contains a population density, select the check box in the Density column. If the vector layer
indicates the number of inhabitants, and not the population density, clear the check box in the Density col-
umn.
• Custom Data Map: The data you map will depend on the type of custom data map you created.
You can edit the vector objects as explained in "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65.
3.16 Saving Geographic Data

Atoll allows you to save your geographic data files separately from saving the Atoll document. Atoll supports a variety of both
raster and vector file formats (for more information, see "Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 143). Saving a
geographic file separately from saving the Atoll document enables you to:
• Save modifications you have made to an external file: If you have made modifications to geo data, you can export
them to a new external file.
• Update the source file with modifications you have made: If you have made modifications to a geo data type in Atoll,
you can save these changes to the source file.
• Combine several raster files into one file: If you have several small raster files in one folder of the Geo explorer, you
can save them as one file.
• Export an embedded file to be used in another Atoll document or in another application: You can save a file to an
external file, in the same format or in another one.
• Create a new file from part of a larger one: You can select part of certain geo data types and then save the selected
part as a new file.
• "Saving Modifications to an External File" on page 173
• "Updating the Source File" on page 175
• "Combining Several Raster Files into One File" on page 175
• "Exporting an Embedded File" on page 175
• "Creating a New File from a Larger File" on page 176
3.16.1 Saving Modifications to an External File

In Atoll, you can save your modifications to an external file.
• "Exporting an Edited Clutter Class Map in a Raster-Format File" on page 173
• "Exporting an Edited Vector Layer in Vector-Format File" on page 174.
3.16.1.1 Exporting an Edited Clutter Class Map in a Raster-Format File

You can export clutter class modifications in a raster-format file, either in the same format as used in the current Atoll docu-
ment, or in a different raster format. You can also choose to export the entire clutter class geo data, the part containing the
computation zone, or just your modifications to the geo data.
When you have made modifications to a raster-format geo data file, exporting either the entire geo data or just your modifi-
cations allows you to save those modifications to an external file.
To export clutter class modifications in a raster-format file:
3. Select Save As from the context menu. The Save As dialog box appears.
4. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a name for the file, and select
the file format from the Save as type list. You can select from one of the following file formats:
• BMP Files (*.bmp): When you select BMP format, Atoll automatically creates the corresponding BPW file con-
taining the georeference information.
• PNG Files (*.png): When you select PNG format, Atoll automatically creates the corresponding PGW file con-
taining the georeference information.
• ArcView Grid Files (*.txt, *.asc): The ArcView text format is intended only for export; no corresponding geo-ref-
erence file is created.
• TIFF Files (*.tif): When you select tagged image file format, Atoll automatically creates the corresponding TFW file
containing the georeference information.
• BIL Files (*.bil): When you select the BIL format, Atoll automatically creates the corresponding HDR file containing
the georeference information. When exporting in BIL format, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 Gb.
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• Vertical Mapper Files (*.grc,*.grd): Files with the extension GRC or GRD are Vertical Mapper files. When exporting
in GRD or GRC formats, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 Gb.
5. Click Save. The Export dialog box appears (see Figure 3.23).
Figure 3.23: Export dialog box
6. Under Region, select one of the following:

• The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the entire clutter class geo data file, including any mod-
ifications you have made to the geo data. The exported geo data file will replace the geo data file in the current
Atoll document.
• Only Pending Changes: This option allows you to export a rectangle containing any modifications you have made
to the clutter classes. The exported geo data file will be added as a new object to the Clutter Classes geo data
folder.
• The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the clutter class geo data contained by a rectangle
encompassing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported geo data file
will be added as a new object to the selected geo data folder.
7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. The sug-
gested resolution value is defined by the following criteria:
• If one object has been modified, the suggested resolution is the resolution of the modified object.
• If several objects have been modified, the suggested resolution is the highest resolution of the modified objects.
• If there is no initial clutter class object, the resolution will equal the highest resolution of the DTM maps.
• If the Atoll document in which you created the clutter class file has no DTM, no other clutter class geo data file,
or traffic objects, the suggested resolution is 100 m.
8. Click OK. The selected data is saved in an external file.
3.16.1.2 Exporting an Edited Vector Layer in Vector-Format File

You can export an edited vector layer as a vector-format file. A vector layer can contain contours, lines, and points. Along with
vector layers you have added to the Geo explorer, the following maps can be exported as vector-format files:
• Vector-format population maps
• Vector-format custom maps.
Once you save a vector layer, the exported file replaces the vector layer as a linked file. You can embed the file afterwards
(see "Embedding Geographic Data" on page 152).
You can simultaneously export the display configuration file (CFG) of the edited vector
layer by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. The exported display configuration file will
have the same file name and will be saved in the same directory as the exported vector-
format file. For more information about setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the
To export a vector layer:

3. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the file, enter a name for the file, and select
the file format from the Save as type list. You can select from one of the following file formats:
• AGD: The Atoll Geographic Data format is an Atoll specific format. As a format created for Atoll, Atoll can read
AGD files faster than the other supported vector formats.
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• SHP: The ArcView vector format can be used for vector layers containing only polygons, only lines, or only points.
If a vector file has a combination of polygons, lines, and points, you should use the AGD, MIF, or TAB formats
instead.
• MIF and TAB: MapInfo formats.
4. Click Save in the Save As dialog box. The Vector Export dialog box appears, displaying the current coordinate system
and allowing you to change the coordinate system by clicking Change.
5. Click Export. The vector layer is saved in the format and with the name you specified and the exported file replaces
the vector layer in the current document as a linked file.
3.16.2 Updating the Source File

While working on an Atoll document, you may make changes to geo data. If the geo data file is embedded in the Atoll docu-
ment, Atoll saves the changes automatically when you save the document. If the geo data file is linked, Atoll prompts you to
save the changes when you close the document.
To update the source file of a linked geo data file:
2. Right-click the folder containing geo data file whose source file you want to update. The context menu appears.
3. Select Save from the context menu. The linked file is updated.
You will not be warned that you are replacing the current file. Therefore, ensure that you
want to replace the current file before proceeding to the following step. If you do not
want to replace the current file, you can save your changes to an external file ("Exporting
an Edited Vector Layer in Vector-Format File" on page 174).
3.16.3 Combining Several Raster Files into One File

In certain circumstances, for example, after importing an MSI Planet® index file, you may have several geo data files of the
same type. You can combine these separate files to create one single file. The files will be combined according to their order
from the top down in the folder in the Geo explorer. If the files overlap on the map, the combined file will show the file on the
top.
You can create a one file from a section of the following geo data types:
• Clutter classes
• Clutter heights
• Scanned maps
To combine individual files into a new file:
2. Right-click the folder of the geo data files you want to combine into one file. The context menu appears.
4. Enter a File name and select a file type from the Save as type list.
5. Click OK. The Export dialog box appears (see Figure 3.24).
6. Under Region, select The Entire Project Area. This option allows you to save the entire area covered by the geo data
files, including any modifications you have made to the geo data.
7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1. The sug-
gested resolution value is the highest resolution of all objects.
8. Click OK. The selected data is saved as a new file.
3.16.4 Exporting an Embedded File

You can export an embedded geo data file to be used in a different Atoll document, or in a different application. When you
export an embedded file, Atoll replaces the embedded file in the current Atoll document with the newly exported file.
To export an embedded geo data file:
2. Right-click the folder of the embedded geo data file you want to export. The context menu appears.
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5. Click OK.
If the geo data file is a vector file, the Vector Export dialog box appears (see Figure 3.24).
Figure 3.24: The Vector Export dialog box
a. The Vector Export dialog box displays the coordinate system of the file. To change the coordinate system used for
the exported file, click Change. The Coordinate Systems dialog box appears. For information on the Coordinate
Systems dialog box, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 127.
b. Click Export. The geo data file is exported with the selected coordinate system.
If the geo data file is a raster file, the Export dialog box appears (see Figure 3.25).
Figure 3.25: Export dialog box
a. Under Region, select one of the following:

• The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the entire raster-format geo data file, including any
modifications you have made to the geo data. The exported file will replace the embedded file in the Geo ex-
plorer.
• Only Pending Changes: This option allows you to export a rectangle containing any modifications you have
made to the geo data. The exported file will be added as an object in the geo data folder.
• The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the geo data contained by a rectangle encompassing
the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported file will be added as an
object in the geo data folder.
b. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1.
c. Click OK. The selected data is saved in an external file.
3.16.5 Creating a New File from a Larger File

You can create a new file from a section of a larger file. You can use this new file in the same Atoll document, or in a new Atoll
document. To create a new file, you must first define the area by creating a computation zone.
You can create a new file from a section of the following geo data types:
• Clutter classes
• Clutter heights
• Scanned maps
• Population maps
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To create a new file from a section of a larger file:

2. Right-click the folder of the embedded geo data file you want to export. The context menu appears.
5. Click OK. The Export dialog box appears (see Figure 3.24).
6. Under Region, select The Computation Zone. This option allows you to export the geo data contained by a rectangle
encompassing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported geo data file will
be added as a new object to the selected geo data folder.
7. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1.
8. Click OK. The selected data is saved as a new file.
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178
Chapter 4
Antennas and
Equipment
This chapter provides the information to work with This chapter covers the following topics:
antennas and equipment in Atoll.
• "Working With Antennas" on page 181
• "Working With Equipment" on page 188
180
AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 4: Antennas and Equipment
4 Antennas and Equipment

Atoll models the equipment that is used to create a network, along with the characteristics that have a bearing on network
performance.
This chapter explains how to work with antennas and other equipment such as tower-mounted amplifiers, feeder cables, and
base transceiver station equipment:
• "Working With Antennas" on page 181
• "Working With Equipment" on page 188
4.1 Working With Antennas

Atoll enables you to work with antennas in many ways. To create a new antenna, you can import the data necessary from
external sources, such as from a spreadsheet or from a Planet-format file. Once you have created an antenna, you can improve
signal level prediction by smoothing the high-attenuation points of the vertical pattern.
• "Creating an Antenna" on page 181
• "Importing Planet Format Antennas" on page 183
• "Importing 3-D Antenna Patterns" on page 183
• "Displaying Antenna Patterns With a Fixed Scale" on page 185.
• "Smoothing an Antenna Pattern" on page 185.
• "Printing an Antenna Pattern" on page 188.
4.1.1 Creating an Antenna

Each Atoll project template has antennas specific to the technology supported by the template. As well, Atoll allows you to
create antennas and set the parameters such as manufacturer, gain, horizontal pattern, and vertical pattern.
When you create a new antenna, you can copy the horizontal and vertical antenna
patterns from a spreadsheet or word processor.
To create an antenna:
1. Click the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Right-click on the Antennas folder. The context menu opens.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Antennas: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. You can enter information in the following fields:
• Name: If necessary, modify the default name.
• Physical antenna: The name of the physical antenna to which the antenna model belongs. A physical antenna may
have one or more antenna models (patterns), corresponding to different electrical downtilts. If you want to flag a
physical antenna as obsolete, add the word "obsolete" (not case sensitive) to the name of the physical antenna.
Physical antennas flagged as obsolete are not listed among available antennas in the Antenna Selection Assistant.
It is strongly recommended to enter a name in the Physical antenna field. Atoll uses this
entry to group antenna models into physical antennas.
• Manufacturer: The name of the antenna manufacturer.

• Half-power Beamwidth: The half-power beamwidth of the antenna is the aperture of its horizontal pattern cor-
responding to the pattern attenuation of 3 dB. This field is used by the Antenna Selection Assistant to filter
antennas and must be correctly set (i.e., consistent with the defined antenna pattern) if you want the antenna to
be available in the Antenna Selection Assistant for a transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna
Selection Assistant" on page 185.
• Gain: The antenna’s isotropic gain.
• Pattern: This specifies the antenna Electrical Tilt and Electrical Azimuth. Atoll automatically calculates these
values if the fields are left blank or have a value of "0." These fields are used by the Antenna Selection Assistant
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Chapter 4: Antennas and Equipment © 2014 Forsk
to filter antennas, and must be correctly set (i.e., consistent with the defined antenna pattern) if you want the
antenna to be available in the Antenna Selection Assistant for a transmitter.
• Frequencies: This specifies the Min and Max operating frequencies of the antenna. These fields are used by the
Antenna Selection Assistant to filter antennas and to suggest antennas that are compatible with the operating
frequency of the transmitter.
• Comments: Any additional information on the antenna.
6. Click the Horizontal Pattern tab. The Horizontal Pattern tab has a table describing the horizontal antenna pattern in
terms of the attenuation in dB (Att.) per Angle and a graphical representation of the pattern. Atoll allows you to enter
antenna pattern attenuations for as many as 720 angles. Therefore, attenuation values can also be defined for angles
other than integer values from 0° to 359°. If you have the horizontal pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you
can copy the data directly into the table:
a. Switch to the document containing the horizontal pattern.
b. Select the columns containing the angles and attenuation values of the horizontal pattern.
c. Copy the selected data.
Figure 4.1: Copying horizontal pattern values
d. Switch to Atoll.
e. Click the upper-left cell of the Co-polar Section table describing the horizontal pattern.
f. Press CTRL+V to paste the data in the table.
• If there are blank rows in your data sheet, Atoll interpolates the values in order to obtain a complete and re-
alistic pattern.
• When performing a calculation along an angle for which no data is available, Atoll calculates a linear interpo-
lation from the existing pattern values.
When Atoll performs linear interpolations on antenna pattern attenuation, interpolations

are calculated in Watts by default. You can change this setting to dB by adding an option
in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on changing options in the Atoll.ini file, see the
g. Click Apply to display the pattern of the values you have pasted in.
7. Click the Vertical Pattern tab. The Vertical Pattern tab has a table describing the vertical antenna pattern in terms of
the attenuation in dB (Att.) per Angle and a graphical representation of the pattern. Atoll allows you to enter antenna
pattern attenuations for as many as 720 angles. Therefore, attenuation values can also be defined for angles other
than integer values from 0° to 359°. If you have the vertical pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you can copy
the data directly into the table as described in step 6.
8. Click OK.
Atoll checks whether the vertical and horizontal patterns are correctly aligned at the extremities. The antenna patterns are
correctly aligned when:
• the horizontal pattern attenuation at 0° is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the electrical tilt angle, and
• the horizontal pattern attenuation at 180° is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the "180° minus electrical
tilt" angle.
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4.1.2 Importing Atoll Format Antennas

You can import antenna table files that were exported from Atoll as a text or CSV file listing the individual antenna table fields.
To import Atoll format antennas:
1. Select the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click the Antennas folder and
select Open Table from the context menu. The Antennas table opens.
2. Click the Import button from the Antennas table toolbar or right click any cell in the table and select Import. The Open
dialog box appears.
3. Select "TXT Files (*.txt)" or "CSV Files (*.csv) from the Files of type list.
4. Select the Atoll antenna file you want to import and click Open. The antennas are imported.
4.1.3 Importing Planet Format Antennas

You can import antenna files in the Planet format by importing an index file listing the individual antenna files to be imported.
Standard Atoll fields are directly imported. Other fields are imported for information only and are accessible on the Other
Properties tab of the Antenna Properties dialog box.
If you are working with a database, you will have to create the required fields before you import the Planet-format antennas.
For more details, see the relevant technical note.
To import Planet-format antennas:
1. Select the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click the Antennas folder and
select Import from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
2. Select "Planet 2D Antenna Files® (index)" from the Files of type list.
3. Select the index file you want to import and click Open. The antennas are imported.
Atoll checks whether the vertical and horizontal patterns are correctly aligned at the extremities. The antenna patterns are
correctly aligned when:
• the horizontal pattern attenuation at 0° is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the electrical tilt angle, and
• the horizontal pattern attenuation at 180° is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the "180° minus electrical
tilt" angle.
To import Atoll format antenna files, see "Importing Planet Format Antennas" on
page 183.
4.1.4 Importing 3-D Antenna Patterns

You can import three-dimensional antenna patterns in the form of text files. The three-dimensional antenna patterns you
import are saved in the Antennas table.
During calculations, Atoll interpolates the data of antennas for which only horizontal and vertical cross-sections are available
to create a three-dimensional pattern. When you import a three-dimensional antenna pattern, even though only horizontal
and vertical sections of the antenna pattern are displayed, Atoll conserves all the information and can use it directly; Atoll
does not therefore need to interpolate to recreate the three-dimensional antenna pattern.
The text file must have the following format:
• Antenna description: Three separate values are necessary to describe the three-dimensional antenna pattern. The
columns containing the values can be in any order:
• Azimuth: The range of values allowable is from 0° to 360°, with the smallest allowable increment being 1°.
• Tilt angle: The range of values allowable is from -90 to 90°, or from 0 to 180°, with the smallest allowable incre-
ment being 1°.
• Attenuation: The attenuation (in dB).
The text file describing the antenna can also contain a header with additional information. When you import the antenna
pattern you indicate where the header ends and where the antenna pattern itself begins.
To import three-dimensional antenna pattern files:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears.
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5. Select the file to import.
6. Click Open. The Setup dialog box appears (see Figure 4.2).
Figure 4.2: Importing a 3-D antenna pattern
7. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file, you can select it from the
Configuration list. If you do not have an import configuration, continue with step 8.
a. Under Configuration, select an import configuration from the Configuration list.
b. Continue with step 11.
8. Under Name, you can define a name for the imported antenna pattern. This name will appear in the Antennas folder
in the Network explorer. If no name is defined, Atoll will use the file name as the name of the antenna:
• If the name of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying
the name value in the file.
• If you want to enter a name for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a name.
9. Under Gain, you can define the antenna gain. If no gain is defined, Atoll assumes that the gain is "0."
• If the gain of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying
the gain value in the file.
• If you want to enter a gain for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a gain value.
10. Under Diagram, you define the structure of the antenna pattern file. As you modify the parameters, the results are
displayed in the table.
• 1st Pattern: Select the first row of the file containing data on the antenna pattern.
• File Tilt Range: Select the tilt range in the file. The tilt range can be measured from top to bottom or from bottom
to top and from 0° to 180° or from -90° to 90°.
• Field Separator: Select the character that is used in the file to separate fields (" ", "<tab>", ";")
• Decimal Symbol: Select the decimal symbol.
11. In the table under Diagram, click the title in each column in the table and select the data type: Azimuth, Tilt, Attenu-
ation, or <Ignore>. As you modify the parameters, the results are displayed in the table.
You can save the choices you have made in the Setup dialog box as a configuration file by
clicking the Save button at the top of the dialog box and entering a name for the configu-
ration. The next time you import a three-dimensional antenna pattern file, you can select
the same settings from the Configuration file list.
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12. Click Import. The antenna patterns are imported into the current Atoll document.
4.1.5 Displaying Antenna Patterns With a Fixed Scale

Atoll displays the vertical and horizontal antenna patterns using a scale that is automatically adjusted to the highest and the
lowest attenuation values of the antenna being displayed. You can, however, display all antennas using a fixed scale in order
to visually compare or print antenna patterns.
To set the antenna pattern display scale:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder and right-click the Antennas folder. The
context menu appears.
2. Select Display Patterns Using a Fixed Scale from the context menu.
Atoll determines the lowest and the highest antenna attenuation values of all the antennas in the Antennas folder,
and uses these values to set the pattern scale. Antenna patterns of all the antennas are now displayed using this scale.
4.1.6 Smoothing an Antenna Pattern

Empirical propagation models, such as the Standard Propagation Model (SPM), require antenna pattern smoothing in the
vertical plane to better simulate the effects of reflection and diffraction, which, therefore, improves signal level prediction. In
Atoll, you can smooth antennas’ vertical as well as horizontal patterns.
You should make a copy of the antenna before smoothing its vertical pattern. You can
make a copy of the antenna by opening the Antennas table and copying and pasting the
antenna data into a new row. For information on data tables, see "Working with Data
Tables" on page 76.
To smooth the vertical or horizontal pattern of an antenna:

1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder, the Antennas folder, and right-click the
antenna whose pattern you want to smooth. The context menu appears.
3. Select the Vertical Pattern or the Horizontal Pattern tab.
4. Right-click the graphical representation of the pattern and select Smooth from the context menu. The Smoothing
Parameters dialog box appears.
5. Enter the following parameters and click OK to smooth the vertical pattern:
• Max Angle: Enter the maximum angle. Smoothing will be applied to the section of the vertical pattern between 0°
and the maximum angle (clock-wise).
• Peak-to-Peak Deviation: Enter the attenuation values to which smoothing will be applied. Atoll smooths all atten-
uation values greater than or equal to the peak-to-peak deviation with the defined correction factor.
• Correction: Enter the correction factor by which the attenuation values will be smoothed.
6. Click OK.
4.1.7 Using the Antenna Selection Assistant

When you are creating or editing the properties of a transmitter, you can use the Antenna Selection Assistant to select a suit-
able antenna to use for the transmitter. This assistant lists all antennas that match the currently selected physical antenna
and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the operating frequency of the transmitter.
To specify an antenna in the transmitter properties:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Transmitters folder, right-click a transmitter and select Properties from the
context menu. The transmitter Properties dialog box opens.
2. In the Properties dialog box, select the Transmitter tab, and in the Antenna section, click Select. The Antenna Selec-
tion Assistant dialog box opens.
3. You can search for the most suitable antennas by either applying a standard filter or an advanced filter:
• In most cases, select Standard to filter suitable antennas based on any combination of the following parameters:
Half-power beamwidth, Electrical tilt, and Electrical azimuth.
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• If you have a very large number of available antennas or more complex requirements, you can select Advanced
and then click Filter to specify an advanced filter. You can specify complex filters by combining filtering conditions
on multiple fields using AND and OR operators. For more information on using this option, see "Advanced Data
Filtering" on page 102.
The Available antennas list displays the result of the standard or advanced filtering.
4. In the Available antennas list, select an antenna and click OK to apply the selected antenna to the transmitter.
4.1.8 Comparing Antenna Patterns

You can compare antenna patterns by superimposing their diagrams in the Antenna Comparison window. Each pattern is
displayed in a different color.
To compare two or more antenna patterns:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand Radio Network Equipment, right click Antennas and select Compare from the
context menu. The Antenna Comparison window opens.
Alternatively, you can right-click a specific antenna and select Compare with.
2. In the Antenna Comparison window, click Add Pattern. The Antenna Selection Assistant window opens.
3. In the Antenna Selection Assistant window, find and select an antenna and click OK. For more information about the
Antenna Selection Assistant, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 185.
4. Repeat from step 2 to add as many antenna patterns as required. The patterns are displayed over each other in the
Horizontal Patterns and Vertical Patterns tabs.
5. Select Add antenna gain to display the patterns with the specified gain.
6. Click Close when you have finished comparing the antenna patterns.
4.1.9 Sharing an Antenna

You can share the antenna associated with a transmitter, a repeater, or a remote antenna with any other transmitter,
repeater, or remote antenna belonging to the same single-RAN or multi-RAT Atoll document, or to another Atoll document
in a co-planning configuration. Shared antennas are located on sites with the same position. When changes are made to the
position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically applies those changes
to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as sharing the same antenna.
To share an antenna with another transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Transmitters folder and right-click a transmitter. The context menu appears.
2. Click Share Antenna With in the context menu. The Antenna Sharing assistant appears.
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Figure 4.3: Antenna Sharing assistant
The Antenna Sharing assistant contains a table with a list of candidate transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas
(i.e. candidates located on sites with the same position), along with the corresponding physical parameters.
The bottom frame contains the physical parameters of the transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna that you selected
on the map.
3. In the table, select a candidate transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna by clicking it in the "Transmitter" column:
• If the candidate already has a shared antenna name, you will see that name in the "Shared Antenna" column and
it appears greyed in the field beside Shared antenna at the top of the Antenna Sharing assistant.
• If the candidate does not have a shared antenna name, you can enter a name in the field beside Shared antenna
at the top of the Antenna Sharing assistant, as shown in Figure 4.3.
4. Click OK to close the Antenna Sharing assistant.
As a result, the object you selected in the Network explorer now shares the antenna associated with the object you
selected in the Antenna Sharing assistant, and both objects are superimposed on the map. If you now use the mouse
to change the azimuth of the shared antenna (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on
page 46), the objects sharing that antenna will move together on the map.
You can also specify a shared antenna for a transmitter, a repeater, or a remote antenna
in the Shared antenna field on the General tab of their Properties dialog boxes.
4.1.10 Defining Multiple-Beam Antennas

Some manufacturers provide antennas that generate multiple-beams, also known as dual-beam or split-beam antennas.
These antennas typically use two or more beams that have a negative and positive electrical azimuth offset from the
mechanical antenna azimuth.
Modelling multiple-beam antennas in Atoll requires one antenna pattern diagram for each beam. Each beam pattern is then
defined as a shared antenna with its own electrical azimuth. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth,
antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically applies the same changes to the other beams. For more
information, see "Sharing an Antenna" on page 186.
Because each beam is defined by a different antenna pattern for each combination of half-power beamwidth, electrical tilt,
and electrical azimuth, the list of antenna patterns might become overwhelming. You can use the filtering feature of the
Antenna Selection Assistant to filter antenna patterns with the appropriate electrical azimuth as well as other characteristics.
For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 185.
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To define a multiple-beam antenna:

1. In the Network explorer, expand the Transmitter folder, right-click a transmitter, and click Properties. The Transmit-
ter Properties window opens.
2. On the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties window, under Main Antenna, click Select. The Antenna Selec-
tion Assistant opens.
3. Specify the Electrical azimuth corresponding to the first beam offset, as well as the other characteristics that are
required for the antenna.
4. Choose an antenna pattern in the Available antennas list, and click OK.
5. On the General tab of the Transmitter Properties window, enter a Shared antenna name. This is a name that will iden-
tify each multiple-beam antenna on the site.
6. Click OK. On the map, the display of the transmitter now takes into account the electrical azimuth in addition to the
mechanical azimuth.
7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 for each additional beam.
8. In the Network explorer, expand the Transmitter folder, right-click one of the transmitters, and click Properties. The
Transmitter Properties window opens.
9. On the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties window, specify the mechanical azimuth for the multiple-beam
antenna, and click OK.
On the map, each beam of the antenna is displayed as a separate transmitter oriented towards its own electrical
azimuth, which is an offset of the mechanical azimuth. If you now use the mouse to change the azimuth of either of
the beams (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on page 46), the other beams sharing the
same Shared antenna name move together on the map.
You can choose to display multiple-beam antennas with the mechanical azimuth only. This
superimposes all beams as a single transmitter on the map, but can makes selection of
each individual transmitter more difficult.
To do this, in the Network explorer, right-click the Transmitter folder, select Properties,
click Display, and select Display mechanical azimuth only.
This only affects the display of the transmitter symbols. Predictions and simulations always
use the combination of mechanical and electrical azimuth.
4.1.11 Printing an Antenna Pattern

You can print the horizontal or vertical pattern of an antenna.
To print an antenna pattern:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder and right-click the Antennas folder. The
2. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Antennas table opens.
3. In the Antennas table, right-click the antenna whose pattern you want to print.
4. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box opens.
5. Select the Horizontal Pattern tab or the Vertical Pattern tab to display the antenna pattern you want to print.
6. Right-click the antenna pattern and select Linear or Logarithmic from the context menu.
7. Right-click the antenna pattern again and select Print from the context menu.
4.2 Working With Equipment

You can define the components of a base station and modify their properties in their respective tables. Atoll uses these prop-
erties to calculate the downlink and uplink losses and transmitter noise figure in UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, or LTE. In GSM,
Atoll calculates the downlink losses only. These parameters can be automatically calculated from the properties of the
components or they can defined by the user.
Base station subsystems consist of the following components:
• Tower-mounted amplifier: Tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs, also referred to as masthead amplifiers) are used to
reduce the composite noise figure of the base station. TMAs are connected between the antenna and the feeder
cable. To define a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 189.
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• Feeder cables: Feeder cables connect the TMA to the antenna. To define feeder cables, see "Defining Feeder Cables"
on page 189.
• Transmitter equipment: To define transmitter equipment, see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 189.
4.2.1 Defining TMA Equipment

The tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) is used to reduce the composite noise figure of the base station. Once you have defined
a TMA, you can assign it to individual transmitters.
To create a tower-mounted amplifier:
3. Right-click the TMA folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The TMA table appears.
5. In the table, create one TMA per row. For information on using data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on
page 76. For each TMA, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the TMA. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a TMA.
• Noise Figure (dB): Enter a noise figure for the TMA.
• Reception Gain (dB): Enter a reception (uplink) gain for the TMA. This must be a positive value.
• Transmission Losses (dB): Enter transmission (downlink) losses for the TMA. This must be a positive value.
4.2.2 Defining Feeder Cables

Feeder cables connect the TMA to the antenna. Once you have defined feeder cables, you can assign them to individual trans-
mitters.
To create feeder cables:
3. Right-click the Feeders folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Feeder table appears.
5. In the table, create one feeder per row. For information on data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
For each feeder, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the feeder cable. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a feeder
cable.
• Loss per Length: Enter the loss per meter of cable. This must be a positive value.
• Connector Reception Loss: Enter the connector reception loss. This must be a positive value.
• Connector Transmission Loss: Enter the connector transmission loss. This must be a positive value.
4.2.3 Defining Transmitter Equipment

Transmitter equipment is modelled for UMTS, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX, and LTE. In GSM, only the downlink losses are
modelled.
Once you have defined transmitter equipment, it can be assigned to individual transmitters.
To create transmitter equipment:
3. Right-click the Transmitter Equipment folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitter Equipment table appears.
5. In the table, create one entry per row. For information on data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For
each transmitter equipment entry, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the transmitter equipment. This name appears in other dialog boxes when you select
transmitter equipment.
• Noise Figure (dB): Enter the noise figure for the transmitter equipment. This value is not used in GSM GPRS EDGE
documents.
• Downlink Losses Due to the Configuration (dB): Enter the losses on downlink due to the transmitter equipment
configuration.
189
• Uplink Losses Due to the Configuration (dB): Enter the losses on uplink due to the transmitter equipment config-
uration. This value is not used in GSM GPRS EDGE documents.
• CDMA Rho Factor (%): Enter the CDMA Rho factor, as a percentage. The CDMA Rho factor enables Atoll to take
into account self-interference produced by the transmitter equipment. Because equipment is not perfect, an input
signal will experience some distortion, consequently the output signal will be not be identical. This factor defines
how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system is perfect (there is no distortion) and
the output signal will be 100% identical to the input signal. On the other hand, if you specify a value different from
100%, Atoll will consider that the transmitted signal is not 100% signal and that it contains a small percentage of
interference generated by the equipment ("self-interference"). Atoll uses this parameter to evaluate the signal-
to-noise ratio in the downlink.
This value is only used in CDMA-based technologies (CDMA2000, UMTS, and TD-SCDMA). It is not used in GSM,
WiMAX, and LTE documents.
4.2.4 Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter
Equipment Noise Figure
Once equipment is defined and assigned to a transmitter, Atoll can evaluate downlink and uplink total losses and the total
noise figure.
Atoll uses the entry of the transmitter equipment as the reference point when evaluating total losses and the total noise
figure. The transmitter equipment noise figure used by Atoll is the one specified in the transmitter equipment properties.
Transmitter reception losses include feeder reception losses, connector reception losses, miscellaneous reception losses,
antenna diversity gain, TMA benefit gain (as calculated with the Friis transmission equation), and an additional loss modelling
the noise rise generated from repeaters (if any). Transmitter transmission losses include feeder transmission losses, connector
transmission losses, miscellaneous transmission losses, and TMA transmission losses. For more information on the total noise
figure and on transmitter reception and transmission losses, see the Technical Reference Guide.
You can assign equipment to a transmitter:
• Using the Equipment Specifications dialog box, available by clicking the Equipment button on the Transmitter tab of
the transmitter’s Properties dialog box, or
• Using the Transmitters table, available by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu.
When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Equipment Specifications dialog box, Atoll updates the real values
when you click OK and close the dialog box. When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Transmitters table, Atoll
does not update the real values automatically.
To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of all transmitters:
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Calculations > Update Losses and Noise Figures from the context menu.
To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of a group of trans-
mitters:
3. Click Group by in the context menu and select the property by which you want to group the transmitters from the
Group by submenu. The objects in the folder are grouped by that property.
4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder.
5. Right-click the group of transmitters whose real values you want to update. The context menu appears.
6. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected
group.
7. In the Transmitters table, select the values you want to update in the following columns and press DEL:
• Transmission Loss (dB)
• Reception Loss (dB)
• Noise Figure (dB)
Atoll automatically recalculates and updates these values.
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4.2.5 Checking Antenna Consistency

In some cases, changing antenna, transmitter or cell properties can introduce inconsistencies between the frequency bands
of the antennas and the frequency of the transmitter or cell.
To verify that the antenna and transmitter frequency bands are consistent, you can run an antenna consistency check. This is
an audit that parses the database and for each technology, checks that the frequency of each transmitter or cell is consistent
with the minimum and maximum frequency values of the selected antenna. Any discrepancies are displayed in the Events
window as a warning.
To run an antenna consistency check:
1. In the Document menu, select Data Audit > Antenna Consistency Check.
2. Expand the Events window to view the results of the audit.
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192
Chapter 5
Calculations and
Propagation Models
This chapter provides the information to work with This chapter covers the following topics:
calculations in Atoll.
• "Working with Radio Propagation Models" on page 195
• "Defining Radio Calculation Parameters" on page 213
• "Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 216
• "Radio Prediction Types" on page 226
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AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models
5 Calculations and Propagation Models

Once you have created a network, you can make predictions. There are two types of predictions:
• Point predictions: The Point Analysis tool allows you to predict, at any point on the map, the profile between a ref-
erence transmitter and a receiver, the value of the signal levels of the surrounding transmitters, an active set analysis
for UMTS, CDMA2000, and TD-SCDMA projects and an interference analysis for GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects.
• Coverage predictions: You can calculate standard coverage predictions, coverage by transmitter, coverage by signal
level and overlapping zones, and specific coverage predictions such as interference predictions for GSM/GPRS/EDGE
projects or handover, or service availability for UMTS, CDMA2000, and TD-SCDMA projects. Many customisation fea-
tures on coverage predictions are available in order to make their analysis easier.
Atoll facilitates the calculation of coverage predictions with support for multithreading and distributed calculating. The
progress of the calculations can be displayed in the Event Viewer window or in a log file.
Atoll also allows you to use polygonal zones to limit the amount of resources and time used for calculations. The polygonal
zones, such as the filtering zone and the computation zone, help you to restrict calculations to a defined set of transmitters,
and to limit calculations and coverage predictions.
Depending on the type of project you are working on, you can choose between the propagation models available in Atoll.
5.1 Working with Radio Propagation Models

• "Propagation Model Characteristics: Overview" on page 195
• "The Standard Propagation Model" on page 196
• "The CrossWave Model" on page 203
• "The Okumura-Hata Propagation Model" on page 204
• "The Cost-Hata Propagation Model" on page 205
• "The ITU 529-3 Propagation Model" on page 207
• "The Erceg-Greenstein Propagation Model" on page 209
• "The WLL Propagation Model" on page 210
• "The Longley-Rice Propagation Model" on page 211
• "The ITU 1546 Propagation Model" on page 211
• "The Sakagami Extended Propagation Model" on page 212
• "Managing Propagation Models" on page 212.
5.1.1 Propagation Model Characteristics: Overview

Each propagation model available in Atoll is suited for certain conditions, frequencies and radio technologies. The following
table summarises the frequency band, necessary geo data, and recommended use of each propagation model.
Model Frequency Range Geo Data Taken into Account Recommended Use
d > 10 km
ITU 370-7 Vienna 93 100 – 400 MHz Terrain profile Low frequencies
Broadcast
1 < d < 1000 km

ITU 1546 30 – 3000 MHz Terrain profile Land and maritime mobile,
broadcast
Fixed receivers
ITU 526-5 (theoretical) 30 – 10000 MHz Terrain profile
WLL
Terrain profile Fixed receivers

WLL 30 – 10000 MHz
Deterministic clutter WLL, Microwave links, WiMAX
Okumura-Hata
Terrain profile 1 < d < 20 km
150 – 1000 MHz
(Automatic calibration Statistical clutter (at the receiver) GSM 900, CDMA2000, LTE
available)
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Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models © 2014 Forsk
Model Frequency Range Geo Data Taken into Account Recommended Use
Cost-Hata
1 < d < 20 km
Terrain profile
1500 – 2000 MHz GSM 1800, UMTS, CDMA2000,
(Automatic calibration Statistical clutter (at the receiver)
LTE
available)

ITU 529-3 300 – 1500 MHz
Statistical clutter (at the receiver) GSM 900, CDMA2000, LTE
Standard Propagation
Model 1 < d < 20 km
Terrain profile
150 – 3500 MHz GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000,
Statistical clutter
(Automatic calibration WiMAX, LTE, Wi-Fi
available)
Urban and suburban areas

Terrain profile
Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) 1900 – 6000 MHz 100 m < d < 8 km
Statistical clutter (at the receiver)
Fixed WiMAX, Wi-Fi
Sakagami Extended
3000 – 8000 MHz
(Automatic calibration Statistical clutter WiMAX, LTE, Wi-Fi
available)
Terrain profile
Statistical or deterministic clutter All cell types (mini, small and
3D building and line vectors macro cells)
CrossWave Model 200 – 5000 MHz
(optional) GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000,
Specific morphology, facets and WiMAX, LTE, Wi-Fi
graphs data files (optional)
5.1.2 The Standard Propagation Model

The Standard Propagation Model (SPM) is based on the Hata formulas and is suited for predictions in the 150 to 3500 MHz
band over long distances (from one to 20 km). It is best suited to GSM 900/1800, UMTS, and CDMA2000 radio technologies.
The Standard Propagation Model is based on the following formula:
 K 1 + K 2  Log  d  + K 3  Log  H Txeff  + K 4  DiffractionLoss + K 5  Log  d   Log  H Txeff  + 

P R = P Tx –  
 K 6  H Rx eff + K 7  Log  H Rx eff  + K clutter  f  clutter  + K hill LOS 
where:
• PR received power (dBm)

• PTx transmitted power (EIRP) (dBm)
• K1 constant offset (dB)
• K2 multiplying factor for Log(d)
• d distance between the receiver and the transmitter (m)
• K3 multiplying factor for Log(HTxeff)
• H Tx effective height of the transmitter antenna (m)
eff
• K4 multiplying factor for diffraction calculation. K4 must be a positive number
• DiffractionLoss losses due to diffraction over an obstructed path (dB)
• K5 multiplying factor for Log(HTxeff) x Log(d)
• K6 multiplying factor for HRxeff
• K7 multiplying factor for Log(HRxeff)
• H Rx mobile antenna height (m)
eff
• Kclutter multiplying factor for f(clutter)
• f(clutter) average of weighted losses due to clutter
• Khill, LOS corrective factor for hilly regions (=0 in case of NLOS)
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These parameters can be defined on the tabs (Parameters, and Clutter) of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog
box. You can also use a wizard to calibrate the Standard Propagation Model. For information on the Automatic Calibration
Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
• "Standard Propagation Model Guidelines" on page 197
• "Calculating Diffraction With the SPM" on page 198
• "Sample Values for SPM Formulas" on page 198
• "Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model" on page 199
• "Modelling Fixed Receivers" on page 200
• "Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model" on page 200.
5.1.2.1 Standard Propagation Model Guidelines

Clutter information can be evaluated in both diffraction loss and f(clutter). To prevent the model from evaluating clutter infor-
mation twice, choose one of the following approaches:
• Approach #1: If you specify losses per clutter class, do not consider clutter altitudes in diffraction loss over the trans-
mitter-receiver profile. This approach is recommended if the clutter height information is statistical (i.e., where the
clutter is roughly defined and without a defined altitude).
Because the Standard Propagation Model is a statistical propagation model, this approach
is recommended.
• Approach #2: If you consider clutter altitudes, do not define a loss per clutter class. In this case, f(clutter) will be "0;"
losses due to clutter will only be taken into account in the calculated diffraction. This approach is recommended if the
clutter altitude information is semi-deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is roughly defined with an average altitude
per clutter class) or deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is sharply defined with an average altitude per clutter class
or where there is a clutter height file).
If the clutter height information is an average height defined for each clutter class, you must specify a receiver clear-
ance per clutter class. Both ground and clutter altitude are considered along the whole transmitter-receiver profile
except over a specific distance around the receiver (clearance), in which Atoll bases its calculations only on the DTM.
The clearance information is used to model streets because it is assumed that the receiver is in the street.
It is not necessary to define receiver clearance if the height information is from a clutter height file. In this case, the
clutter height information is accurate enough to be used without additional information such as clearance; Atoll calcu-
lates the path loss if the receiver is in the street (if the receiver height is higher than the clutter height). If the receiver
height is lower than the clutter height, the receiver is assumed to be inside a building. In this case, Atoll does not
consider any diffraction for the building (or any clearance) but takes into account the clutter class indoor loss as an
additional penetration loss. Nevertheless, Atoll does consider diffraction caused by surrounding buildings. In
Figure 5.1 on page 198 this diffraction is displayed with a green line.
To consider indoor losses inside a building when only using a deterministic clutter map
(i.e., a clutter height map), disable the Indoor Coverage option when creating a
prediction. If the option is enabled, indoor losses are added twice (once for the entire
reception clutter class and once as indoor losses).
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Figure 5.1: Diffraction caused by surrounding buildings when the receiver is indoors
5.1.2.2 Calculating Diffraction With the SPM

You can set the parameters used to calculate diffraction losses on the Parameters and Clutter tabs of the Standard Propaga-
tion Model Properties dialog box.
In the Parameters explorer, you can define the calculation method used for diffraction and the K4 factor. The following meth-
ods are available:
• Deygout
• Epstein-Peterson
• Deygout with correction
• Millington
The methods for calculating diffraction are based on the general method for one or more obstacles described in the ITU 526-5
recommendations. Calculations include the curvature of the Earth. Along the transmitter-receiver profile, you can choose to
consider either the ground altitude only or both the ground altitude and the clutter height. If you choose to consider clutter
height, Atoll extracts information from the clutter heights file. Otherwise, it uses an average clutter height specified for each
clutter class. When clutter height information is statistical, Atoll also uses clearance values for each clutter class to establish
street models. For detailed information on each method, see the Technical Reference Guide.
To consider heights when calculating diffraction:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Propagation Models folder.
3. Right-click Standard Propagation Model. The context menu appears.
5. Click the Clutter tab.
6. Under Heights, select one of the following for Clutter taken into account in diffraction:
• 1 - Yes: Select "1 - Yes" if you want heights from the clutter heights to be taken into account on top of the DTM
when calculating diffraction.
• 0 - No: Select "0 - No" if you want diffraction to be calculated using only the DTM.
7. Click OK.
5.1.2.3 Sample Values for SPM Formulas

The following table gives some possible values for the constants used in the Standard Propagation Model formulas.
Minimum Typical Maximum

K1 Variable Variable Variable
198
Minimum Typical Maximum

K2 20 44.9 70
K3 -20 5.83 20
K4 0 0.5 0.8
K5 -10 -6.55 0
K6 -1 0 0
K7 -10 0 0
It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which means that
slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss.
K1 is a constant; its value depends on the radio frequency. The following table gives some possible values for K1.
Frequency (MHz) K1
935 12.5
1805 22
1930 23
2110 23.8
1900 23
2300 24.7
2500 25.4
2700 26.1
3300 27.8
3500 28.3
Its value is heavily influenced by the values given to losses per clutter class.
5.1.2.4 Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model

The average of weighted losses due to clutter, f(clutter), is defined as follows:
n
f  clutter  =  Li  wi
i=1
where
L: loss due to clutter.
w: weight.
n: number of points taken into account over the profile.
The losses due to clutter are calculated for the maximum distance from the receiver, defined as Maximum Distance on the
Clutter tab of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog box. When the Maximum Distance is defined as "0", Atoll
only considers the losses on the pixel where the receiver is located. On the Clutter tab, each clutter class is assigned losses
and a weighting function, enabling Atoll to give a weight to each point. For more information, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
The losses per clutter class can be calculated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For
information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Cali-
bration Guide.
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The following table gives typical values for losses (in dB) per clutter class:
Clutter Class Losses (dB)

Dense urban from 4 to 5
Woodland from 2 to 3
Urban 0
Suburban from -5 to -3
Industrial from -5 to -3
Open in urban from -6 to -4
Open from -12 to -10
Water from -14 to -12
The Standard Propagation Model is based on Hata formulas, which are valid for an urban
environment. The values above are consistent with an urban environment because losses
of 0 dB are indicated for an urban clutter class, with positive values for more dense clutter
classes and negative values for less dense clutter classes.
5.1.2.5 Modelling Fixed Receivers

The following are suggestions for defining the height of fixed receivers:
• You can model the receiver as always being above the clutter, by selecting "1 - Yes" for the Receiver on Top of Clutter
option on the Clutter tab of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog box. The receiver height will then be
sum of the clutter height and the receiver height. This option can be used to model receivers on top of buildings, for
example.
• You can define a specific receiver height for each clutter class in the Rx Height column on the Clutter tab of the
Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog box. Or, you can select "(default)" for the receiver height. When cre-
ating a coverage prediction, Atoll will then read the receiver height on the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box in the Parameters explorer.
5.1.2.6 Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model

You can define the parameters of the Standard Propagation Model using the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog
box.
Default values have been assigned to the multiplying factors. The default values corre-
spond to the rural (quasi-open) Okumura-Hata formula valid for a frequency of 935 MHz.
The values for K values can be calculated using an automatic or assisted calibration
method. For more information, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
To define the calculations parameters of the Standard Propagation Model:

1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder and right-click Standard Propagation Model. The
3. Click the Parameters tab (see Figure 5.2).
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Figure 5.2: Standard Propagation Model - Parameters tab
Under Near Transmitter, you can set the following parameters:

• Maximum Distance: Set the maximum distance for a receiver to be considered near the transmitter. If the dis-
tance between the receiver and the transmitter is greater than the set distance, the receiver is considered far from
the transmitter.
• K1 - los and K2 - los: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is in the trans-
mitter line of sight.
• K1 - nlos and K2 - nlos: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is not in the
transmitter line of sight.
Under Far from Transmitter, the values you set will be used for all receivers whose distance from the transmitter is
greater than the distance specified in Maximum Distance under Near Transmitter. You can set the following param-
eters:
• K1 - los and K2 - los: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is in the trans-
mitter line of sight.
• K1 - nlos and K2 - nlos: Enter the K1 and K2 values that will be used for calculations when the receiver is not in the
transmitter line of sight.
The LOS is defined by no obstruction along the direct ray between the transmitter and the
receiver.
Under Effective Antenna Height, you can set the following parameters:
• Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate HTxeff, the effective antenna height.
You can use the Automatic Calibration Wizard to select the best method for calculating
the effective Tx antenna height. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see
the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
• Distance min. and Distance max.: The Distance min. and Distance max. are set to 3,000 m and 15,000 m
(according to ITU recommendations) for frequencies under 500 MHz and to 0 m and 15,000 m (according to ITU
recommendations) for high frequency mobile communications. These values are only used for the "Abs Spot Ht"
and the "Enhanced Slope at Receiver" methods. For more information on how these values are used, see the Tech-
nical Reference Guide.
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• K3: Enter the K3 value.

Under Diffraction, you can set the following parameters:
• Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate diffraction.
Under Other Parameters, you can set the following parameters:
It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which
means that slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss.
• Kclutter: Enter the Kclutter value.
• Hilly Terrain Correction Factor: Select "1 - Yes" to take the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor into account. Other-
wise, select "0 - No". The Hilly Terrain Correction Factor corrects path loss for hilly regions when transmitter and
receiver are in LOS. For more information on the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
• Limitation to Free Space Loss: When using a Hata-based propagation model, it is possible to calculate a theoretical
path loss that ends up being lower than the free space loss. In Atoll, you can define any Hata-based propagation
model to never calculate a path loss that is lower than the calculated free space loss per pixel. Select "1 - Yes" if
you want the propagation model to limit the path loss calculated per pixel to the calculated free space loss.
• Profiles: Select the method to be used to extract the profile. If you select "1 - Radial," Atoll establishes a profile
between each transmitter and each point located on its calculation perimeter (as defined by the calculation
radius) and then uses the nearest profile to make a prediction on a point inside the calculation perimeter. This
process is called radial optimisation. If you select "2 - Systematic," Atoll systematically determines a profile
between each transmitter and each point in its calculation area. This method requires a significantly longer calcu-
lation time, therefore, you should choose "1 - Radial" if you want a shorter calculation time.
• Grid Calculation: Select "0 - Centred" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the centre of each pixel or
select "1 - Bottom left" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the lower left of each pixel.
4. Click OK.
5.1.2.7 Defining the Clutter Settings of the Standard Propagation Model

You can define the parameters of the Standard Propagation Model using the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog
box. For more information, see "Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model" on page 199.
To define the clutter parameters of the Standard Propagation Model:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder and right-click Standard Propagation Model. The
3. Click the Clutter tab (see Figure 5.3).
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Figure 5.3: Standard Propagation Model - Clutter tab
Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Heights:
• Clutter taken into account in diffraction: Select "1 - Yes" if you want the clutter heights to be taken into account
when calculating diffraction.
• Receiver on top of clutter: Select "1 - Yes" if you want to consider that the receiver is located on top of the clutter,
for example if fixed receivers are located on building rooftops.
• Indoor calculations only: Select "1 - Yes" to create coverage predictions based on indoor calculations only.
Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Range:
• Max. distance: Set the maximum distance from a receiver to be considered when calculating f(clutter).
• Weighting function: Select a weighting function to be used when calculating f(clutter). It enables you to weigh
losses for each pixel between a receiver and a maximum distance. For more information on weighting functions,
see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Parameters per clutter class, you can set the following parameters for each clutter class:
• Losses: If necessary, enter the losses for each clutter class to be considered when calculating f(clutter).
• Clearance: If necessary, enter a clearance around each receiver for each clutter class. The clearance information
is used to model streets when it is assumed that the receiver is in the street. The clearance is used to calculate
diffraction when statistical clutter is considered.
• Rx Height: If necessary, enter a specific receiver height for each clutter class. Alternatively, you can select
"(default)" for the receiver height. When creating a coverage prediction, Atoll reads the receiver height on the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box in the Parameters explorer.
4. Click OK.
5.1.3 The CrossWave Model

CrossWave is a high performance universal propagation model that can be applied to all wireless technologies (GSM, UMTS,
WiMAX, LTE, etc.) and frequency ranges from 200 MHz to 5 GHz. It supports any type of micro, mini, and macro cells and all
types of environment without restriction (dense urban, urban, suburban, rural, etc.).
The CrossWave model relies on geographical data to determine a vertical profile of the terrain between a transmitter and a
receiver and provides realistic modelling by combining the three following criteria:
• Vertical diffraction using elaborate clutter information.
• Reflection on mountains.
• Horizontal guided propagation.
203
Figure 5.4: Propagation phenomena and CrossWave
CrossWave supports automatic tuning based on CW measurements, but is also statistically pre-calibrated by incorporating
measurements from various countries and environment types. CrossWave benefits from several years of experience in model-
ling of basic components (antenna and profile modelling) and automatic tuning (multi-linear regression, neuronal networks,
etc...). Although highly complex, the CrossWave model combines accuracy, performance, versatility, and robustness.
CrossWave is developed by Orange Labs and is distributed and supported by Forsk as an

optional component for Atoll. For licensing information, contact your Forsk representa-
tive. For information on installing and using the CrossWave propagation model, see the
CrossWave user manual.
5.1.4 The Okumura-Hata Propagation Model

The Okumura-Hata model is suited for predictions in the 150 to 1000 MHz band over long distances (from one to 20 km). It is
best suited to GSM 900 and CDMA 1xRTT radio technologies.
Hata models in general are well adapted to the urban environment. You can define several corrective formulas and associate
a formula with each clutter class to adapt the Hata model to a wide variety of environments. You can also define a default
formula to be used when no land use data is available. Additionally, you can consider diffraction losses based on the DTM.
• "Defining General Settings (Okumura-Hata)" on page 204
• "Selecting an Environment Formula (Okumura-Hata)" on page 205
• "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-Hata)" on page 205.
5.1.4.1 Defining General Settings (Okumura-Hata)

To set general parameters on the Okumura-Hata propagation model:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder and right-click Okumura-Hata. The context menu
appears.
3. Click the Parameters tab. You can modify the following settings:
• Add diffraction loss: The Okumura-Hata propagation model can take into account losses due to diffraction, using
a 1-knife-edge Deygout method, and using the ground altitude given in the DTM. For detailed information on the
Deygout method, see the Technical Reference Guide. The calculations take the curvature of the earth into account.
Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to add losses due to diffraction. You can weight this diffraction
for each Hata environment formula (see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-Hata)" on
page 205)
• Limitation to free space loss: When using a Hata-based propagation model, it is possible to calculate a theoretical
4. Click OK.
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5.1.4.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Okumura-Hata)

The Okumura-Hata model calculates propagation by using an environment formula appropriate to each clutter class. You can
assign a default formula that Atoll can use for all clutter classes for which you have not assigned an environment formula or
if you do not have clutter classes in your Atoll document.
To select environment formulas:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder and right-click Okumura-Hata. The context menu
appears.
3. Click the Configuration tab.
4. Under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select the Default formula row. Under this grid, choose the appropriate
formula in the formula scrolling list.
Atoll uses the default environment formula for calculations on any clutter class to which you have not assigned an
environment formula or if you do not have clutter classes in your Atoll document.
5. For each clutter class under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select a formula from the list.
6. For each clutter class under Additional Losses per Clutter Class, enter an optional correction (in dB). This correction
acts as an additional loss on the loss calculated by the chosen formula.
For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-
Hata)" on page 205.
7. Click OK.
Correction terms can be evaluated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For informa-
tion on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
5.1.4.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-Hata)

The Okumura-Hata propagation model provides several environmental formulas to simulate various environments. You can
modify existing environmental formulas used by the Okumura-Hata propagation model or you can create new environmental
formulas.
To create or modify an environment formula:
3. Right-click Okumura-Hata. The context menu appears.
6. Click the Formulas button. The Formulas dialog box appears. You can do the following:
• Add: To create a new formula, click the Add button and modify the parameters of the formula.
• Delete: To delete a formula, select the formula and click the Delete button.
• Modify: To modify an existing formula, select the formula and modify the parameters.
7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Formulas dialog box.
8. Click OK.
• You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor
within the range [0;1].
• Constant values and a diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the
Automatic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on
the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
5.1.5 The Cost-Hata Propagation Model

The Cost-Hata model is suited for coverage predictions in the 1500 to 2000 MHz band over long distances (from one to 20 km).
It is best suited to DCS 1800 and UMTS radio technologies.
205
formula to be used when no land use data is available.
• "Defining General Settings (Cost-Hata)" on page 206
• "Selecting an Environment Formula (Cost-Hata)" on page 206
• "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Cost-Hata)" on page 206.
5.1.5.1 Defining General Settings (Cost-Hata)

To set general parameters on the Cost-Hata propagation model:
3. Right-click Cost-Hata. The context menu appears.
• Add diffraction loss: The Cost-Hata propagation model can consider losses due to diffraction by using both a 1-
knife-edge Deygout method, and the ground altitude provided by the DTM. For detailed information on the Dey-
gout method, see the Technical Reference Guide. The calculations take the curvature of the Earth into account.
Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to add losses due to diffraction. You can weight this diffraction
for each Hata environmental formula (See "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Cost-Hata)" on
page 206)
6. Click OK.
5.1.5.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Cost-Hata)

The Cost-Hata propagation model can use an environment formula appropriate to each clutter class when calculating. You can
6. Under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select the Default formula row. Under this grid, choose the appropriate
formula in the formula scrolling list.
8. For each clutter class under Additional Losses per Clutter Class, enter an optional correction (in dB). This correction
acts as an additional loss on the loss calculated by the chosen formula.
9. Click OK.
5.1.5.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Cost-Hata)

Several environment formulas are available with the Cost-Hata propagation model to model different environments. You can
modify existing environment formulas used by the Cost-Hata propagation model or create new environmental formulas.
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8. Click OK.
• You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor
within the range [0;1].
• Constant values and diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the Auto-
matic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on the
Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
5.1.6 The ITU 529-3 Propagation Model

The ITU 529-3 model is suited for predictions in the 300 to 1500 MHz band over long distances (from one to 100 km). It is best
suited to the GSM 900 radio technology.
formula to be used when no land use data is available. In addition, for long distances 20km<d<100 km), the model uses auto-
matically a corrective formula as defined in the recommendation.
• "Defining General Settings (ITU 529-3)" on page 207
• "Selecting an Environment Formula (ITU 529-3)" on page 207
• "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3)" on page 208.
5.1.6.1 Defining General Settings (ITU 529-3)

To set general parameters on the ITU 529-3 propagation model:
3. Right-click ITU529. The context menu appears.
• Add diffraction loss: The ITU 529-3 propagation model can take into account losses due to diffraction, using a 1-
knife-edge Deygout method, and using the ground altitude given in the DTM. For detailed information on the Dey-
gout method, see the Technical Reference Guide. The calculations take the curvature of the earth into account.
Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to add losses due to diffraction.
6. Click OK.
5.1.6.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (ITU 529-3)

The ITU 529-3 propagation model can use an environment formula appropriate to each clutter class when calculating. You can
207
6. Under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select a Default formula.
For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3)" on
page 208.
8. Click OK.
5.1.6.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (ITU 529-3)

Several environment formulas are available with the ITU 529-3 propagation model to model different environments. You can
modify existing environment formulas used by the ITU 529-3 propagation model or create new environmental formulas.
8. Click OK.

The ITU 370-7 model is based on the recommendations of the Vienna 1993 international conference on telecommunications
network coordination. This model is suited for predictions in the 100 to 400 MHz band over long distances (over 10 km), such
as in broadcast predictions. It uses the terrain profile to calculate propagation.
The only parameter you can define with the ITU 370-7 (Vienna 93) model is the percentage of time during which the real field
is higher than the signal level calculated by the model (1%, 10%, or 50% of the time). The value 50% is usually used for cover-
age predictions, whereas 1% is usually used for interference predictions.
To set the percentage of time during which the real field is higher than the signal level:
5. Click the Parameters tab.
6. Under Calculate exceeded signal during, select one of the following:
• 50% of the time
• 10% of the time
• 1% of the time
7. Click OK.
When using the ITU 370-7 model, do not define the cell edge coverage probability in the
coverage prediction properties with a value other than 50%, or cell edge coverage proba-
bility will be considered twice.
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5.1.8 The Erceg-Greenstein Propagation Model

The Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model is suited for predictions in the 1900 and 6000 MHz range over distances
between 100 m and 8 km. The Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model is suited for WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e).
The Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model is well adapted for suburban environment. You can define several corrective
formulas and associate a formula with each clutter class to adapt the model to a wide range of environments. You can also
define a default formula to be used when no land use data is available. You can also set a default formula which is used when
no clutter data is available.
• "Defining General Settings (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 209
• "Selecting an Environment Formula (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 209
• "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))" on page 210.
5.1.8.1 Defining General Settings (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))

To set general parameters on the Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model:
3. Right-click Erceg-Greenstein (SUI). The context menu appears.
• Add diffraction loss: The Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model can take into account losses due to diffrac-
tion, using a 1-knife-edge Deygout method, and using the ground altitude given in the DTM. For detailed informa-
tion on the Deygout method, see the Technical Reference Guide. The calculations take the curvature of the earth
into account. Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to add losses due to diffraction.
• Limitation to free space loss: When using the Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model, it is possible to calculate
a theoretical path loss that ends up being lower than the free space loss. In Atoll, you can define the Erceg-Green-
stein (SUI) propagation model to never calculate a path loss that is lower than the calculated free space loss per
pixel. Select "1 - Yes" if you want the propagation model to limit the path loss calculated per pixel to the calculated
free space loss.
7. Click OK.
5.1.8.2 Selecting an Environment Formula (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))

The Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model can use an environment formula appropriate to each clutter class when calcu-
lating. You can assign a default formula that Atoll can use for all clutter classes for which you have not assigned an environ-
ment formula or if you do not have clutter classes in your Atoll document.
6. Under Formulas assigned to clutter classes, select a Default formula.
For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Green-
stein (SUI))" on page 210.
8. Click OK.
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5.1.8.3 Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Erceg-Greenstein (SUI))

Several environment formulas are available with the Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model to model different environ-
ments. You can modify existing environment formulas used by the Erceg-Greenstein (SUI) propagation model or create new
environmental formulas.
8. Click OK.

The ITU 526-5 model is suitable for predictions in the 30 to 10,000 MHz band with fixed receivers.
According to the ITU 526-5 recommendations:
• If there are no obstacles, propagation takes place in free space
• If there is an obstacle, attenuation due to diffraction will be taken into account. The model uses the terrain profile and
a diffraction mechanism (3-knife-edge Deygout method), optionally with correction, to calculate path loss.
To set the parameters on the ITU 526-5 propagation model:
6. If desired, select the Apply to empirical correction check box and enter a formula that will be used as a correction with
the Deygout method. Otherwise, the Deygout method will be used without correction.
7. Click OK.
5.1.10 The WLL Propagation Model

The WLL propagation model is designed for radio local loop applications in the 30-10,000 MHz band. The model is derived
from the ITU 526-5 model.
Along the Tx-Rx profile, both ground altitude and clutter height are considered to calculate diffraction losses. Atoll takes clut-
ter height information in clutter heights file if available in the ATL document. Otherwise, it considers average clutter height
specified for each clutter class in the clutter classes file description. If the ATL document does not contain any clutter height
file and no average height per clutter class is specified, Atoll will consider ground altitude only.
To set the parameters on the WLL propagation model:
3. Right-click WLL. The context menu appears.
5. Click the Parameters tab. You can set the following parameters:
• Free space loss: You can modify the parameters of the formula used to calculate path loss in free space.
• Line of sight only: If the Line of sight only option is selected, Atoll checks for each pixel if the receiver is in the
transmitter line of sight. The receiver is considered to be in the transmitter line of sight if 100% of the Fresnel half-
ellipsoid is clear, in other words, if no obstacle is on the transmitter-receiver profile. If the receiver is not in the
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transmitter line of sight, no results at all will be displayed. If the Line of sight only option is not selected, Atoll cal-
culates the path loss for each pixel, using the formula defined in the dialog box.
If you select the Line of sight only option and the receiver is not in the transmitter line of
sight, no results at all will be displayed because Atoll will only show results for the line of
sight.
• Transmitter clearance: You can set the clearance around the transmitter. This clearance can be used, for example,
to model streets in areas where the clutter class file does not show enough detail. It will be taken into considera-
tion when calculating diffraction. The default value is 20 m.
• Receiver default clearance: You can set the default clearance around the receiver. This default clearance will be
used for each clutter class where the receiver clearance is not specified. This clearance will be taken into consid-
eration when calculating diffraction. The default value is 20 m.
• Diffraction multiplying factor: You can set the multiplying factor for the diffraction losses. The final diffraction
losses are determined by multiplying the diffraction losses calculated using the 3-obstacle Deygout method by the
Diffraction multiplying factor.
• Receiver height per clutter class: You can set a height for the receiver for each clutter class. Because the WLL prop-
agation model is designed for networks with immobile receivers, the receivers are often on top of buildings. This
option allows you to specify a height which will be added to the clutter class.
• Receiver clearance per clutter class: You can set a clearance around the receiver for each clutter class. This clear-
ance will be taken into consideration when calculating diffraction.
6. Click OK.
5.1.11 The Longley-Rice Propagation Model

Longley-Rice is a theoretical model suited for predictions in the 40-MHz band in flat areas. The Longley-Rice propagation
model uses the terrain profile to calculate propagation. However, the parameters of the Longley-Rice propagation model can
be set using distance and an additional loss value.
To set the parameters on the Longley-Rice propagation model:
3. Right-click Longley-Rice. The context menu appears.
6. Under Add to propagation loss, enter the formula that will be used to calculate additional losses (in flat terrain, a
value of "0" means a signal decreasing in a linear fashion as a function of distance). "dkm" in the formula is the distance
in kilometres from the transmitter.
7. Click OK.
5.1.12 The ITU 1546 Propagation Model

The ITU 1546 propagation model is based on the ITU-R P-1546-5 recommendations. This model is suited for predictions in the
30 to 3000 MHz band over distances from 1 to 1000 km. It is appropriate for point-to-area predictions such as broadcast and
land and maritime mobile services, and fixed services employing point-to-multipoint systems. It uses the terrain profile to
calculate propagation.
Because this propagation model is based on graphs giving the field strength as a function of distance provided in the ITU
recommendations for different operating frequencies, the only parameters you have to define for this model are:
• the percentage of time during which the real field strength is higher than the signal level calculated by the model (1%,
10%, or 50% of the time), and
• the type of path over which the signal level is to be predicted (land in urban or suburban zones, land – other zones, or
sea).
To set the propagation model parameters:
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6. Under Calculate Signal Level Exceeded During, select one of the following:
• 50% of the time
• 10% of the time
• 1% of the time
7. Under Type of Path, select one of the following:
• Land (Urban or Suburban Zones)
• Land (Other Zones)
• Sea
8. Select Use clutter altitude if you want to take the height of the clutter into account in diffraction. The height of the
clutter will be taken from the Clutter Height folder, if clutter heights are available. Otherwise the average height of
each clutter class will be used when evaluating diffraction. If this box is unselected, the diffraction is evaluated using
only the DTM.
9. Click OK.
For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide and the ITU-R P.1546 recommendation.
5.1.13 The Sakagami Extended Propagation Model

The Sakagami extended propagation model is based on a simplified version of the extended Sakagami-Kuboi propagation
model. The Sakagami extended propagation model is valid for frequencies above 3 GHz.
The Sakagami-Kuboi propagation model requires detailed information about the environment, such as the widths of the
streets where the receiver is located, the angles formed by the street axes and the directions of the incident waves, the
heights of the buildings close to the receiver, etc. The Sakagami-Kuboi propagation model is valid for frequencies below
2.2 GHz. Studies have shown that the Sakagami-Kuboi propagation model can be extended to frequencies higher than 3 GHz,
which also allows the input required by the model to be simplified. The same studies show that the path loss predicted by the
extended model is almost independent of the input parameters such as street widths and angles.
The path loss calculation formula of the Sakagami extended propagation model is similar to the formula of the Standard Prop-
agation Model. In Atoll, this model is in fact a copy of the Standard Propagation Model with the following values assigned to
the K coefficients:
K Coefficient Value Assigned

K1 65.4 (calculated for 3.5 GHz)
K2 40
K3 -30
K4 0
K5 0
K6 0
K7 -5
For more information on working with the Standard Propagation Model, see "The Standard Propagation Model" on page 196.
5.1.14 Managing Propagation Models

The propagation models available for the current Atoll document can be found in the Propagation Models folder in the
Parameters explorer. You can manage the propagation models with the commands available on the context menu.
To manage the propagation models of the current Atoll document:
3. Right-click the propagation model you want to manage. The context menu appears.
4. Select one of the following commands from the context menu:
• Properties: The Properties dialog box appears. You can view the general information about the propagation
model on the General tab:
• Name: The name of the propagation model, as displayed in the Propagation Models folder
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• Signature: The signature is assigned to the propagation model by Atoll. Each time you modify the parameters
of the selected propagation model, Atoll changes the signature. The signature of the propagation model used
to calculate a set of path loss matrices is stored with the matrices. This enables Atoll to verify the validity of
the path loss matrices.
• When path loss matrices are not embedded in the Atoll document but are stored externally, the signature is
found in the MODEL_SIG field of the Pathloss.dbf file. The name of the propagation model used is found in the
MODEL_NAME field of the Pathloss.dbf file.
• Description: You can enter a description or comments in this field.
• Duplicate: The selected propagation model is duplicated. It appears in the Propagation Models folder with the
same name, preceded by "Copy of."
• Copy: The selected propagation model is copied. You can paste it, with its current settings into a new Atoll docu-
ment by opening the document, clicking the Parameters explorer and pressing CTRL+V.
If there is already a propagation model in the Atoll document with the same name as the
one you are trying to paste, Atoll will display a warning and will not allow you to overwrite
the existing propagation model.
• Delete: The selected propagation model is deleted.

• Rename: You can enter a new name for the selected propagation model.
5.2 Defining Radio Calculation Parameters

Atoll uses the propagation model defined for each transmitter to calculate losses along the transmitter-receiver path.
Depending on the type of prediction you make, Atoll either calculates the path loss at any point of the map in real time, or it
calculates a path loss matrix for each transmitter that will be considered in predictions. The path loss matrix contains a set of
path loss values calculated on each pixel over a specific area. It is calculated based on a set of three parameters defined for
the transmitter:
• The propagation model
• The calculation radius
• The resolution.
By using a calculation radius, Atoll limits the scope of calculations to a defined area.
Atoll enables you to calculate two path loss matrices: a main and an extended one. By using two sets of calculation parame-
ters, Atoll allows you to calculate high resolution path loss matrices closer to the transmitter with one propagation model,
while reducing calculation time and storage size by using an extended matrix with a lower resolution and another propagation
model. Atoll will calculate the extended matrix only if you define all three parameters: propagation model, calculation radius,
and resolution.
If you do not define a calculation radius for the main propagation model and if you do not assign an extended propagation
model, Atoll uses the prediction minimum threshold to define the calculation radius for each transmitter. However, this can
lead to lengthy calculation times. Under these circumstances, Atoll does not assign a calculation radius to transmitters. This
is possible when you let Atoll calculate the optimised main or extended calculation radii based on user-defined minimum
received signal levels. As an consequence, the disk storage dedicated to path loss matrices can be drastically reduced. For
more information, see "Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage" on page 218.
When creating coverage predictions, you can define a coverage resolution that is different
from the resolution defined for the path loss matrices.

• "Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter" on page 213
• "Defining Calculation Parameters for a Group of Transmitters" on page 214
• "Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for All Transmitters" on page 215
• "Defining a Default Propagation Model" on page 215
• "Defining a Default Resolution" on page 215.
5.2.1 Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter

In Atoll, you can define calculation parameters, in other words, the propagation model, resolution, and calculation radius, for
each transmitter.
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To define main and extended calculation parameters for one transmitter:

3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign main and extended calculation parameters. The context menu
appears.
5. Click the Propagation tab.
6. Under Main Matrix:
• Select a Propagation Model
• Enter a Radius and Resolution.
7. If desired, under Extended Matrix:
8. Click OK. The selected calculation parameters will be used for the selected transmitter.
5.2.2 Defining Calculation Parameters for a Group of Transmitters

Transmitters that share the same parameters and environment will usually use the same propagation model and settings. In
Atoll, you can defining the same calculation parameters for several transmitters by first grouping them by their common
parameters and then defining the calculation parameters.
To define main and extended calculation parameters for a defined group of transmitters:
3. Select from the Group by submenu of the context menu the property by which you want to group the transmitters.
The objects in the folder are grouped by that property.
You can group transmitters by several properties by using the Group By button on the
Properties dialog box. For more information, see "Advanced Grouping" on page 97.

5. Right-click the group of transmitters for which you want to define main and extended calculation parameters. The con-
text menu appears.
group.
For each transmitter, you can set the calculation parameters in the following columns:
• Main Propagation Model
• Main Calculation Radius
• Main Resolution
• Extended Propagation Model
• Extended Calculation Radius
• Extended Resolution
To enter the same values in one column for all transmitters in the table:
1. Enter the value in the first row in the column.
2. Select the entire column.
3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( ) in the
Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells.
If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can
right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables inAtoll,
see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
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5.2.3 Defining the Same Calculation Parameters for All

Transmitters
In Atoll, you can choose one set of calculation parameters and assign them to all transmitters.
To define the same calculation parameters for all transmitters:
7. Click OK. The selected calculation parameters will be used for all transmitters.
Setting a different main or extended matrix to an individual transmitter as explained in

"Defining Calculation Parameters for One Transmitter" on page 213 will override this
entry. You can also optimise the path loss matrix radii as explained in "Optimising Path Loss
Matrix Storage" on page 218.
5.2.4 Defining a Default Propagation Model

When you assign a propagation model to a transmitter, you can choose "(Default Model)" from the list of the propagation
models available. Atoll will then calculate path loss using the default propagation model set for the project.
To define the default propagation model for the Atoll document:
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
4. Click the Predictions tab.
5. Select a Default Propagation Model from the list.
6. Click OK. The selected propagation model will be used for predictions for all transmitters whose main propagation
model is "(Default model)."
5.2.5 Defining a Default Resolution

When the resolution of the path loss matrix is not defined in the transmitter properties, Atoll uses the default resolution set
for the Atoll document. Additionally, this resolution is used as the default coverage resolution when you create a new cover-
age prediction.
To define the default resolution of the Atoll document:
5. Enter a Default Resolution.
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By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can set Atoll to use the currently defined
default resolution if you clear the value entered in the Resolution text box when you
create a coverage prediction. That way, if you have many coverage predictions, you can
change their resolution by changing the default resolution and recalculating the
coverage predictions. Atoll will then calculate them using the updated resolution. For
information on changing entries in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
6. Click OK.
5.3 Managing Path Loss Matrices

• "Calculating Path Loss Matrices" on page 216
• "Stopping Path Loss Matrix Calculation" on page 217
• "Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices" on page 217
• "Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices" on page 218
• "Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage" on page 218
• "Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data" on page 219
• "Exporting Path Loss Matrices" on page 226.
5.3.1 Calculating Path Loss Matrices

When you calculate a coverage prediction, Atoll automatically calculates non-existent and invalid path loss matrices before
calculating the prediction. This can take a lot of time if there are many path loss matrices that must be calculated. Conse-
quently, you can calculate path loss matrices separately, when you have more time and computer resources available. In
multi-user environments, the administrator is responsible for shared path loss matrices and can calculate them separately.
Users can then base calculations on the updated shared path loss matrices.
When you calculate a coverage prediction, Atoll calculates only the non-existent and invalid path loss matrices that intersect
the rectangle containing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. When you manually calculate
the path loss matrices as described in this section, Atoll does not take the computation zone into consideration; it calculates
all non-existent and invalid path loss matrices of active and filtered transmitters.
To calculate path loss matrices:
3. Select Calculations > Calculate Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. Atoll calculates all non-existent and invalid
path loss matrices of active and filtered transmitters.
If you are working with multiple radio technologies, you can select Predictions > Path
Loss Matrix Calculation > Calculate to run the calculations for all technologies at once.
You can calculate the non-existent and invalid path loss matrices for all transmitters, for a single transmitter, or for a defined
group of transmitters, by expanding the Transmitters folder right-clicking either the single transmitter or the defined group
of transmitters and selecting Calculations > Calculate Path Loss Matrices from the context menu.
Atoll calculates path loss matrices of co-located co-site transmitters in a single step, i.e., per site, instead of calculating each
transmitter’s matrix separately. The calculation of path losses comprises two mutually independent components:
1. The path loss due to electromagnetic wave propagation around the transmitter. This component is calculated by prop-
agation models.
2. Attenuation due to antenna pattern (masking). This component is independent of the propagation calculation.
The first component, which is the most time-consuming, is the same for all co-located co-site transmitters. Therefore, by
calculating path loss matrices per site, Atoll is able to provide short calculation times. Atoll generates separate path loss
matrix results for each transmitter, combining both components of path loss calculations. Co-located co-site transmitters are
transmitters with the same site, antenna height, DX, DY, main and extended propagation models, main and extended calcu-
lation radii, and main and extended calculation resolutions.
By default, the per-site path loss calculation is enabled in Atoll 64-bit and disabled in Atoll 32-bit. You can enable and disable
this option as needed using the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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You can prevent Atoll from calculating one or more path loss matrices by locking them. You
can lock path loss matrices using the Propagation tab of the Transmitters dialog box. You
can lock a single path loss matrix by selecting the check box in the Locked column, or more
than one by selecting several path loss matrices and then selecting Lock from the context
menu.
5.3.2 Stopping Path Loss Matrix Calculation

Depending on the size of the path loss matrices, it can take a long time and a lot of computer resources to calculate them. If
necessary, you can stop calculation at any point.
To stop calculations:
• Click the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar. Atoll immediately stops all ongoing calculations. The results of
calculations that have already been completed, however, will be saved.
5.3.3 Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices

Path loss matrices can be stored internally, in the Atoll document, or they can be stored externally. Storing path loss matrices
in the Atoll document results in a more portable but significantly larger document. In the case of large radio-planning projects,
embedding the matrices can lead to large documents which use a great deal of memory. Therefore, in the case of large radio-
planning projects, saving your path loss matrices externally will help reduce the size of the file and the use of computer
resources.
Using centralised path loss matrices is recommended in a multi-user environment when several users are working on the same
radio-planning document. In this case, the radio data is stored in a database. An administrator responsible for calculations
calculates the path loss matrices of the entire project and saves them in an external folder accessible to all users. This folder
is read only and shared by all users. When users change their radio data and recalculate path loss matrices, the changes to the
path loss matrices are stored locally; the centralised path loss matrices are not modified. In other words, the user can read
the information from the shared path loss matrices but any changes he makes will be stored locally, either in the ATL file or
in a private external folder. Centralised path loss matrices will be recalculated by the administrator and will take into consid-
eration the changes made by all users to the radio data. For more information on working in a multi-user environment, see
the Administrator Manual.
When you save the path loss matrices to an external directory, Atoll creates:
• One file per transmitter with the extension LOS for its main path loss matrix
• A DBF file with validity information for all the main matrices.
• A folder called "LowRes" with LOS files and a DBF file for the extended path loss matrices.
To set the storage location of the path loss matrices:
4. On the Predictions tab, under Path Loss Matrix Storage, you can set the location for your private path loss matrices:
• Private Directory: The Private Directory is where you store path loss matrices you generate or, if you are loading
path loss matrices from a shared location, where you store your changes to shared path loss matrices.
Click the button beside Private Directory ( ) and select Embedded to save the path loss matrices in the Atoll
document, or Browse to select a directory where Atoll can save the path loss matrices externally.
When you save the path loss files externally, the external files are updated as soon as
calculations are performed and not only when you save the Atoll document. In order to
keep consistency between the Atoll document and the stored calculations, you should
save the Atoll document before closing it, if you have updated the path loss matrices.
• Shared Directory: When you are working in a multi-user Atoll environment, the project data is stored in a data-
base and the common path loss matrices are stored in a directory that is accessible to all users. Any changes you
make will not be saved to this directory; they will be saved in the location indicated in Private Directory. The path
loss matrices in the shared directory are updated by a user with administrator rights based on the updated infor-
mation in the database. For more information on shared directories, see The Administrator Manual.
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The shared path loss matrices must be unlocked in order for users to be able to work
with them. The administrator can check whether shared path loss matrices are unlocked
or not in the Propagation tab of the Transmitters folder’s Properties dialog box.
5. Click OK.
5.3.4 Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices

Atoll automatically checks the validity of the path loss matrices when calculating any coverage prediction. If you want, you
can check whether the path loss matrices are valid before calculating a coverage prediction.
To check whether the path loss matrices are valid:
4. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available Results table.
5. Select one of the following display options:
• Display all the matrices: All path loss matrices are displayed.
• Display only invalid matrices: Only invalid path loss matrices are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed path loss matrix:
• Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
• Locked: If the Locked check box is selected, the path loss matrix will not be updated even if the path loss matrices
are recalculated.
• Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the path loss matrix is valid.
• Reason for Invalidity: If the path loss matrix is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here.
• Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter.
• File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed.
• Tuned: If the Tuned check box has been selected, the initial path loss matrix obtained by the propagation model
has been tuned by the use of real measurement points. See "Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data"
on page 219 for more information.
6. Click the Statistics button to display the number of path loss matrices to be recalculated. The Statistics dialog box
appears (see Figure 5.5) with the total number of invalid path loss matrices and the reasons for invalidity, as well as a
summary of the reasons for invalidity.
Figure 5.5: Path loss matrix statistics
5.3.5 Optimising Path Loss Matrix Storage

As explained in "Defining Radio Calculation Parameters" on page 213, you can assign calculation radii for main and extended
matrices, either for each transmitter, for a group of transmitters or for all the transmitters in a project. The path loss matrices
are then calculated from the transmitter to the distance defined by the calculation radii. In some cases, considering the mini-
mum signal required from the point of view of the receiver, calculating large path losses serves no purpose and has negative
consequences in terms of calculation time and the storage of path loss matrices.
In Atoll, you can re-evaluate the calculation radii of existing path loss matrices by truncating values which would lead to
unnecessary received signal levels.
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To optimise the calculation radius of the main or extended path loss matrices:
3. Select Calculations > Optimise Path Loss Matrices from the context menu.
4. Select the matrices (main or extended) for which you want to re-evaluate the calculation radius.
5. For each selected matrix, enter the minimum signal level which are to be used during matrix reduction. After calcula-
tion, Atoll will filter out the path losses leading to signal levels lower than these thresholds. If you enter a higher
threshold for extended matrices than that for the main matrices, the lower one (that for the main matrices) will be
used for extended matrices as well.
6. Click Calculate. Atoll begins evaluating the calculation radii. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss matrices
are valid before optimising their radius. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll does not optimise their radius.
Information about the calculation of the path loss matrix radii are listed in the Available Results table.
• Display all results: All path loss matrices, including those which do not need optimisation, are displayed.
• Display modified radii only: Only path loss matrices for which the radius have to be optimised are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed transmitter:
• Main Radius: The radius of the main path loss matrix before optimisation.
• Optimised Main Radius: The radius of the main path loss matrix after optimisation.
• Extended Radius: The radius of the extended path loss matrix before optimisation.
• Optimised Extended Radius: The radius of the extended path loss matrix after optimisation.
8. Select the Commit check box for each transmitter for which you want to commit the optimised radius (or radii). You
can select one, several, or all the results and right-click in order to select, ignore or commit the results.
9. Click Commit. The calculation radius (or radii) for all transmitters whose Commit check box is selected is updated.
Clearing the Main matrices or Extended matrices check box at the top of the dialog box will not prevent the main or
extended matrices from being updated if the given check box was selected before you clicked the Calculate button. If
the calculation radii of extended matrices are changed, the extended matrices are deleted and will need to be recal-
culated with the new radius values.
• Invalid matrices cannot be optimised and have to be calculated prior to the opti-
misation process (see "Calculating Path Loss Matrices" on page 216 for more infor-
mation). Invalid (or non-existent) matrices are displayed in red in the available
results list.
• Even if the radius can be evaluated (and committed to the transmitter properties),
path losses are not optimised for locked matrices or matrices in a shared directory
(see "Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices" on page 217 for more
information). These matrices are displayed in grey in the available results list.
• You can also optimise path loss matrices using the context menu of a transmitter
or group of transmitters. Only the matrices of the selected transmitter or transmit-
ters will be optimised.
5.3.6 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data

In Atoll, the path loss matrices are calculated using the propagation model and parameters defined as explained in "Defining
Radio Calculation Parameters" on page 213. However, the results calculated by a propagation model can vary from actual
measurements. Atoll allows you to use available drive test data paths and CW measurements to increase the accuracy of
calculated path loss matrices. When Atoll applies measurement data to path loss matrices, it first strips the effect of the
antenna pattern from the data. Therefore, if the antenna parameters change, the same measurement data can be used to
tune the path loss matrices because the effect of the antenna pattern is not present in the data.
Atoll uses the selected measurement data to tune a user-defined elliptical area around each measurement point. The main
axis of the ellipse is oriented in the direction of the transmitter or repeater.
Atoll smooths the differences between tuned path loss matrix points and uncorrected path loss matrix points using an average
error calculated between each measured value and the corresponding value in the path loss matrices.
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When you use measurement data to tune path loss matrices, the results are stored
locally. If you are using shared path loss matrices, these results will be automatically
deleted when you make a calculation if the FullResyncPrivShared option is set in the
Atoll.ini file. If you are using shared path loss matrices, you should disable this option
before tuning path loss matrices using measurement data. For more information, see the
When using measurement data to tune path loss matrices, you need to have valid path loss matrices (for more information
on path loss matrix validity, see "Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 216):
1. Define the elliptical area around the measurement point as explained in "Defining the Area to be Tuned" on page 220.
2. Select the measurement data to be used to tune the path loss matrices:
• CW Measurements: You select the CW measurements from the CW Measurements folder as explained in "Tuning
Path Loss Matrices Using CW Measurements" on page 221. The selected CW measurements will be used to tune
the path loss matrices calculated for the site on which the CW measurements were made.
• Drive Test Data: You select the drive test data path from the Drive Test Data folder as explained in "Tuning Path
Loss Matrices Using Drive Test Data" on page 222. The selected measurements from drive test data path will be
used to tune the path loss matrices calculated for the selected transmitter.
Atoll replaces existing path loss matrices with the tuned matrices which remain valid as long as the radio configuration of the
network does not change. Atoll creates an external folder containing the catalogue of all the tuning paths as explained in
"Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points" on page 224. By activating or deactivating the tuning paths, you can select the tuning
path to be applied to the existing path loss matrices. Therefore, even if the path loss is recalculated, the path loss is automat-
ically retuned using the active tuning paths.
5.3.6.1 Defining the Area to be Tuned

Atoll tunes the path loss matrices over an elliptical area around each measurement point. The main axis of the ellipse is
oriented in the direction of the transmitter.
To define the elliptical area around each measurement point:
2. Right-click the measurement type that you will use to tune the path loss matrices:
• CW Measurements: If you are going to use CW measurements to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the CW
Measurements folder. The context menu appears.
• Drive Test Data: If you are going to use drive test data to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the Drive Test
Data folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select the Path Loss Tuning Parameters tab (see Figure 5.6).
Figure 5.6: Defining the ellipse for tuning path loss matrices
5. Under Tuning Ellipse, set the following parameters:

• Radius of the Axis Parallel to Profile: Enter the radius of the ellipse axis oriented in the same direction as the trans-
mitter (or repeater).
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• Radius of the Axis Perpendicular to Profile: Enter the radius of the ellipse axis perpendicular to the transmitter
(or repeater).
6. Click OK.
5.3.6.2 Defining Maximum Corrections and Thresholds on Path Loss Tuning

Path loss tuning is done in two steps, as described in the Technical Reference Guide:
1. Correction of the entire path loss matrix:
A mean error is calculated between each measured value and the corresponding pixel in the path loss matrix. Mean
error is calculated for each path loss matrix (main and extended) of each transmitter. This mean error is then applied
to all the pixels in the matrix. This tuning is done to smooth local corrections (step 2) of measured values and not the
tuned pixels themselves.
2. Local correction for each measured value.
In Atoll, you can set a tuning range in order to limit the tuning in the case the difference between the measurements and the
predicted measurements is too great. In addition, you can define a level under which the measured signal strength is not used
for path loss tuning.
To define the tuning range and the measurement threshold for path loss tuning:
2. Right-click the measurement type that you will use to tune the path loss matrices:
• CW Measurements: If you are going to use CW measurements to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the CW
Measurements folder. The context menu appears.
• Drive Test Data: If you are going to use drive test data to tune the path loss matrices, right-click the Drive Test
Data folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select the Path Loss Tuning Parameters tab.
5. Under Tuning Range, set the following parameters:
• Maximum total correction (dB): Enter the maximum admissible mean error in step 1 of the path loss tuning pro-
cess.
• Maximum local correction (dB): Enter the maximum admissible local error in step 2 of the path loss tuning pro-
cess.
• Minimum measurement threshold (dBm): Enter the measured signal level under which measurements are not
taken into account for the path loss tuning.
6. Click OK.
5.3.6.3 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using CW Measurements

Atoll allows you to use available CW measurements to increase the accuracy of calculated path loss matrices.
To use CW measurements to tune path loss matrices:
2. Select how you want to tune the path loss matrices:
To tune the path loss matrix for a single transmitter:
a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the CW Measurement folder.
b. In the CW Measurement folder, click the Expand button ( ) to expand the site folder containing the CW meas-
urement path you want to use to tune the path loss matrices.
c. Right-click the CW measurement path in the site folder. The context menu appears.
d. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. Atoll immediately begins optimising the path loss matri-
ces for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was made. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer
window.
To tune the path loss matrices for all transmitters:
a. Right-click the CW Measurement folder. The context menu appears.
b. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Measurement Path Selection dialog box appears (see
Figure 5.7).
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Figure 5.7: Selecting all CW measurement paths
c. Under Measurement Paths, select All.

d. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for all transmitters on which CW measurements are avail-
able. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window.
To tune the path loss matrices for selected transmitters using selected CW measurement paths:
a. Right-click the CW Measurement folder. The context menu appears.
Figure 5.7).
c. Under Measurement Paths, select the option beside the list of CW measurements.
d. Select the check box corresponding to each transmitter for which you want to tune the path loss matrices.
For some transmitters, more than one CW measurement may exist. In this case, selecting the check box for the
transmitter will select all the CW measurements. If you do not want to use all CW measurements, click the Expand
button ( ) to expand the transmitter list and then select the single CW measurements you want to use.
e. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for all transmitters on which CW measurements are avail-
able. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window.
For repeaters, Atoll also tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the
repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated
based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal.
Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each item.
5.3.6.4 Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Drive Test Data

Atoll allows you to use available drive test data paths to increase the accuracy of calculated path loss matrices.
To use drive test data to tune path loss matrices:
2. Select how you want to tune the path loss matrices:
To tune the path loss matrix using a single drive test data path:
a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
b. Right-click the drive test data path you want to use to tune the path loss matrices. The context menu appears.
c. Select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Path Loss Tuning dialog box appears (see Figure 5.8).
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Figure 5.8: Path Loss Tuning dialog box
d. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens.
e. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune.
f. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens.
g. For each transmitter selected from the For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured
signal strength that will be used to tune the path loss matrices.
h. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was
made. The progress is displayed in the Event Viewer window.
To tune the path loss matrices using all drive test data paths:
a. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears.
Figure 5.9).
Figure 5.9: Selecting all CW measurement paths
c. Under Measurement Paths, select All.

d. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens.
e. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune.
f. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens.
g. For each transmitter selected from the For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured
h. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was
To tune the path loss matrices for selected transmitters using selected drive test data paths:
a. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears.
Figure 5.9).
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c. Under Measurement Paths, select the option beside the list of drive test data paths.
d. Select the check box corresponding to the drive test data you want to use to tune the path loss matrices.
e. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens.
f. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune.
g. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens.
h. For each transmitter selected from the For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured
i. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was
For repeaters, Atoll tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the
repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated
based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal.
Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each item.
5.3.6.5 Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points

After tuning the path loss matrices, Atoll creates a tuning measurement file for each transmitter in a folder with the extension
".tuning". The .pts tuning file contains a header and a list of points defining the measurement data path excluding the antenna
losses which means that the measurement data remains valid even if the antenna parameters change. A tuning file can
contain several measurement paths, so that several calibrations can be applied successively on a path loss matrix and stored
in a single tuning file. All the tuning files are stored as a catalogue in the current project. Each single tuning path can be acti-
vated or deactivated in order to be automatically applied to path loss matrices, even after recalculation.
Tuning files are stored in the same way as path loss matrices, as explained in "Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matri-
ces" on page 217. They can be saved on a network and shared between users.
To manage the catalogue of the tuning path loss data:
• Display all the matrices: All path loss matrices are displayed.
• Display only invalid matrices: Only invalid path loss matrices are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed path loss matrix:
• Transmitter: The name of the transmitter or repeater.
• Locked: If the check box is selected, the path loss matrix will not be updated even if the path loss matrices are
recalculated.
• Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the path loss matrix is valid.
• Reason for Invalidity: If the path loss matrix is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here.
• Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter.
• File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed.
• Tuned: If the check box is selected, the initial path loss matrix obtained by the propagation model has been tuned
by the use of real measurement data.
6. Select the tuning path loss matrices you want to manage using the available catalogue by holding CTRL and click the
corresponding line in the Available Results table and then right-clicking. The context menu appears.
7. Select Path Loss Tuning Points from the context menu. The Path Loss Tuning Points dialog box appears.
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Figure 5.10: Path Loss Tuning Catalogue

• All: All the tuning paths are displayed.
• Active Only: Only the active tuning paths are displayed.
The Available Results table lists the following information for each displayed tuning path, assuming each transmitter
(or repeater) can have several ones coming from either the same or different measurement paths:
• Transmitter: The name of the transmitter or repeater.
• File: The location of the tuning file.
• Name: The name of the tuning entry. Each entry is automatically named by Atoll based on the source of the tuning
data. You can edit the name by right-clicking the line and selecting Properties from the context menu.
• Active: You can set each tuning path as active by selecting the check box. Only active entries are used to tune the
path loss matrices. When several entries are active and therefore applied to the same transmitter (or repeater),
the applicable tunings on the path loss matrix are realised in turn from the top to the bottom of the catalogue.
• No. points: Displays the number of measurement points on the tuning path.
• X Radius (m): Displays the radius of the ellipse axis oriented in the same direction as the transmitter (or repeater)
during the tuning session.
• Y Radius (m): Displays the radius of the ellipse axis perpendicular to the transmitter (or repeater) during the tuning
session.
• Gain (dB): Displays the gain of the measurement receiver.
• Max. total correction (dB): Displays the user-defined maximum admissible total correction.
• Max. local correction (dB): Displays the user-defined maximum admissible local correction.
• Min. Threshold (dBm): Displays the user-defined level under which measurement values are not taken into
account for path loss tuning.
• Total correction (dB): Displays the mean error between each measured value and its corresponding pixel in the
path loss matrix. This is the correction which is applied globally to all the matrices during the first step of path loss
tuning. For more information, please refer to the Technical Reference Guide.
• Valid: This is a boolean field indicating whether or not the measurement path data (excluding the antenna infor-
mation) are valid.
• Reason for Invalidity: If the measurement path data is indicated as being invalid, the reason is given here.
• Comments: Additional comments referring to the measurement entry are given in this field. You can edit the com-
ment by right-clicking the line and selecting Properties from the context menu.
When path loss tuning entries are changed (e.g., activated or deleted) Atoll suggests delet-
ing the corresponding path loss matrices.
You can import tuning files to replace an existing tuning or to benefit from a path loss tuning done by another user. The PTS
files are imported using a DBF file containing all the information relative to matrices and their tuning.
To import a path loss tuning catalogue:
5. Select the tuning path loss matrices for which you want to import tuning files by holding CTRL and click the corre-
sponding line in the Available Results table and then right-clicking. The context menu appears.
6. Select Import Path Loss Tuning Catalogue from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
7. Select the DBF path loss tuning catalogue file you want to import.
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8. Click Open. The existing PTS files are replaced by the ones referenced in the catalogue file. Any additional files in the
DBF catalogue file are added. You can work with the imported PTS files with the same options as files from a tuning
carried out in the current project.
5.3.7 Exporting Path Loss Matrices

You can export path loss matrices if you want to use the data in another application.
To export path loss matrices from Atoll:
5. Right-click the Available Results table and select Select All from the context menu.
6. Right-click the Available Results table and select Export from the context menu. The Calculation Results Export dialog
box appears (see Figure 5.11).
7. Set the following export parameters:
• Directory: Enter the directory you want to store the exported path loss matrices in or click the Browse button
( ) to navigate to it. The directory must already exist.
• Exported Values: Select the values that are to be exported: Path Loss (dB), Signal Level (dBm), Signal Level (dBµV),
or Signal Level (dBµV/m).
• Format: Select the format of the exported data: BIL Files (*.bil), TXT Files (*.txt) (Separator: tab), or CSV Files
(*.csv) (Separator: ";").
Figure 5.11: Exporting path loss matrices
8. Click OK to export the path loss matrices.
5.4 Radio Prediction Types

There are two types of predictions available in Atoll:
• Point predictions using the Point Analysis tool: It allows you to predict, at any point on the map, the profile between
a reference transmitter and a receiver, the value of the signal levels of the surrounding transmitters, quality and inter-
ference analysis for any technology, scrambling code (or PN Offset) collision analysis in UMTS/HSPA (or CDMA2000)
projects.
• Coverage predictions: You can calculate standard coverage predictions, coverage by transmitter, coverage by signal
level and overlapping zones, and specific coverage predictions such as interference predictions for GSM/GPRS/EDGE
projects or handover, service availability, etc. for UMTS, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA projects. Many customisation fea-
tures on coverage predictions are available in order to make their analysis easier.
• "Making Point Predictions" on page 226
• "Making Coverage Predictions" on page 229.
5.4.1 Making Point Predictions

• "Starting a Point Analysis" on page 227
• "The Views of the Point Analysis Tool" on page 227
• "Moving the Receiver on the Map" on page 228
• "Taking Indoor Losses into Account" on page 228
• "Taking Shadowing into Account in Point Analyses" on page 229.
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5.4.1.1 Starting a Point Analysis

To make a point analysis:
1. Select Tools > Point Analysis. The Point Analysis window appears and the pointer changes ( ) to represent the
receiver. This receiver is placed at the centre of the active map.
If a transmitter was already selected on the map, a line appears connecting the selected transmitter and the receiver.
2. Select the view of the Point Analysis window corresponding to the type of point prediction you want to make. For
information on the views available in the Point Analysis window, see "The Views of the Point Analysis Tool" on
page 227.
5.4.1.2 The Views of the Point Analysis Tool

You can access several views from the Point Analysis tool. These views enable you to make several different point predictions.
The views available depend on the radio technology of the current document. When opening the Point Analysis, you can
select the appropriate view from the list located at the top left part of the window:
• The Profile View:
The Profile view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX,
Wi-Fi, and LTE projects.
The Profile view of the Point Analysis tool displays the profile between a reference transmitter and the receiver. As
well, Atoll displays the signal level of the received signal from the selected transmitter. You can also display the path
loss or total losses of the selected transmitter. In this view, the results are calculated in real time.
• The Reception View:
The Reception view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA,
WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and LTE projects. In multi-RAT projects, there are as many Reception views as there are technologies.
The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool displays the predicted signal level from different transmitters in the
form of a bar chart, from the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The calcula-
tions are based on the path loss matrices. Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents.
In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The best server for the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level.
If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the signal level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer loca-
tion is displayed in the tip text.
• The AS Analysis View:
The AS Analysis view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA and UMTS projects.
The AS Analysis view displays information on the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0), which is the main parameter used to define the
mobile active set, the connection status, and the active set of the probe mobile.
• The Interference View:
The Interference view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis window for GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, WiMAX, and LTE
projects. In a multi-RAT projects where GSM and LTE are present, there is one reception window for each of these
technologies.
The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indi-
cating the total interference experienced by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each
interferer.
In the map window, arrows from the receiver towards each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters
they represent. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding trans-
mitter at the receiver location will be displayed in tip text along with information on the channel being interfered and
the type of interference, i.e., co- or adjacent channel.
• The PN Offset Collision View:
The PN Offset Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA projects.
The PN Offset Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the reception for any point on the
map where there is PN Offset collision.
• The SC Collision View:
The SC Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for UMTS projects.
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The SC Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on reception for any point on the map where
there is scrambling code collision.
• The Details View:
The Details view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WIMAX,
and LTE projects. In Multi-RAT projects, there are as many Results views as there are technologies.
The Details view displays the current position and height of the receiver, the clutter class it is located on. In addition,
it also displays:
• in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, you can select to display the results on a specific HCS layer (or all). You can also eval-
uate either C/I or C/I+N values where the interferences are due to any combination between adjacent channels,
co-channels or external sources. Atoll displays for each transmitter its BCCH signal level, the BCCH C/I, the most
interfered mobile station allocation (TRX, MAL or MAL-MAIO depending on the hopping mode) and its corre-
sponding C/I.
• in CDMA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier, DL rate,
and UL rate. Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level (or RSCP), its path loss, Ec/Io, C/I, DL and UL Eb/Nt
values, PN offsets.
• in UMTS/HSPA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier. Atoll
displays for each transmitter its signal level, Ec/Io, DL and UL Eb/Nt values, scrambling codes.
• in TD-SCDMA projects, Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level.
• in WiMAX projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for
each transmitter its preamble index, its preamble signal C, C/N and I.
• in LTE projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for each
transmitter its physical cell ID, its reference signal Level, its RSRP and its RS I.
5.4.1.3 Moving the Receiver on the Map

When you make a point analysis, the pointer ( ) represents the receiver in the map window. You can change the position
of the receiver in several ways:
• You can move the receiver manually
• You can enter the coordinates of the new position
• You can place the receiver on a selected site.
To change the position of the receiver manually:
• Click and drag the receiver to change the position. Release the mouse button to place the receiver.
• You can move the receiver again by clicking and dragging it a second time.
To enter the coordinates of a position:
1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Coordinates from the context menu. The Receiver Position dialog box appears.
3. Enter the X and Y coordinates of the position and click OK. The receiver moves to the specified position.
To place the receiver on a selected site:
1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Target Site from the context menu. The Target Site dialog box appears.
3. Select the site on which you want to place the receiver from the Name list and click OK. The receiver moves to the
specified position.
5.4.1.4 Taking Indoor Losses into Account

In Atoll you can calculate indoor predictions by taking indoor losses into consideration. You can define default indoor losses
for all clutter classes, or you can define different indoor losses for each clutter class so that the characteristics of each clutter
class are taken into consideration during calculations.
To take indoor losses into account when making a point analysis:
1. Click the Options button ( ) at the top of the Point Analysis view. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses to the total path loss.
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5.4.1.5 Taking Shadowing into Account in Point Analyses

Shadowing, or slow fading, is signal loss along a path caused by obstructions not taken into consideration by the propagation
model. Even when a receiver remains in the same location or in the same clutter class, there are variations in reception due
to the surrounding environment.
Normally, the signal received at any given point is spread on a gaussian curve around an average value and a specific standard
deviation. If the propagation model is correctly calibrated, the average of the results it gives should be correct. In other words,
in 50% of the measured cases, the result will be greater and in 50% of the measured cases, the result will be worse.
Atoll uses a model standard deviation with the defined cell edge coverage probability to model the effect of shadowing and
thereby provide predictions that are reliable more than fifty percent of the time. The additional losses or gains caused by shad-
owing are known as the shadowing margin. The shadowing margin is added to the path losses calculated by the propagation
model.
For example, a properly calibrated propagation model calculates a loss leading to a signal level of -70 dBm. You have set a cell
edge coverage probability of 85%. If the calculated shadowing margin is 7 dB for a specific point, the target signal will be equal
to or greater than -77 dBm 85% of the time.
For information on setting the model standard deviation and the C⁄I standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter
classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
You can take shadowing into account when you are making a point analysis.
To take shadowing into account when making a point analysis:
1. Click the Options button ( ) at the top of the Point Analysis view. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability. Atoll calculates the
shadowing using the appropriate standard deviation defined per clutter class.
5.4.2 Making Coverage Predictions

A coverage prediction displays the results of defined coverage conditions. It is calculated using the path loss matrices and is
based on coverage conditions and coverage resolutions. After calculation, Atoll displays the results as a graphical representa-
tion of the pixels for which the defined coverage conditions are satisfied.
Atoll offers the following general coverage predictions, available for all technologies:
• Coverage by transmitter (DL)
• Coverage by signal level (DL)
• Coverage by overlapping zones (DL).
Atoll also offers technology-specific coverage predictions, described in the technology-specific chapters, for example:
• Interference predictions in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects
• Coding scheme and throughput predictions for GPRS/EDGE
• UMTS or CDMA2000 coverage predictions.
Atoll gives you a large flexibility over how the results of your coverage prediction are displayed. You can select which attrib-
utes should be displayed on the map and how they are displayed. As well, you can define information to be displayed in the
legend, in the label, or in tip text. Furthermore, Atoll also allows you to filter, sort, or group results before displaying them.
Atoll offers several options and ways enabling you to create and work with coverage predictions. This section covers the
following topics:
• "Creating Coverage Predictions" on page 229
• "External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 233
• "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 231
• "External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 233
• "Saving Defined Coverage Predictions" on page 234.
5.4.2.1 Creating Coverage Predictions

In Atoll, you can create a coverage prediction using several different methods. Each method has its own advantages. For
example, you can create a new coverage prediction and set all of the parameters. Or you can base a new coverage prediction
on an existing one.
In this section, the following ways of creating a coverage prediction are explained:
• "Creating a New Coverage Prediction" on page 230
• "Duplicating a Coverage Prediction" on page 230
• "Cloning a Coverage Prediction" on page 230.
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5.4.2.1.1 Creating a New Coverage Prediction

When you create a new coverage prediction, you can select the type of coverage prediction and set all the parameters that
define it. The newly created coverage prediction is not automatically calculated.
To create a coverage prediction:
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select a coverage prediction from the Prediction Types dialog box and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties
dialog box appears.
The Properties dialog box for a coverage prediction common to all technologies has three tabs:
• General tab: You can rename the coverage prediction, define the coverage resolution, and add comments. A read-
only Unique ID is generated for each coverage prediction at creation time.
You can also define group, sort, and filter criteria; these criteria will apply to the coverage display, not the results.
• Condition tab: You can define the parameters of the coverage prediction.
• Display tab: You can define how coverage prediction results will be displayed.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
• OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
For more information on calculating coverage predictions, see "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 231.
5.4.2.1.2 Duplicating a Coverage Prediction

You can create a new coverage prediction by duplicating an existing coverage prediction. When you duplicate an existing
coverage prediction, the coverage prediction you create will have the same coverage and display settings as the original one.
Duplicating a coverage prediction is a way to quickly create a new coverage prediction with the same settings as an original
one. The newly created coverage prediction is not automatically calculated.
A new read-only Unique ID is generated for the duplicated coverage prediction.
To duplicate an existing coverage prediction:

2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions folder.
3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to duplicate. The context menu appears.
4. Select Duplicate from the context menu. A new coverage prediction appears in the Predictions folder with the same
name as the original coverage prediction, preceded by "Copy of." The duplicated coverage prediction has the same
coverage and display settings as the original one.
For information on calculating coverage predictions, see "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 231.
5.4.2.1.3 Cloning a Coverage Prediction

You can create a new coverage prediction by cloning an existing coverage prediction. When you clone an existing coverage
prediction, Atoll creates a copy of the coverage prediction with the calculated coverage. You can then change the display,
providing that the selected parameter does not invalidate the calculated coverage prediction. Cloning is useful if the existing
coverage prediction has a display by discrete values (e.g., coverage by transmitter with a display by transmitter) and if you
want a new coverage prediction with another display by discrete values (e.g., display by RNC or BSC). In this case, Atoll maps
the results to the selected field and you do not need to recalculate the coverage prediction. On the other hand, cloning is not
relevant if you change the display from a discrete field to value intervals, in which case, you must recalculate the coverage
prediction.
A new read-only Unique ID is generated for the cloned coverage prediction.
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To clone an existing coverage prediction:

3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to clone. The context menu appears.
4. Select Clone from the context menu. A new coverage prediction appears in the Predictions folder with the same name
as the original coverage prediction, preceded by "Clone of." The cloned coverage prediction not only has the same
coverage and display settings as the original one, but keeps the same results as well.
5. Right-click the cloned coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
8. On the Display tab, keep the Display Type "Discrete Values" selected.
9. Select another value from the Field list to change the value displayed.
10. Click OK to apply the new display parameter.
5.4.2.2 Calculating Coverage Predictions

After you have defined a coverage prediction, you can calculate it. Atoll allows you to define and calculate coverage predic-
tions in two separate steps. This enables you to create one or several coverage predictions at one time, and then calculate
them later, when you do not need the computer resources.
Before calculating one or more coverage predictions, you can create a computation zone. The computation zone is used to
define the area where Atoll carries out calculations. When you create a computation zone, Atoll carries out the calculation
for all base stations that are active, filtered (i.e., that are selected by the current filter parameters), and whose propagation
zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Therefore, it takes into consideration base stations inside and
base stations outside the computation zone if they have an influence on the computation zone. In addition, the computation
zone defines the area within which the coverage prediction results will be displayed.
The computation zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible. In other words, if you have drawn a computation zone,
it will be taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. You will
have to delete the computation zone if you no longer want to define an area for calculations.
When working with a large network, the computation zone allows you to restrict your coverage predictions to the part of the
network you are currently working on. By allowing you to reduce the number of base stations studied, Atoll reduces both the
time and computer resources necessary for calculations. As well, by taking into consideration base stations within the compu-
tation zone and base stations outside the computation zone but which have an influence on the computation zone, Atoll gives
you realistic results for base stations that are close to the border of the computation zone.
If there is no computation zone defined, Atoll makes its calculations on all base stations that are active and filtered and for
the entire extent of the geographical data available.
For information on creating a computation zone, see "The Computation Zone" on page 60.
• "Calculating Several Coverage Predictions" on page 231
• "Calculating a Single Coverage Prediction" on page 232
• "Forcing Calculations" on page 232
• "Stopping Calculations" on page 232
• "Locking Coverage Predictions" on page 232.
5.4.2.2.1 Calculating Several Coverage Predictions

When you have several defined coverage predictions, you can start calculation when you want and Atoll will calculate them
one after the other.
When you calculate coverage predictions, only unlocked coverage predictions are calculated. Unlocked coverage predictions
are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( ). For information on locking and unlocking coverage
predictions, see "Locking Coverage Predictions" on page 232.
To calculate created coverage predictions:
• Click the Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar. When you click the Calculate button, Atoll first calculates non-existent
and invalid path loss matrices and then, unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder.
The progress of the calculations is displayed in the Event Viewer window.
After calculation, the results are displayed in the map window, if the coverage prediction’s visibility check box has
been selected.
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5.4.2.2.2 Calculating a Single Coverage Prediction

To calculate a single coverage prediction:
3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to calculate. The context menu appears.
4. Select Calculate from the context menu.
Atoll first calculates non-existent and invalid path loss matrices and then, the coverage prediction even if this one has
been previously locked.
been selected.
5.4.2.2.3 Forcing Calculations

When you have several defined coverage predictions, you can start calculation when you want and Atoll will calculate them
one after the other. Normally, Atoll only recalculates non-existent and invalid path loss matrices before calculating coverage
predictions. If you want, you can make Atoll recalculate all path loss matrices, including valid ones.
When you calculate coverage predictions, only unlocked coverage predictions are calculated. Unlocked coverage predictions
are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( ). For information on locking and unlocking coverage
predictions, see "Locking Coverage Predictions" on page 232.
To force Atoll to recalculate all path loss matrices before calculating coverage predictions:
• Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar. When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes
existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then calculates unlocked coverages predictions.
been selected.
5.4.2.2.4 Stopping Calculations

When Atoll has begun to calculate coverage predictions, you can stop the calculation at any given point. This can be useful if,
for example, you want to change one of the coverage predictions or if you don’t want to calculate the coverage predictions
at that time.
To stop calculations:
• Click the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar. Atoll immediately stops all ongoing calculations. The results
of calculations that have already been completed, however, will be saved.
5.4.2.2.5 Locking Coverage Predictions

Coverage predictions are locked by default as soon as they have been calculated. Then, when you calculate new coverage
predictions, only unlocked coverage predictions are calculated. Locking a coverage prediction retains the information as calcu-
lated under given conditions (e.g., before a new base station is created or before optimising the network). It also saves time
by limiting unnecessary recalculation.
To prevent Atoll from automatically locking coverage predictions after calculating them,
you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini
file, see the Administrator Manual.
To lock a coverage prediction:

3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to lock. The context menu appears.
Unlocked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( )
4. Select Prediction Locked from the context menu.
The icon changes to the locked icon ( ) and the Prediction Locked item in the context menu now appears checked.
The coverage prediction is now locked and will not be calculated when the Calculate button in the toolbar is clicked.
However, if you select Calculate from the coverage prediction’s context menu, Atoll will first unlock the coverage
prediction and then calculate it.
You can lock all unlocked coverage predictions using the Predictions folder’s context menu.
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5.4.2.2.6 Unlocking Coverage Predictions

Coverage predictions are locked by default as soon as they have been calculated. You can unlock a single coverage prediction.
To unlock a coverage prediction:
3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to unlock. The context menu appears.
Locked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the locked icon ( ).
4. Select Prediction Locked from the context menu.
The icon changes to the unlocked icon ( ) and the Prediction Locked item in the context menu is no longer selected.
You can unlock all locked coverage predictions using the Predictions folder’s context menu.
5.4.2.2.7 External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results

When a coverage prediction is calculated by value intervals and if the Field setting is relevant (i.e. a field calculated by the
coverage prediction and not a value taken from the database), the numerical results are stored in BIL format outside the ATL
file, in the following folder:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}
Where "<GUID>" is a read-only Unique ID generated for each coverage prediction when it is created (see General tab in the
prediction’s Properties dialog box). This ID is written to the corresponding XML file, between "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags.
The string combining the above path and the longest file name must not exceed 260 char-
acters.
Until you save your ATL document, the following path (including a temporary "\~" folder) is used instead of the above path:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\~\{<GUID>}
When they exist, these externally stored numerical results spare you the need to recalculate a coverage prediction when the
legend is modified and they provide you with a numerical difference feature between basic predictions.
The storage of numerical results may require additional disk space when your document
contains several coverage predictions and transmitters, and/or when high resolutions are
used. If you have limited disk space, you can disable this feature by adding an option in the
Atoll.ini file.
The "{<GUID>}" folder always contains at least one XML file, one BIL file, and one HDR file.
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "Number of
Servers", the following files are created:
• <prediction_name>.XML
• <prediction_name>.BIL
• <prediction_name>.HDR
• If you delete in Atoll all the coverage predictions calculated by "Value intervals"
and save the document, the entire "<ATL_name>.studies" folder corresponding to
this document will be deleted.
• If you delete in Atoll one of several coverage predictions calculated by " Value
intervals", the corresponding "{<GUID>}" folder will be deleted automatically
without the need for saving the document.
Except for the GUID, the externally stored coverage predictions results can be imported as customised coverage predictions.
For more information on importing customised coverage predictions, see "Saving Defined Coverage Predictions" on page 234.
"Per Transmitter" Coverage Predictions
Some coverage predictions are calculated on a "per transmitter" basis. In this case, a BIL file and the associated HDR file are
generated for each transmitter, and a DBF file is created with a reference to each transmitter’s HDR and BIL results files.
233
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "DL Path Loss
(dB)", the following files are created:
• <transmitter_name>.BIL (one BIL file per transmitter)
• <transmitter_name>.HDR (one HDR file per transmitter)
• <prediction_name>.DBF
"Global" Coverage Predictions
Some coverage predictions may identify servers in their results matrices (e.g. best server, first server in active set, etc.). In this
case, another SVR.BIL file containing the server identifiers is generated along with the associated SVR.HDR file. Moreover,
each transmitter name and the corresponding identifier are stored in an SVR.MNU file.
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "Best Signal
Level (dBm)", the following files are created:
• <prediction_name>.BIL
• <prediction_name>.HDR
• <prediction_name>.SVR.BIL
• <prediction_name>.SVR.HDR
• <prediction_name>.SVR.MNU
5.4.2.3 Saving Defined Coverage Predictions

Once you have defined a coverage prediction, you can use it again in other Atoll documents, either by using the coverage
prediction to create a customised coverage prediction or by saving its coverage and display parameters in a user configura-
tion.
• "Saving a Coverage Prediction as a Customised Coverage Prediction" on page 234
• "Saving a Defined List of Predictions in a User Configuration File" on page 235.
5.4.2.3.1 Saving a Coverage Prediction as a Customised Coverage Prediction

Once you have defined a coverage prediction, you can use it as a customised coverage prediction. This coverage prediction
will be available to you in the Prediction Types dialog box the next time you want to create a new coverage prediction. The
initial parameters of the coverage prediction will be the same as the coverage prediction it is based on but, when you select
it in the Prediction Types dialog box, Atoll allows you to modify them.
To save a coverage prediction as a customised coverage prediction:
3. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to save as a customised coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
4. Select Save as Customised Prediction from the context menu. The Save As dialog box appears.
In the Save As dialog box, Atoll proposes a name and location for the XML file (studies.XML by default) that will contain
the customised coverage prediction. You can accept the default values or you can change the name and save the XML
file in any folder you have write access to.
5. Click Save. Atoll saves the coverage prediction in the selected XML file.
The next time you create a new coverage prediction, the customised coverage prediction will be available at the bottom of
the list, under the full path and file name of the XML file (see Figure 5.12). If you have other XML template files, you can click
the Customised Predictions button and select it in the Open dialog box.
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Figure 5.12: Prediction Types dialog box
Coverage predictions stored in the XML template files are also directly available in the Calculations menu of the context
menus of the Transmitters folder, of a group of transmitters, and of a single transmitter.
In a multi-user environment, the administrator can make customised predictions available for all the users by saving the XML
file in the Atoll installation directory. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
5.4.2.3.2 Saving a Defined List of Predictions in a User Configuration File

You can save the defined coverage predictions in the Predictions folder in a user configuration file. You can then import this
user configuration file into another Atoll document. All the coverage predictions in the user configuration will then be avail-
able in the Predictions folder of the new Atoll document and can be calculated.
To export a user configuration with the coverage predictions in the Predictions folder:
1. Select Tools > User Configuration > Save. The User Configuration dialog box appears.
2. Select the Prediction List check box, as well as the check box of any other information you want to save as part of the
user configuration.
4. Enter a File name for the user configuration file and click Save. The folder configuration is saved.
For information on loading the user configuration into another Atoll document, see "Loading a User Configuration" on
page 105.
5.4.2.4 Calculating Indoor Coverage

In Atoll you can calculate indoor coverage by taking the indoor losses into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per clutter
class. You can define a default indoor losses value for all clutter classes. Or, you can define a different indoor losses value for
each clutter classes, to take the characteristics of each clutter class into consideration.
To calculate indoor coverage when making a coverage prediction:
• When creating the coverage prediction, select the Indoor Coverage check box on the Condition tab of the coverage
prediction’s Properties dialog box. The indoor losses defined for the clutter classes will be added to the total path loss
for each pixel.
5.4.2.5 Taking Shadowing into Account

Shadowing, or slow fading, is signal loss along a path that is caused by obstructions not taken into consideration by the prop-
agation model. Even when a receiver remains in the same location or in the same clutter class, there are variations in recep-
tion due to the surrounding environment.
thereby create coverage predictions that are reliable more than fifty percent of the time. The additional losses or gains caused
by shadowing are known as the shadowing margin. The shadowing margin is added to the path losses calculated by the prop-
agation model.
235
For information on setting the model standard deviation and the C⁄I standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter
classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
• When creating the coverage prediction, select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box. Then, you can define
the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
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Chapter 6
GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Networks
This chapter provides information on using Atoll to design, This chapter covers the following topics:
analyse, and optimise a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.
• "Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 239
• "Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base
Stations" on page 240
• "Studying Network Capacity" on page 318
• "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs"
on page 348
• "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400
• "Analysing Network Quality" on page 441
• "Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP" on
page 480
• "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 483
• "Advanced Configuration" on page 495
238
AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 6: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks
6 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks
Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Once you have created the network, Atoll
offers many tools to let you verify the network. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the parameters defin-
ing the network.
The process of planning and creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network is outlined in "Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on
page 239. Creating the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Stations" on
page 240. Allocating neighbours is also explained. In this section, you will also find information on how you can display infor-
mation on base stations on the map and how you can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying Network Capacity" on page 318, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained. Creating traffic
captures and simulations using the traffic map information and dimensioning the network using these results is also
explained.
Using drive test data paths to verify the network is explained in "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data" on
page 483. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
6.1 Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network

Figure 6.1 depicts the process of planning and creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.
Figure 6.1: Planning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network - workflow
The steps involved in planning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 6.1.
1. Open an existing radio-planning document or create a new one ( ).

• You can open an existing Atoll document by selecting File > Open.
• Creating a new Atoll document is explained in Chapter 2: Atoll Projects.
2. Configure the network by adding network elements and changing parameters ( ).

You can add and modify the following elements of base stations:
• "Creating or Modifying a Site" on page 251
• "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter" on page 251
• "Applying a New Cell Type" on page 252.
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Chapter 6: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks © 2014 Forsk
You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 253).
3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( )

• "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 277
4. Estimate the required number of TRXs ( ) in one of the following ways:
• You can import or create traffic maps ( ) and use them as a basis for dimensioning ( )) (see "Studying Net-
work Capacity" on page 318).
• You can define them manually either on the TRXs tab of each transmitter’s Properties dialog box or in the Subcells
table (see "Modifying a Subcell" on page 252) ( ).
5. Allocate neighbours, automatically or manually ( ).

• "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 301.
6. Since you know the required number of TRXs, manually or automatically create a frequency plan ( ).
• "Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually" on page 354 ( )

• "Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP Module" on page 382 ( ).
7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
• You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( and ) (see
"Studying Network Capacity" on page 318).
• You can define them manually ("Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on page 318)
( ).
8. With the frequency plan, analyse the frequency plan ( ).

• "Auditing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Frequency Plan" on page 470
• "Checking Consistency in Subcells" on page 473
• "Displaying the Frequency Allocation" on page 474.
9. Make GSM/GPRS/EDGE-specific coverage predictions ( ) and the corresponding prediction reports ( ).

• "Analysing Network Quality" on page 441.
6.2 Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base

Stations
As described in Chapter 2: Atoll Projects, you can start an Atoll document from a template, with no sites, or from a database
with a set of sites. As you work on your Atoll document, you will still need to create sites and modify existing ones.
In Atoll, a site is defined as a geographical point where one or more transmitters are located. Once you have created a site,
you can add transmitters. In Atoll, a transmitter is defined as the antenna and any other additional equipment, such as the
TMA, feeder cables, etc. In a GSM/GPRS/EDGE project, you must also add subcells to each transmitter. A subcell refers to the
characteristics of a group of TRXs on a transmitter.
Atoll lets you create one site or transmitter at a time, or create several at once by using a station template. Using a station
template, you can create one or more base stations at the same time. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its transmit-
ters, antennas, equipment, subcells, and TRXs.
Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or transmitter coverage predictions. The results
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by allowing you to create services, users, user profiles, environments, and termi-
nals. This data can be then used to make quality predictions, such as interference predictions, or circuit or packet-dedicated
predictions.
• "Creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Station" on page 241
• "Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 261
• "Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 262
• "Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 262
240
• "Creating a Repeater" on page 263

• "Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 267
• "Preparing Base Stations for Calculations" on page 270
• "Studying Base Stations" on page 276
6.2.1 Creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Station

When you create a GSM/GPRS/EDGE site, you create only the geographical point; you must add the transmitters afterwards.
The site, with the transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cell type, is called a base station.
In this section, each element of a base station is described. If you want to add a new base station, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 253. If you want to create or modify one of the elements of a base station, see "Creating
or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 251. If you need to create a large number of base stations, Atoll allows you to
import them from another Atoll document or from an external source. For information, see "Creating a Group of Base
Stations" on page 261.
This section explains the various parts of the base station process:
• "Definition of a Base Station" on page 241
• "Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 251
• "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on page 253
• "Managing Station Templates" on page 254
• "Duplicating an Existing Base Station" on page 259.
6.2.1.1 Definition of a Base Station

A base station consists of the site, one or more transmitters, various pieces of equipment, and radio settings such as, for exam-
ple, subcells. You will usually create a new base station using a station template, as described in "Placing a New Station Using
a Station Template" on page 253. This section describes the following elements of a base station and their parameters:
• "Site Description" on page 241
• "Transmitter Description" on page 242
• "Subcell Definition" on page 245
• "TRX Definition" on page 250.
6.2.1.1.1 Site Description

The parameters of a site can be found in the site’s Properties dialog box. The Properties dialog box has one tab:
• The General tab (see Figure 6.2):
Figure 6.2: New Site dialog box
• Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you
want to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual.
• Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of
the site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using
the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For
information on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on
page 46.
241
• Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can
specify the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for cal-
culations.
• Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
6.2.1.1.2 Transmitter Description

The parameters of a transmitter can be found in the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. When you create a transmitter, the
Properties dialog box has four tabs: the General tab, the Transmitter tab, the TRXs tab, the AFP tab (see "Allocating Frequen-
cies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348), and the Configurations tab. Once you have created a transmitter, its Prop-
erties dialog box has four additional tabs: the Intra-Technology Neighbours tab, the Inter-technology Neighbours tab, the
Propagation tab, and the Display tab.
• The General tab:
• Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can
enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want
to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrators Manual.
• ID: You can enter an ID for the transmitter. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
• Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the site on which the transmitter will be located. For informa-
tion on the site Properties dialog box, see "Site Description" on page 241. You can click the New button to create
a new site on which the transmitter will be located.
• Shared antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the
same site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the
same for all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas sharing the same antenna. When changes are made to
the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically syn-
chronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared
antenna. This field is also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for different fre-
quency bands. For more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 512.
• Under HCS Layer:
• You can select the HCS Layer (Hierarchical Cell Structure layer) for the transmitter.
• Once you have selected the HCS layer, you can click the Browse button to open the properties of the HCS layer.
• You can enter a specific HCS layer threshold for this transmitter. The threshold defined in the HCS Layer prop-
erties is considered only if no value is entered in this field.
For information on the HCS layer Properties dialog box, see "Setting HCS Layers" on page 495.
• Under Antenna Position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
• Relative to Site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets with respect to the site
location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
• Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis
and y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
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• The Transmitter tab (see Figure 6.3):
Figure 6.3: Transmitter dialog box - Transmitter tab
• Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed
in red in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
Only active transmitters are taken into consideration during calculations.
• Transmitter Type: If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter as a potential server as well as an interferer, set
the transmitter type to Intra-Network (Server and Interferer). If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter only
as an interferer, set the type to Inter-Network (Interferer Only). No coverage for an Interferer Only transmitter
will be calculated for coverage predictions.
This enables you to model the co-existence of different networks in the same geographic area. For more informa-
tion on how to study interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks"
on page 522.
• Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the
transmitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button.
• On the Equipment Specifications dialog box (see Figure 6.4), the equipment you select and the gains and losses
you define are used to initialise total transmitter UL and DL losses:
• TMA: You can select a tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) from the list. You can click the Browse button to access
the properties of the TMA. For information on creating a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 189.
• Feeder: You can select a feeder cable from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties
of the feeder. For information on creating a feeder cable, see "Defining Feeder Cables" on page 189.
• Transmitter: You can select transmitter equipment from the Transmitter list. You can click the Browse button
to access the properties of the transmitter equipment. For information on creating transmitter equipment,
see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 189.
• Feeder Length: You can enter the feeder length at transmission and reception.
• Miscellaneous Losses: You can enter miscellaneous losses at transmission and reception. The value you enter
must be positive.
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Figure 6.4: The Equipment Specifications dialog box
Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitter’s repeater is included in the calculated
losses. Atoll always takes the values in the Real boxes into consideration in prediction even
if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equip-
ment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Total Losses at transmission and
reception and the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be
positive.
• Power: Under Power, you can select to enter either Power or EIRP (Effective Isotropical Radiated Power). If you
select EIRP, you can enter the value yourself, without defining power and losses for the transmitter.
If you select Power, Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button. Atoll calculates EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - DL Losses
• Antennas:
• Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the remote antenna is situated on a building, the height entered
must include the height of building.
• Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 185
• Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
• The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
• For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
• Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of
power reserved for this particular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you
reserve 40% of the total power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
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• For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on
page 76.
• The Configurations tab (see Figure 6.5):
Figure 6.5: Transmitter dialog box - Configurations tab
• Under GPRS/EDGE Properties, you must select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter check box if the transmitter is going
to be a packet-switched capable transmitter. You can select a Coding Scheme Configuration from the list. You can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the configuration. For information on creating a coding scheme
configuration, see "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 507.
When you model EDGE Evolution on the transmitter side Atoll has to consider:
• The support of high order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE Configuration.
In addition, EDGE Evolution can be modelled on the terminal side through:
• The support of dual antenna terminals (Mobile Station Receive Diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation).
Atoll offers a statistical modelling of these through the use of an EDGE evolution
configuration, with the effect of SAIC or diversity already included both in the
coding scheme admission thresholds and on the throughput versus C (or C⁄I)
graphs.
• The support of multi-carriers which can be set up on the terminal side.
For more information, see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on
page 518.
• Under GSM Properties, you can select Codec Configuration from the list. You can click the Browse button to
access the properties of the codec configuration assigned to the GSM transmitter. For information on creating a
coding scheme configuration, see "Codec Configuration" on page 504.
6.2.1.1.3 Subcell Definition

In Atoll, a subcell refers to the characteristics of a group of TRXs on a transmitter sharing the same radio characteristics, the
same quality (C/I) requirements, and other settings.
The initial settings of a subcell of a transmitter depend on the cell type selected for the transmitter. Assigning a different cell
type to a transmitter changes the characteristics of the subcells (for information on the cell type, see "Cell Types" on
page 499). Once the cell type has been selected, the initial values of the subcell, taken from the cell type, can be modified,
with the exception of the TRX type. If you modify the cell type afterwards, for all transmitters based on that cell type, Atoll
offers you the choice of keeping current parameters or resetting them to the new cell type parameters.
The properties related to subcells are found on the TRXs tab of the Properties dialog box of the transmitter to which it is
assigned.
245
Prior to defining a subcell, you may want to define the minimum and maximum range of extended subcells. You can do that
through the General tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box:
• Under Extended Cells, you can enter the minimum and maximum range of an extended subcell. Normally, coverage
of a GSM cell is limited to a 35 km radius. Extended GSM cells enable the operator to overcome this limit by taking this
delay into consideration when defining the timing advance for users in the extended cells. Extended cells may cover
distances from 70 to 140 km from the base station. For more information on extended cells, see "Defining Extended
Cells" on page 511.
• Min. Range: You can enter the distance from the transmitter at which coverage begins.
• Max. Range: You can enter the maximum range from the transmitter of its coverage.
Although coverage can be restricted within the set minimum range and maximum range,
interference from the transmitter is not limited within these ranges.
The TRXs tab has the following subcell-related options:

• Under Cell Type:
• Name: You can select the name of the Cell Type on which the transmitters subcells will be based from the list. You
can click the Browse button to access the properties of the cell type.
• Relevant Frequency Band: The Relevant Frequency Band displays the frequency band that will be used to calcu-
late the path loss matrix for the transmitter. The frequency band is the band used by the BCCH TRX type under
Subcell (TRX groups) Settings on the same tab.
• Cell Reselect Offset: The offset which is applied to the reception threshold to determine the Reselect Criterion
(C2) in idle mode. The C2 value is used to select a server and as a display parameter in coverage predictions.
• Max. No. of TRXs: The maximum number of TRXs that the transmitter can have. The value entered here will be
taken instead of the global value defined during dimensioning.
• Under Identification:
• BSIC Domain: You can select the BSIC (Base Station Identity Code) domain from the list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the selected BSIC domain. For information on BSIC domains, see "Defining BSIC
Domains and Groups" on page 352.
• BSIC: The BSIC (Base Station Identity Code) colour code is associated with a defined BCCH so that a mobile can
identify the base station to which both a particular BCCH and BSIC are assigned. The BSIC is derived from the NCC
(Network Colour Code) and the BCC (BTS Colour Code).
To assign a BSIC number to the current transmitter, you can assign a number from the BSIC Domain by selecting
it from the list. You can also enter the BSIC number in the format NCC-BCC. When you click Apply, Atoll converts
the entered NCC-BCC number into the single-number BSIC format. For information on the BSIC, see "Defining the
BSIC Format" on page 351.
• BCCH: The BCCH text box displays the frequency of the BCCH (TS0 of the BCCH TRX) of the current transmitter. If
the BCCH subcell, under Subcell (TRX Groups) Settings on the TRXs tab, is in synthesised frequency hopping (SFH)
mode, you can enter the MAL channel which will be TS0.
• NCC-BCC: The NCC (Network Colour Code), identifying the operator, and the BCC (BTS Colour Code), identifying
the base station are displayed in the NCC-BCC text box. The NCC and BCC are integers from 0 to 7.
• Under Subcells, the information displayed depends on the type of subcell information selected from the Display list,
Standard Data, Traffic Data, AFP Indicators:
• Standard: The information displayed is the standard information defining the subcell. The initial settings are from
the selected cell type and can be modified with the exception of the TRX Type:
• TRX Type: The TRX Type can be one of the default TRX types available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project tem-
plate:
BCCH: The broadcast control channel (BCCH) carrier
TCH: The default traffic (TCH) carrier
TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic (TCH_EGPRS) carrier.
TCH_INNER: The inner traffic (TCH_INNER) carrier.
• Frequency Domain: The frequency domain assigned to the TRX group. Only channels belonging to this fre-
quency domain will be allocated to TRXs of this group during manual or automatic frequency planning.
The frequency domains assigned to the BCCH subcell and to the TCH subcell must refer-
ence the same frequency band, unless you are modelling multi-band transmitters. For
information on multi-band transmitters, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmit-
ters" on page 512.
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• Excluded Channels: The defined frequency domain can have, as part of its definition, a list of excluded chan-
nels. Addition excluded channels for this subcell can be added in the Excluded Channels column.
• Required TRXs: The number of TRXs required for the subcell. For subcells with the BCCH TRX Type, the number
of requested TRXs must be "1," the default value. For subcells with the TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER TRX
Type, the value in the Required TRXs column is a result of network dimensioning, which depends on the traffic
demand and the required quality.
• DL Traffic Load: The DL usage rate of TRXs within a same subcell pool; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value
in the DL Traffic Load column can be either user-defined, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, or the result
of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g.
BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate DL interference and in automatic frequency planning.
• UL Traffic Load: The UL usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the UL Traffic Load
column can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The traffic load is used to calcu-
late UL interference.
• DL Power Reduction (dB) : The reduction of power relative to the transmitter power. The DL Power Reduction
is used to model the power reduction of TCH TRXs, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER TRXs. TCH_INNER TRXs are
concentric subcells, in other words, subcells that transmit a power lower than that used by the BCCH TRX and
by TCH TRXs.
DL power reduction can also be used to model in a simple way the coverage reduction of
a 1800 subcell compared to the BCCH 900 subcell, assuming that all subcells are transmit-
ting at the same power. Atoll also enables advanced multi-band transmitter modelling. For
more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 512 and
the Administrator Manual.
• Reception Threshold (dBm): The reception threshold defines the minimum reception level for the subcell. I
can be used as the minimum subcell reception sensitivity if the link budget is correctly defined.
• C/I Threshold (dB): The minimum signal quality for the TRX Type. The C/I Threshold can be used in interfer-
ence predictions and in the AFP.
• Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average reduction in interference due to power control in downlink. This
gain is used when calculating interference generated by the subcell. Interference generated by the subcell is
reduced by this value during C/I calculations. This value can be user-defined or the result of Monte Carlo simu-
lations.
• Timeslot Configuration: The timeslot configuration defines the distribution of circuit, packet and shared
timeslots for the subcell. For information on timeslot configurations, see "Timeslot Configurations" on
page 510.
• DTX Supported: The DTX Supported check box is selected if the subcell supports DTX (Discontinuous Trans-
mission) technology. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce the interference they produce by the defined voice
activity factor.
• Hopping Mode: The frequency hopping mode supported by the selected TRX type. The hopping mode can be
either "Base Band Hopping" mode (BBH) or "Synthesised Hopping" mode (SFH). If frequency hopping is not
supported, select "Non Hopping."
• Allocation Strategy: The allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. There are
two available allocation strategies:
Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to a same frequency group in the frequency domain can be as-
signed. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when using
the AFP.
• Default TRX Configuration: The default TRX configuration selected in this column is applied to all TRXs belong-
ing to the subcell. By selecting the default TRX configuration, the maximum number of coding schemes in GPRS
and in EDGE is set at the TRX type level. You can also define the TRX configuration for each TRX.
• EDGE Power Backoff (dB): The average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and
32QAM modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analysis
and EDGE predictions.
• Diversity Mode: The type of diversity supported by the subcell ("None," "Tx Diversity," or "Antenna Hopping").
If you select "Tx Diversity," the signal is transmitted as many times that there are antennas. If you select
"Antenna Hopping," the signal is transmitted successively on each antenna. In "Tx Diversity" mode, transmit-
ting on more than one antenna, the signal experiences a gain of 3 dB. For all diversity modes, an additional
transmission diversity gain can be defined per clutter class in order to correctly model gain due to the envi-
ronment (for more information, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153). The resulting gain will
increase the C/I value at the terminal served by the considered subcell.
• Max MAL Length: The maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum
number of channels allocated to the TRXs of the subcell during automatic frequency planning if the Hopping
Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allocation Strat-
egy is Free.
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• Synchronisation: The value entered in the Synchronisation column is used during frequency hopping;
frequency hopping is synthesised among all TRXs of subcells with the same string of characters in the Synchro-
nisation column. By default, the name of the site is used as the value in the Synchronisation column, synchro-
nising frequency hopping for all TRXs on the same site. However, you can, for example, enter different values
for each subcell to define synchronisation at the subcell level, or different values for each group of sites to
define synchronisation by sites group.
• HSN Domain: Only hopping sequence numbers (HSN) belonging to the selected HSN domain will be allocated
to subcells during manual or automatic frequency planning. The HSNs are allocated if the Hopping Mode is
either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
• HSN: The hopping sequence number (HSN) of the subcell. All TRXs of the subcell have the same HSN. The HSN
can be entered manually or allocated automatically. This parameter is used if the Hopping Mode is either SFH
(Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
• Lock HSN: When the Lock HSN check box is selected, the subcell’s currently assigned HSN is kept when a new
AFP session is started.
• Accepted Interference Percentage: The maximum level of interference allowable during automatic frequency
planning. The interference is defined as a percentage of area or traffic, as defined during the calculation of the
interference matrices.
• Preferred Frequency Group: When the Group Constrained allocation strategy is selected, in any hopping
mode (including non-hopping), the AFP tries to assign frequencies from the preferred group during automatic
allocation. The preferred frequency group is a soft constraint used by the AFP to assign frequencies to TRXs.
When the AFP is unable to assign a frequency from the preferred group, and allocates a frequency from
outside the group, a corresponding cost is taken into account. The preferred group can also be the result of
allocation if the AFP model is able to allocate patterns based on the azimuth.
• AFP Weight: Enter an AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell
during automatic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the
higher the constraint on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost which has to be minimised
by the AFP.
• Lock Required TRXs: This option can be used by an AFP model which has the capability to optimise (i.e.,
increase or decrease) the number of required TRXs where the only goal is maximising the amount of correctly
served traffic. In other words, you might have fewer TRXs than required if they are not subject to any interfer-
ence and the amount of correctly served traffic will be larger. When you select this option, the number of
required TRXs is blocked for that subcell.
If some subcell fields are empty (e.g., HSN domain, frequency domain, C/I Threshold), Atoll
uses the default values of the selected Cell type. For more information, see "Creating a Cell
Type" on page 500.
• Traffic Data: The information displayed describes the traffic of the cell. Because subcells share the traffic of the
transmitter, in most cases, the traffic data for all TRXs is displayed together. All fields can be modified with the
exception of the TRX Type, Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow, and Traffic Load.
• TRX Type: The TRX Type can be one of the default TRX types available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project tem-
plate:
BCCH: The broadcast control channel (BCCH) carrier
TCH: The default traffic (TCH) carrier
TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic (TCH_EGPRS) carrier.
TCH_INNER: The inner traffic (TCH_INNER) carrier.
• Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The circuit demand indicates the amount of Erlangs necessary to absorb the circuit-
switched demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will
be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH).
• Packet Average Demand (TS): The packet demand indicates the amount of timeslots necessary to absorb the
packet-switched demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case
it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH).
Circuit and packet demands can be imported into this table from a real network. These value will then be taken
into account for dimensioning or KPI calculation if these calculations are not based on the default traffic cap-
ture.
• Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): The percentage of half-rate voice traffic in the subcell. This value is used to calcu-
late the number of timeslots required to respond to the voice traffic demand. This value can be user-defined
or the result of Monte Carlo simulations.
• Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The target rate of traffic overflow is used during traffic analysis to distrib-
ute the traffic between subcells and layers. The traffic located in the inner zone or in the service zone of a high
priority cell (see the figures below) contributes to the traffic demand of the inner subcell or the high priority
cell respectively. If the target rate of traffic overflow is greater than 0, a part of this traffic is re-injected, so
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that it also contributes to the demand of outer zone (or to the low priority cell respectively). The key perfor-
mance indicators calculation (and dimensioning process) transforms the traffic demand into a served demand
on one hand and an effective overflow on the other hand. If effective overflow rates are higher than target
overflow rates, it means there is a capacity reserve. If it is the other way around, it means that more TRXs are
needed. If rates are equal, the network is correctly optimised.
Figure 6.6: Overflow between concentric cells
Figure 6.7: Overflow between HCS layers
The target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio must be the same for
BCCH and TCH subcells. If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will
use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio from
the BCCH subcell.
• Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The percentage of traffic overflowing from a subcell. The effective rate
of traffic overview is a result of the calculation of key performance indicators.
• DL Traffic Load: The DL usage rate of TRXs within a same subcell pool; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value
in the DL Traffic Load column can be either user-defined, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, or the result
of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g.
BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate DL interference and in automatic frequency planning.
• UL Traffic Load: The UL usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the UL Traffic Load
column can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The traffic load is used to calcu-
late UL interference.
• Final Blocking Probability (%): Key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using a traffic capture and the AFP
module. This KPI is also part of a simplified traffic model used by the AFP module.
• AFP Indicators: The information displayed comes from the results of an AFP model; it is displayed for informa-
tional purposes only and cannot be edited.
• TRX Type: The TRX Type is one of the default TRX types available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project template:
BCCH: The broadcast control channel
TCH: The default traffic channel
TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic channel
TCH_INNER: The inner traffic channel.
• Total Cost: The total cost is the combination of the AFP Separation Cost, the Additional Cost, and the AFP Con-
gestion cost.
• AFP Separation Cost: The separation cost is the cost to the system when separation rules are not respected
between subcell pools. If separation constraints are violated, this has a direct effect on the interference level.
• Additional Cost (Interference, Modification, Group): The additional cost is combination of other costs such as
interference, the cost of carrying modifications, and not respecting the preferred TRX group.
• AFP Blocking Cost: The AFP blocking cost is the part of the cost where traffic is considered as blocked due to
a lack of resources.
• Soft Blocking (Total Cost - Blocking): Total cost minus the AFP blocking cost.
• AFP Congestion: The AFP congestion is the soft blocking cost, an estimation of the level of congestion for a
pool of subcells (e.g., BCCH and TCH are considered as a pool of subcells since they are managed together). In
other words, a highly congested pool of subcells will be a source of a high level of interference.
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• The subcells of the entire GSM/GPRS/EDGE document are found in the Subcells
Table: Standard Data. You can open the Subcells Table: Standard Data by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and then selecting
Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the context menu. In addition, you
can access specific views of the subcell table. The table containing the information
regarding traffic data, or the AFP indicators, can be accessed by right-clicking the
Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and then selecting Subcells > Subcells
Table: Traffic data (or AFP Indicators) from the context menu.
• You can run a subcell audit to verify the consistency of data between the Subcell
and Transmitter tables. As well, this audit can correct unrealistic subcell values
(see "Checking Consistency in Subcells" on page 473 for more information).
6.2.1.1.4 TRX Definition

In Atoll, the TRX refers to the transmission/reception card. In GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, frequencies and channels are defined
using TRXs. In non-hopping or base-band hopping mode, a single frequency or channel can be assigned to each TRX. In synthe-
sised frequency hopping mode, more than one frequency can be assigned to each TRX.
The number of timeslots supported by a TRX defines the multiplexing factor of the frequency using that TRX.
In Atoll, TRXs are modelled using defined TRX types. Three TRX types are available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project template:
• BCCH: The broadcast control channel (BCCH) carrier
• TCH: The default traffic (TCH) carrier
• TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic (TCH_EGPRS) carrier.
• TCH_INNER: The inner traffic (TCH_INNER) carrier.
The TRXs and their properties are found on TRXs tab of the Properties dialog box of the transmitter to which they are assigned.
The TRXs of the entire GSM/GPRS/EDGE document are found in the TRXs Table. You can
access the TRXs Table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer
and then selecting Subcells > TRXs Table from the context menu.
The TRXs tab has the following TRX-related options:

• Under TRXs, the table lists each TRX allocated to the transmitter. The initial settings are from the selected cell type
and can be modified. You can sort the content of each column as described in "Sorting Data in Tables" on page 99, on
each column of the table.
• Index: This is the identification number of the TRX. The number must be an integer and can be user-defined or
assigned automatically by Atoll when you close the dialog box.
• TRX Type: The TRX Type can be one of the default TRX types available in the GSM GPRS EDGE project template:
• BCCH: The broadcast control channel (BCCH) carrier
• TCH: The default traffic (TCH) carrier
• TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic (TCH_EGPRS) carrier.
• TCH_INNER: The inner traffic (TCH_INNER) carrier.
Only the TRX types defined for the corresponding Cell type are available.
• Channels: The channels allocated to the TRX. You must specify 1 channel per TRX if the hopping mode for the TRX
type is "Non Hopping" or "Base Band Hopping," and more than one channel per TRX if the hopping mode for the
TRX type is "Synthesised Hopping." You can enter channels directly (separating them with a comma, a semi-colon,
or a space) or you can enter a range of channels separating the first and last channel with a hyphen (for example,
entering "1-5" corresponds to "1 2 3 4 5"). You can also select a channel from the list which offers you channels
from the frequency domain assigned to the TRX type that this TRX is based on.
• MAIO: The MAIO (Mobile Allocation Index Offset) is used in frequency hopping (BBH or SFH) to avoid intra-site
collisions caused by two sites using the same or adjacent channels. This value is an integer ranging from 0 and N-1
(where "N" is the number of channels used in the hopping sequence). You can enter the MAIO or it can be allo-
cated automatically using the AFP.
• Lock Channels and MAIO: When the Lock Channels and MAIO check box is selected, the TRX’s currently assigned
channels and MAIO are kept when a new AFP session is started.
• TRX Configuration: The selected TRX Configuration defines the highest possible coding scheme index number in
GPRS and in EDGE. For the TRX configuration to be used fully, the terminal must be capable of using a coding index
number that is as high as that of the TRX configuration. Otherwise, capacity will be limited by the highest index
number supported by the terminal.
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• EDGE Power Backoff (dB): The average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and 32QAM
modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analyses and EDGE
predictions.
• TRX Rank: The TRX rank is determined by the AFP. It indicates the quality of that TRX. The higher the TRX rank, the
higher the cost, in terms of the risk of interference. In other words, when you are trying to improve the solution
proposed by the AFP tool, you must concentrate on the TRXs with the highest TRX rank first.
• Inter-technology DL Noise Rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by the mobiles of an
external network on the mobiles served by this TRX on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in
all interference-based calculations involving this TRX. For more information on inter-technology interference, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 522.
• Intra-technology UL Noise Rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by the mobiles of the cur-
rent network over this TRX on the uplink. The value can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo sim-
ulations. This noise rise is used to calculate UL interference.
6.2.1.2 Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element

ple, cells and TRXs. This section describes how to create or modify the following elements of a base station:
• "Applying a New Cell Type" on page 252
• "Modifying a Subcell" on page 252
• "Creating or Modifying a TRX" on page 253.
6.2.1.2.1 Creating or Modifying a Site

You can modify an existing site or you can create a new site. You can access the properties of a site, described in "Site Descrip-
tion" on page 241, through the site’s Properties dialog box. How you access the Properties dialog box depends on whether
you are creating a new site or modifying an existing site.
To create a new site:
3. Select New from the context menu. The Sites: New Record Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 6.2 on
page 241).
4. Modify the parameters described in "Site Description" on page 241.
5. Click OK.
To modify the properties of an existing site:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Sites folder.
3. Right-click the site you want to modify. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The site’s Properties dialog box appears.
6. Click OK.
If you are creating several sites at the same time, or modifying several existing sites, you
can do it quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Sites table. You can open
the Sites table by right-clicking the Sites folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83.
6.2.1.2.2 Creating or Modifying a Transmitter

You can modify an existing transmitter or you can create a new transmitter. When you create a new transmitter, its initial
settings are based on the default station template displayed in the Radio Planning toolbar. You can access the properties of
a transmitter, described in "Transmitter Description" on page 242, through the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. How you
access the Properties dialog box depends on whether you are creating a new transmitter or modifying an existing transmitter.
To create a new transmitter:
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3. Select New from the context menu. The Transmitters: New Record Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 6.3).
4. Modify the parameters described in "Transmitter Description" on page 242.
5. Click OK. When you create a new transmitter, Atoll automatically assigns a cell type based on the default station tem-
plate. For information on modifying the properties inherited from a cell type, see "Applying a New Cell Type" on
page 252.
To modify the properties of an existing transmitter:
3. Right-click the transmitter you want to modify. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitter’s Properties dialog box appears.
6. Click OK.
• If you are creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table
from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying
and Pasting in Tables" on page 83.
• If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the con-
text menu.
6.2.1.2.3 Applying a New Cell Type

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, the subcells are defined by the cell type. By selecting a different cell type, you can change the existing
subcells to the subcells defined by the new cell type. Atoll will then create the subcells that exist in the new cell type and
remove the subcells that do not exist in the new cell type. If the same subcells exist in the new cell type, Atoll offers you the
choice of keeping current parameters or resetting them to those found in the new cell type.
To apply a new cell type:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to apply a new cell type. The context menu appears.
5. Select the TRXs tab.
6. Under Cell Type, select the Name of the cell type on which the transmitters subcells will be based from the list. You
can click the Browse button to access the properties of the cell type.
7. Modify the parameters described in "Subcell Definition" on page 245 of the cell type and its subcells.
8. Click OK.
If you are applying a new cell type to several transmitters at the same time, or modifying
several existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-clicking
the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table from the
context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in
Tables" on page 83.
6.2.1.2.4 Modifying a Subcell

You can modify the parameters of an existing subcell. You can access the properties of a subcell, described in "Subcell Defini-
tion" on page 245, through the Properties dialog box of the transmitter where the subcell is located.
To create or modify a subcell:
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3. Right-click the transmitter on which you want to create a subcell or whose subcell you want to modify. The context
menu appears.
6. Modify the parameters described in "Subcell Definition" on page 245.
7. Click OK.
If you are creating several subcells at the same time, or modifying several existing
subcells, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Subcells
table. You can open the Subcells table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer and selecting Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the
context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in
Tables" on page 83.
6.2.1.2.5 Creating or Modifying a TRX

When a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network is first created, TRXs are assigned as part of the dimensioning process. Once the network
exists, you can add TRXs manually to either existing or new transmitters. You can also modify existing TRXs. You can access
the properties of a TRX, described in "TRX Definition" on page 250, through the Properties dialog box of the transmitter the
TRX is assigned to.
To create or modify a TRX:
3. Right-click the transmitter on which you want to create a TRX or whose TRX you want to modify. The context menu
appears.
6. Under TRXs:
• If you are creating a new TRX, enter the parameters described in "TRX Definition" on page 250 in the row marked
with the New Row icon ( ).
• If you are modifying an existing TRX, modify the parameters described in "TRX Definition" on page 250.
7. Click OK.
If you are creating several TRXs at the same time, or modifying several existing TRXs, you
can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the TRXs table. You can
open the TRXs table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer
and selecting Subcells > TRXs Table from the context menu. For information on copying
and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83.
6.2.1.3 Placing a New Station Using a Station Template

In Atoll, a station is defined as a site with one or more transmitters sharing the same properties. With Atoll, you can create a
network by placing stations based on station templates. This allows you to build your network quickly with consistent param-
eters, instead of building the network by first creating the site, then the transmitters, and finally by adding subcells and TRXs.
To place a new station using a station template:
1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list.
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2. Click the New Transmitter or Station button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you would like to
place the new station. The exact coordinates of the pointer’s current location are
visible in the Status bar.
4. Click to place the station.
• To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click
the New Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing
the Map Scale" on page 54.
• If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
You can also place a series of stations using a Atoll template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you want to
place the stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each station according to the defined hexagonal subcell radius in the
station template. For information on defining the subcell radius, see "Modifying a Station Template" on page 255.
To place a series of stations within a defined area:
2. Click the Hexagonal Design button ( ), to the left of the template list. A hexagonal design is a group of stations cre-
ated from the same station template.
3. Draw a zone delimiting the area where you want to place the series of stations:
a. Click once on the map to start drawing the zone.
b. Click once on the map to define each point where the border of the zone changes direction.
c. Click twice to finish drawing and close the zone.
Atoll fills the delimited zone with new stations and their hexagonal shapes. Station objects such as sites and transmit-
ters are also created and placed into their respective folders.
You can work with the sites and transmitters in these stations as you work with any station object, adding, for example,
another antenna to a transmitter.
Placing a Station on an Existing Site
When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 253, the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site.
To place a station on an existing site:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.
3. Click the New Station button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.

4. Move the pointer to the site on the map. When the frame appears around the site, indicating it is selected, click to
place the station.
6.2.1.4 Managing Station Templates

Atoll comes with GSM/GPRS/EDGE station templates, but you can also create and modify station templates. The tools for
working with station templates can be found on the Radio Planning toolbar (see Figure 6.8).
Figure 6.8: The Radio Planning toolbar

• "Creating a Station Template" on page 255
254
• "Modifying a Station Template" on page 255

• "Copying Properties from One Station Template to Another" on page 258
• "Modifying a Field in a Station Template" on page 258
• "Deleting a Station Template" on page 259.
6.2.1.4.1 Creating a Station Template

When you create a station template, you can create it by basing it on the station template that most closely resembles the
template you want to create. Therefore, you can create a new template by only modifying the parameters that differ.
To create a station template:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Network Settings folder.
3. Right-click the Station Templates folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Station Templates table appears.
5. In the Station Templates table, right-click the station template that most closely resembles the station template you
want to create. The context menu appears.
6. Select Copy from the context menu.
7. Right-click the row marked with the New Row icon ( ). The context menu appears.
8. Select Paste from the context menu. The station template you copied in step 5. is pasted in the new row, with the
Name of the new station template given as the same as the template copied but preceded by "Copy of".
9. Edit the parameters of the new station template in the table or as explained in "Modifying a Station Template" on
page 255.
6.2.1.4.2 Modifying a Station Template

You can modify a station template directly in the Station Templates table, or you can open the Properties dialog box for that
station template and modify the parameters in the dialog box.
To modify a station template:
5. Right-click the station template you want to modify. The context menu appears.
6. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The station template’s Properties dialog box appears.
7. Click the General tab of the Properties dialog box. On this tab (see Figure 6.9), you can modify the following: the Name
of the station template, the number of Sectors, each with a transmitter, the Hexagon Radius, i.e., the theoretical
radius of the hexagonal area covered by each sector, the HCS Layer, the Cell Type, the Max. TRXs/Sector, the Min.
Range, the Max. Range, and the BSIC Domain.
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Figure 6.9: Station Template Properties dialog box – General tab
• Under Main Antenna, you can modify the following: the Height/Ground of the antennas from the ground (i.e., the
height over the DTM; if the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of
building), the main antenna Model, 1st Sector Azimuth, from which the azimuth of the other sectors are offset to
offer complete coverage of the area, and the Mechanical Downtilt for the antennas.
• Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
• Under Propagation, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and Resolution for both the
Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and
Propagation Models.
• Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information
in the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
8. Click the Transmitter tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.10), you can modify the following:
• Transmitter Type: If you want Atoll to consider transmitters created using this template as potential servers as
well as interferer(s), set the transmitter type to Intra-Network (Server and Interferer). If you want Atoll to con-
sider transmitters created using this template only as interferers, set the type to Intra-Network (Interferer Only).
No coverage for an Interferer Only transmitter will be calculated for coverage predictions.
tion on studying interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks" on
page 522.
• Under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the transmitter. Atoll calcu-
lates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment
can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the Equipment
button.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on page 242.
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• Power: Under Power, you can select to enter either Power or EIRP (Effective Isotropical Radiated Power). If you
select EIRP, you can enter the value yourself, without defining power and losses for the transmitter.
If you select Power, Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button. Atoll calculates EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - DL Losses
Figure 6.10: Station Template Properties dialog box – Transmitter tab
If you want transmitters created with this station template to be active by default, select the Active check box.
9. Click the Configurations tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.11), you select the configuration used for GSM and GPRS/EDGE
stations.
• Under GPRS/EDGE Properties, you must select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter check box if the transmitters are
going to be packet-switched capable transmitters, select a Coding Scheme Configuration from the list. For infor-
mation on creating a coding scheme configuration, see "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 507.
When you model EDGE Evolution on the transmitter side Atoll has to consider:
• The support of high order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE Configuration.
In addition, EDGE Evolution can be modelled on the terminal side through:
• The support of dual antenna terminals (Mobile Station Receive Diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation).
graphs.
For more information, see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on
page 518.
• For all transmitters, you can select a codec configuration from the list. For information on creating a coding
scheme configuration, see "Codec Configuration" on page 504.
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Figure 6.11: Station Template Properties dialog box – Configurations tab
10. Click the Neighbours tab. On this tab (see Figure 6.12), you can modify the Max Number of Intra-Technology Neigh-
bours and the Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours. For information on defining neighbours, see "Planning
Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 301.
Figure 6.12: Station Template Properties dialog box – Neighbours tab
11. Click the Other Properties tab. The Other Properties tab will only appear if you have defined additional fields in the
Sites table, or if you have defined an additional field in the Station Template Properties dialog box.
12. When you have finished setting the parameters for the station template, click OK to close the dialog box and save your
changes.
6.2.1.4.3 Copying Properties from One Station Template to Another

You can copy properties from one template to another template by using the Station Templates table.
To copy properties from one template to another template:
5. In the Stations Templates table, copy the settings in the row corresponding to the station template you want to copy
from and paste them into the row corresponding to the station template you want to modify.
6.2.1.4.4 Modifying a Field in a Station Template

To modify a field in a station template:
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Station Template Properties dialog box appears.
5. Select the Table tab.
6. For information on adding, deleting, and editing user-defined fields, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table
Fields" on page 77).
7. When you have finished, Click OK.
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6.2.1.4.5 Deleting a Station Template

To delete a station template:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Station Templates folder.
4. In the Station Templates folder, right-click the station template you want to delete. The context menu appears.
5. Select Delete from the context menu. The template is deleted.
6.2.1.5 Duplicating an Existing Base Station

You can create new base stations by duplicating an existing base station. When you duplicate an existing base station, the base
station you create will have the same transmitter, subcell, TRX parameter values as the original base station. If no site exists
where you place the duplicated base station, Atoll will create a new site with the same parameters as the site of the original
base station. Duplicating a base station allows you to:
• Quickly create a new base station with the same settings as the original base station in order to study the effect of a
new base station on the coverage and capacity of the network, and
• Quickly create a homogeneous network with stations that have the same characteristics.
To duplicate an existing base station:
3. Right-click the site you want to duplicate. The context menu appears.
• Select Duplicate > Without Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station without
the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
• Select Duplicate > With Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station along with
the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
5. Place the new base station on the map using the mouse:
• Creating a duplicate base station and site: In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you
would like to place the duplicate. The exact coordinates of the pointer’s current location are visible in the Status
bar (see Figure 6.13).
Figure 6.13: Creating a duplicate base station and site
• Placing the duplicate base station on an existing site: In the map window, move the pointer over the existing site
where you would like to place the duplicate. When the pointer is over the site, the site is automatically selected.
The exact coordinates of the pointer’s current location are visible in the Status bar (see Figure 6.14).
Figure 6.14: Placing the duplicate base station on an existing site
• To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you
select Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming
tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 54.
• If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text
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6. Click to place the duplicate base station.

A new base station is placed on the map. If the duplicate base station was placed on a new site, the site, transmitters,
subcells, and TRXs of the new base station have the same names as the site, transmitters, subcells, and TRXs of the
original base station with each name marked as "Copy of." The site, transmitters, subcells, and TRXs of the duplicate
base station have the same settings as those of the original base station. If the duplicate base station was placed on
an existing site, the transmitters, subcells, and TRXs of the new base station have the same names as the transmitters,
subcells, and TRXs of the original base station with each name preceded by the name of the site on which the duplicate
was placed.
All the remote antennas and repeaters of any transmitter on the original site are also duplicated.
Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter as
the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a transmitter
on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding CTRL in step 6. and clicking to place each
duplicate base station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, subcell, and TRX properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 241.
6.2.1.6 Studying the Profile Around a Base Station

In Atoll, you can make a profile analysis to study obstacles along the path between a reference transmitter and any point on
the map. Atoll displays the geographic profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid indi-
cating the Fresnel zone is also displayed allowing you to study obstructions to radio signals along the path.
You can also study propagation losses along the profile as well as the signal level received at the point. Before studying path
loss along a profile, you must assign a propagation model to the transmitter. The propagation model takes the radio and
geographic data into account and calculates losses along the transmitter-receiver path. The profile is calculated in real time,
using the propagation model, allowing you to study the profile and get a prediction on the selected point. For information on
assigning a propagation model, see "Assigning a Propagation Model" on page 273.
To study the profile between a transmitter and a receiver:
1. In the map window, select the transmitter from which you want to make a point analysis.
2. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver.

3. A line appears on the map connecting the selected transmitter and the current position. You can move the receiver
to change the current position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context
menu:
• Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
• Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
4. Select the Profile view.
5. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. Atoll displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid
indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is displayed at the
top of the Profile view.
6. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
horizontal axis. A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver, with a green line
indicating the line of sight (LOS). Atoll displays the angle of the LOS read from the vertical antenna pattern. Along the
profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red vertical line
(if the used propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one that intersects the
Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method may also display
two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
• The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
• The propagation model used
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• The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)

• The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
You can change the following options at the top of the Profile view:
• Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
• Subcell: Select the subcell to be analysed.
• Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
• Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
• Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
• Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
• You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
• Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button () to display a dialog box with the link budget.
• Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button () to display a text document with details on the displayed pro-
file analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
Figure 6.15: Point Analysis Tool - Profile view
7. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
6.2.2 Creating a Group of Base Stations

You can create base stations individually as explained in "Creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Station" on page 241, or you can
create one or several base stations by using station templates as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template"
on page 253. However, if you have a large data-planning project and you already have existing data, you can import this data
into your current Atoll document and create a group of base stations.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 127.
You can import base station data in the following ways:

• Copying and pasting data: If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you
can copy this data and paste it into the tables in your current Atoll document. When you create a group of base
stations by copying and pasting data, you must copy and paste site data in the Sites table, transmitter data in the
Transmitters table, and subcell data in the Subcells table, in that order.
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The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83.
• Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and subcell data in the Subcells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New
Station Using a Station Template" on page 253.
6.2.3 Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map

In Atoll, you can access the Properties dialog box of a site or transmitter using the context menu in the Network explorer.
However, in a complex radio-planning project, it can be difficult to find the data object in the Network explorer, although it
might be visible in the map window. Atoll lets you access the Properties dialog box of sites and transmitters directly from the
map. You can also select a site to display all of the transmitters located on it in the Site explorer. When selecting a transmitter,
if there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, clicking the transmitters in the map window opens a context
menu allowing you to select the transmitter. You can also change the position of the station by dragging it, or by letting Atoll
find a higher location for it.
Modifying sites and transmitters directly on the map is explained in detail in Chapter 1: Working Environment:
• "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse" on page 47.
6.2.4 Display Tips for Base Stations

Atoll allows to you to display information about base stations in a number of different ways. This enables you not only to
display selected information, but also to distinguish base stations at a glance.
The following tools can be used to display information about base stations:
• Label: You can display information about each object, such as each site or transmitter, in the form of a label that is
displayed with the object. You can display information from every field in that object type’s data table, including from
fields that you add. The label is always displayed, so you should choose information that you would want to always be
visible; too much information will lead to a cluttered display. For information on defining the label, see "Defining the
Object Type Label" on page 50.
• Tip text: You can display information about each object, such as each site or transmitter, in the form of tip text that is
only visible when you move the pointer over the object. You can choose to display more information than in the label,
because the information is only displayed when you move the pointer over the object. You can display information
from any field in that object type’s data table, including from fields that you add. For information on defining the tip
text, see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
• Transmitter colour: You can set the transmitter colour to display information about the transmitter. For example, you
can select "Discrete Values" to distinguish transmitters by antenna type, or to distinguish inactive from active sites.
You can also define the display type for transmitters as "Automatic." Atoll then automatically assigns a colour to each
transmitter, ensuring that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it. For informa-
tion on defining the transmitter colour, see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
• Transmitter symbol: You can select one of several symbols to represent transmitters. For example, you can select a
symbol that graphically represents the antenna half-power beamwidth ( ). If you have two transmitters on the
same site with the same azimuth, you can differentiate them by selecting different symbols for each ( and ).
For information on defining the transmitter symbol, see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
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6.2.5 Modelling Packet-switched Transmitters

By default, transmitters are not packet-capable in Atoll GSM/GPRS/EDGE documents. Therefore, when modelling a GPRS/
EDGE-capable network, it is important to correctly configure it:
1. Verify the definition of the existing coding schemes (see "Opening the Coding Schemes Table" on page 507).
2. Correctly define the coding scheme configuration (see "Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration" on
page 508).
3. For each packet-capable transmitter, select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter check box to identify the transmitter as
GPRS/EDGE-capable (see "Transmitter Description" on page 242).
4. Choose configuration from the Coding Scheme Configuration list that is consistent with the transmitter’s configura-
tion, and that is also consistent with other parameters, such as, HCS layers, frequency bands, and cell types. For
example, if the cell type assigned to the transmitter is "Concentric Cell 1800," it would be illogical to choose "GPRS
900" as the configuration (see "Transmitter Description" on page 242).
6.2.6 Creating a Repeater

A repeater receives, amplifies, and re-transmits the radiated or conducted RF carrier both in downlink and uplink. It has a
donor side and a server side. The donor side receives the signal from a donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. This
signal might be carried by different types of links such as radio link or microwave link. The server side re-transmits the received
signal.
When Atoll models GSM repeaters, the modelling focuses on the additional coverage these systems provide to transmitters
in the downlink.
• "Opening the Repeaters Table" on page 263
• "Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment" on page 263
• "Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse" on page 264
• "Creating Several Repeaters" on page 264
• "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on page 265
• "Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters" on page 267.
Broad-band repeaters are not modelled. Atoll assumes that all carriers from the 3G donor
transmitter are amplified.
6.2.6.1 Opening the Repeaters Table

Repeaters and their defining parameters are stored in the Repeaters table.
To open the Repeaters table:
3. Select Repeaters > Open Table from the context menu. The Repeaters table appears.
6.2.6.2 Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment

You can define repeater equipment to be assigned to each repeater in the network.
To create repeater equipment:
3. In the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click Repeater Equipment. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Repeater Equipment table appears.
5. Enter the following in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ):
a. Enter a Name and Manufacturer for the new equipment.
b. Enter a Noise Figure (dB). The repeater causes a rise in noise at the donor transmitter, so the noise figure is used
to calculate the UL loss to be added to the donor transmitter UL losses. The noise figure must be a positive value.
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c. Enter minimum and maximum repeater amplification gains in the Min. Gain and Max Gain columns. These param-
eters enable Atoll to ensure that the user-defined amplifier gain is consistent with the limits of the equipment if
there are any.
d. Enter a Gain Increment. Atoll uses the increment value when you increase or decrease the repeater amplifier gain
using the buttons to the right of the Amplification box ( ) on the General tab of the repeater Properties dialog
box.
e. Enter a Max. Downlink Power. This parameter is used to ensure that the downlink power is not exceeded after
amplification by the repeater.
f. If desired, enter an Internal Delay and Comments. These fields are for information only and are not used in calcu-
lations.
To modify repeater equipment:
5. Change the parameters in the row containing the repeater equipment you want to modify.
6.2.6.3 Placing a Repeater on the Map Using the Mouse

In Atoll, you can create a repeater and place it using the mouse. When you create a repeater, you can add it to an existing site,
or have Atoll automatically create a new site. Atoll supports cascading repeaters, in other words, repeaters that extend the
coverage of another repeater or of a remote antenna.
To create a repeater and place it using the mouse:
1. Select the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. You can select it from the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer, or directly on the map.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Repeater from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the repeater. The repeater is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( ) in the same
colour as the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. If the repeater is inactive, it is displayed by an empty
icon. By default, the repeater has the same azimuth as the donor. Its tip text and label display the same information
as displayed for the donor. As well, its tip text identifies the repeater and the donor. In the explorer window, the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
For information on defining the properties of the new repeater, see "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on
page 265.
• When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
• When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
6.2.6.4 Creating Several Repeaters

In Atoll, the characteristics of each repeater are stored in the Repeaters table. If you have data in table form, either in another
Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you can copy this data and paste it into the Repeaters table in your current Atoll docu-
ment.
To paste the information into the Repeaters table:
1. Open the Repeaters table as explained in "Opening the Repeaters Table" on page 263.
2. Copy the data from the source document and paste it into the Repeaters table.
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pasting data into.
6.2.6.5 Defining the Properties of a Repeater

To define the properties of a repeater:
1. Right-click the repeater either directly on the map, or in the Repeaters table (for information on opening the Repeat-
ers table, see "Opening the Repeaters Table" on page 263). The context menu appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can modify the following parameters:
• You can change the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is the donor
site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was created.
• If the donor is a remote antenna or another repeater, then "RepZ" is preceded by

"RemA_" or "RepB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor remote antenna and
the donor repeater.
• In Multi-RAT documents, a repeater’s name is "SiteX_T_Y_RepZ" where "T" stands
for the technology (either GSM, UMTS, or LTE).
• You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, a remote antenna,
or another repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
• You can change the Site on which the repeater is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog
box of the selected site.
• You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the repeater. This field is used to identify the
transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located on the same site or on sites with the same position
and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of
one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
This field is also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for
different frequency bands. For more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band
Transmitters" on page 512.
• Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself:
• Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site
itself and then enter the XY offsets.
• Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the repeater by its XY coordinates.
• You can select equipment from the Equipment list. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of
the equipment.
• You can change the Amplification Gain. The amplification gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater
total gain.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
• Under Donor-Repeater Link, select a Link Type.
• If you select Microwave Link, enter the Link Losses and proceed to step 5.
• If you select Air, select a Propagation Model and enter the Propagation Losses or click Calculate to determine
the actual propagation losses between the donor and the repeater. If you do not select a propagation model,
the propagation losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5
propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeat-
er has the same frequency as the network.
If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical Fibre Link.
265
• If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Antenna:
• Model: The type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button to access the proper-
ties of the antenna.
page 185
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
• Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
• If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Feeders:
i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the feeder.
ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
• Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer) are calculated.
• Under Transmission, enter the a value for EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) or click Calculate to deter-
mine the actual gains. Atoll calculates the EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - Losses
Even if the EIRP is a DL parameter, Atoll can extract the corresponding gain from the
knowledge of the various transmission gains and losses. This gain is then re-used to evalu-
ate UL power used in any UL calculation.
• Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:

• Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. Click the Browse button
to access the properties of the antenna.
page 185
• Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
• The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
page 76.
• Under Feeders, you can modify the following information:

266
• Under Losses, you can modify the following information:

• Misc. losses: You can specify additional losses in dB for Transmission and Reception.
6. Click the Propagation tab. Since repeaters are taken into account during calculations, you must set the propagation
parameters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and Resolution
for both the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the repeater (model,
calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For information on propagation
models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
6.2.6.6 Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters

Atoll provides you with a few shortcuts that you can use to change certain repeater parameters:
• You can update the calculated azimuth and downtilt of the donor-side antennas of all repeaters by selecting
Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Azimuths and Tilts from the Transmitters context menu.
• You can update the EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) of all repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate
EIRP from the Transmitters context menu.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the EIRP of selected repeaters by creating a custom
Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and setting the value of the
field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate EIRP from the Trans-
mitters context menu, Atoll will only update the EIRP for repeaters with the custom field
"FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
• You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
• You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 46) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 47).
6.2.7 Creating a Remote Antenna

Atoll allows you to create remote antennas to position antennas at locations that would normally require long runs of feeder
cable. A remote antenna is connected to the base station with an optical fibre. Remote antennas allow you to ensure radio
coverage in an area without a new base station.
In Atoll, the remote antenna should be connected to a base station that does not have any antennas. It is assumed that a
remote antenna, as opposed to a repeater, does not have any equipment and generates no amplification gain nor noise. In
certain cases, you might want to model a remote antenna with equipment or a remote antenna connected to a base station
that has antennas. This can be done by modelling a repeater. For information on creating a repeater, see "Creating a
Repeater" on page 263.
• "Opening the Remote Antennas Table" on page 267
• "Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse" on page 268
• "Creating Several Remote Antennas" on page 268
• "Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna" on page 268
• "Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters" on page 270.
6.2.7.1 Opening the Remote Antennas Table

The remote antennas and their defining parameters are stored in the Remote Antennas table.
To open the Remote Antennas table:
3. Select Remote Antennas > Open Table from the context menu. The Remote Antennas table appears.
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6.2.7.2 Placing a Remote Antenna on the Map Using the Mouse

In Atoll, you can create a remote antenna and place it using the mouse. When you create a remote antenna, you can add it
to an existing base station without antennas, or have Atoll automatically create a new site.
To create a remote antenna and place it using the mouse:
1. Select the donor transmitter. You can select it from the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, or directly on
the map.
Ensure that the remote antenna’s donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( )
in the same colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Defining the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 268.
6.2.7.3 Creating Several Remote Antennas

In Atoll, the characteristics of each remote antenna are stored in the Remote Antennas table. You can create several remote
antennas at the same time by pasting the information into the Remote Antennas table.
• If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you can copy this data and paste
it into the Remote Antennas table in your current Atoll document.
pasting data into.
6.2.7.4 Defining the Properties of a Remote Antenna

To define the properties of a remote antenna:
1. Right-click the remote antenna either directly on the map, or from the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer.
• You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RemZ" where
"X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote antenna
when it was created.
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• If the donor is a repeater or another remote antenna, then "RemZ" is preceded by

"RepA_" or "RemB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor repeater and the donor
remote antenna.
• In Multi-RAT documents, a remote antenna’s name is "SiteX_T_Y_RemZ" where
"T" stands for the technology (either GSM, UMTS, or LTE).
• You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, another remote
antenna or a repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
• You can change the Site on which the remote antenna is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties
dialog box of the selected site.
• You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the remote antenna. This field is used to
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located on the same site or on sites with the same posi-
tion. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. Shared
antennas are located on the same site or on sites with the same position. When changes are made to the position
offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the
same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
• Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself:
• Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to
the site itself and then enter the XY offsets.
• Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna by its XY coordi-
nates.
A remote antenna does not have equipment.
• Under Donor-Repeater Link, select Optical Fibre Link and enter the Fibre Losses.
• Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Net-
work explorer) are calculated.
• Under Transmission, enter the a value for EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) or click Calculate to deter-
mine the actual gains. Atoll calculates the EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - Losses
Even if the EIRP is a DL parameter, Atoll can extract the corresponding gain from the
knowledge of the various transmission gains and losses. This gain is then re-used to evalu-
ate UL power used in any UL calculation.

must include the height of building.
page 185
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power.
page 76.
269

i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the selected
feeder.
• Under Losses, you can modify the following information:
6. Click the Propagation tab. Since remote antennas are taken into account during calculations, you must set propaga-
tion parameters, as with transmitters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model,
Radius, and Resolution for both the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics
of the remote antenna (model, calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter.
For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
6.2.7.5 Tips for Updating Remote Antenna Parameters

Atoll provides you with a few shortcuts that you can use to change certain remote antenna parameters:
• You can update the EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) of all remote antennas by selecting Remote
Antennas > Calculate EIRP from the Transmitters context menu.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the EIRP of selected remote antennas by creating a
custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas table and setting
the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote Antennas > Calculate
EIRP from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the EIRP for remote
antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
• You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 46) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 47).
6.2.8 Preparing Base Stations for Calculations

When Atoll performs calculations, such as a coverage prediction, Atoll calculates all base stations that are active, filtered (i.e.,
that are selected by the current filter parameters), and whose propagation zone intersects the rectangle containing the
computation zone.
Figure 6.16 gives an example of a computation zone. In Figure 6.16, the computation zone is displayed in red, as it is in the
Atoll map window. The propagation zone of each active site is indicated by a blue square. Each propagation zone that inter-
sects the rectangle (indicated by the green dashed line) containing the computation zone will be taken into consideration in
calculations. Sites 78 and 95, for example, are not in the computation zone. However, their propagation zones intersect the
rectangle containing the computation zone and, therefore, they will be taken into consideration in the calculations. On the
other hand, the propagation zones of three other sites do not intersect the computation zone. Therefore, they will not be
taken into account in the calculations. Site 130 is within the coverage zone but has no active transmitters. Therefore, it will
not be taken into consideration either.
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Figure 6.16: An example of a computation zone
Before running calculations, Atoll must have valid path loss matrices. Path loss is caused by the dissipation of electromagnetic
energy during wave propagation. In addition to distance, path loss is also caused by diffraction, scattering, and reflection in
the transmitter-receiver path.
Atoll calculates the path loss matrices using the assigned propagation model. Atoll can use two different propagation models
for each transmitter: a main propagation model with a shorter radius and a higher resolution, and an extended propagation
model with a longer radius and a lower resolution. Atoll will use the main propagation model to calculate higher resolution
path loss matrices close to the transmitter and the extended propagation model to calculate lower resolution path loss matri-
ces outside the area covered by the main propagation model.
Path loss matrices must be calculated before other calculations can be made. For more information on the storage and validity
of path loss matrices, see "Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 216.
• "Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document" on page 271
• "Creating a Computation Zone" on page 272
• "Assigning a Propagation Model" on page 273
• "Setting Transmitters as Active" on page 275
• "The Calculation Process" on page 276
6.2.8.1 Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document

When you load project data from a database, you will probably only modify the data in the region for which you are respon-
sible. For example, a complex radio-planning project might cover an entire region or even an entire country. You, however,
might be responsible for the radio planning for only one city. In such a situation, running calculations over the entire network
would not only take a lot of time, it is not necessary. Consequently, you can restrict calculations to the sites that you are inter-
ested in and generate only the results you need.
In Atoll, there are two ways of restricting the number of sites involved in calculations, each with its own advantages:
• Filtering the desired sites
You can simplify the selection of sites to be studied by using a filter. You can filter sites according to one or more fields,
or you can create an advanced filter by combining several criteria in several fields. You can create a graphic filter by
either using an existing vector polygon or creating a new vector polygon. For information on graphic filters, see "Filter-
ing Data Using a Filtering Zone" on page 112. This enables you to keep only the base stations with the characteristics
you want to study. The filtering zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible.
For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100.
• Setting a computation zone
Drawing a computation zone to encompass the sites to be studied limits the number of sites to be calculated, which
in turn reduces the time necessary for calculations. In a smaller project, the time savings might not be significant. In a
larger project, especially when you are making repeated predictions in order to see the effects of small changes in site
271
configuration, the savings in time is considerable. Limiting the number of sites by drawing a computation zone also
limits the resulting calculated coverage. The computation zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus zone or hot spot. The computation zone defines
the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, interference matrices, etc., while the focus
zone or hot spot is the area taken into consideration when generating reports and results.
For information on the computation zone, see "Creating a Computation Zone" on page 272.
You can combine a computation zone and a filter, in order to create a very precise selection of the base stations to be studied.
6.2.8.2 Creating a Computation Zone

• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
5. Select Draw from the context menu.
6. Draw the computation zone:
b. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the zone changes direction.
The computation zone is delimited by a red line. If you clear the computation zone’s visibility check box in the Zones
folder of the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
You can also create a computation zone using one of the following methods:
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon on the map as a computation zone by right-clicking it and selecting
Use As > Computation Zone from the context menu. You can also combine an existing computation zone with any
existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the explorer window and selecting Add To > Computation Zone
from the context menu.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a computation zone the size of the map window by selecting Fit Zone to
Map Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a computation zone, you can use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the
polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
the computation zone in the user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration"
on page 105.
context menu.
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6.2.8.3 Assigning a Propagation Model

In Atoll, you can assign a propagation model globally to all transmitters, to a defined group of transmitters, or a single trans-
mitter. As well, you can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used as for all trans-
mitters where the main propagation model selected is "(Default model)."
Because you can assign a propagation model in several different ways, it is important to understand which propagation model
Atoll will use:
1. If you have assigned a propagation model to a single transmitter, as explained in "Assigning a Propagation Model to
One Transmitter" on page 274, or to a group of transmitters, as explained in "Assigning a Propagation Model to a
Group of Transmitters" on page 274, this is the propagation model that will be used.
The propagation model assigned to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters will always have precedence
over any other assigned propagation model.
2. If you have assigned a propagation model globally to all transmitters, as explained in "Assigning a Propagation Model
to All Transmitters" on page 273, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters, except for those
to which you will assign a propagation model either individually or as part of a group.
If, after assigning a propagation model to an individual transmitter or to a group of

transmitters, you assign a propagation model globally, you will override the propagation
models that you had previously assigned to individual transmitters or to a group of
transmitters.
3. If you have assigned a default propagation model for calculations, as described in "Assigning a Default Propagation
Model for Calculations" on page 275, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters whose main
propagation model is "(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propa-
gation model, that is the propagation model that will be used.
In this section, the following methods of assigning a propagation model are explained:
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to All Transmitters" on page 273
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to a Group of Transmitters" on page 274
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 274
• "Assigning a Default Propagation Model for Calculations" on page 275.
If you are modelling multi-band transmitters, you can assign a different propagation model
to each frequency band. For more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band
Transmitters" on page 512.
Assigning a Propagation Model to All Transmitters
In Atoll, you can choose a propagation model per transmitter or globally.

To define a main and extended propagation model for all transmitters:
7. Click OK. The selected propagation models will be used for all transmitters.
If you set a different main or extended matrix on an individual transmitter as explained in

"Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 274 after having assigned a
propagation model to all transmitters, you will override this entry.
273
Assigning a Propagation Model to a Group of Transmitters
Atoll, you can assign the same propagation model to several transmitters by first grouping them by their common parameters
and then assigning the propagation model.
To define a main and extended propagation model for a defined group of transmitters:
3. Select from the Group By submenu of the context menu the property by which you want to group the transmitters.

5. Right-click the group of transmitters to which you want to assign a main and extended propagation model. The context
menu appears.
group.
For each transmitter, you can set the propagation model parameters in the following columns:
• Main Calculation Radius (m)
• Main Resolution (m)
• Extended Calculation Radius (m)
• Extended Resolution (m)
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see
"Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter
If you have added a single transmitter, you can assign it a propagation model. You can also assign a propagation model to a
single transmitter after you have assigned a main and extended propagation model globally or to a group of transmitters.
When you assign a main and extended propagation model to a single transmitter, it overrides any changes you have previously
made globally. The propagation model settings apply to all the subcells on the same transmitter. For example, if the BCCH is
a 900 MHz subcell, the same propagation model is also assigned to a TCH_INNER 1800 MHz subcell. By defining a multi-band
transmitter, you can assign propagation model-related settings that are optimised to the frequency band of each subcell when
more than one frequency band is used on a transmitter. For more information on multi-band transmitters, see "Advanced
Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 512.
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign a main and extended propagation model. The context menu
appears.
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8. Click OK. The selected propagation models will be used for the selected transmitter.
Assigning a Default Propagation Model for Calculations
You can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used as for all transmitters whose main
propagation model is "(Default model)."
To assign a default propagation model for calculations:
6. Enter a Default Resolution. When you create a new coverage prediction, the default resolution is the value you enter
here.
By making the necessary entry in the Atoll.ini file, if you clear the value entered in the
Resolution box when you create a coverage prediction, Atoll will calculate the coverage
prediction using the currently defined default resolution. That way, if you have many
coverage predictions, you can change their resolution by changing the default resolution
and recalculating the coverage predictions. Atoll will then calculate them using the
updated resolution. For information on changing entries in the Atoll.ini file, see the
7. Click OK. The selected propagation model will be used for calculations for all transmitters whose main propagation
6.2.8.4 Setting Transmitters as Active

When you run calculations, Atoll calculates all base stations that are active, filtered (i.e., that are selected by the current filter
parameters), and whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Before you run calcula-
tions, you must ensure that all the transmitters on the sites you want to study have been activated. In the explorer window,
active transmitters are indicated with a red icon ( ) in the Transmitters folder and with the defined colour on the map and
inactive transmitters are indicated with an empty icon ( )in the Transmitters folder and on the map.
You can set an individual transmitter as active from its context menu or you can set several transmitters as active by activating
them from the Transmitters context menu, by activating the transmitters from the Transmitters table, or by selecting the
transmitters with a zone and activating them from the zone’s context menu.
To set an individual transmitter as active:
3. Right-click the transmitter you want to activate. The context menu appears.
4. Select Active Transmitter from the context menu. The transmitter is now active.
To set more than one transmitter as active using the Transmitters context menu:
2. Select the transmitters you want to set as active:
• To set all transmitters as active, right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
• To set a group of transmitters as active, click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder and right-
click the group of transmitters you want to set as active. The context menu appears.
275
For information on grouping data objects, see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96.
3. Select Activate Transmitters from the context menu. The selected transmitters are set as active.
To set more than one transmitter as active using the Transmitters table:
3. Select Open Table. The Transmitters table appears with each transmitter’s parameters in a second row.
4. For each transmitter that you want to set as active, select the check box in the Active column.
To set transmitters as active using a zone:
3. Right-click the folder of the zone you will use to select the transmitters. The context menu appears.
If you do not yet have a zone containing the transmitters you want to set as active, you can
draw a zone as explained in "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 58.
Once you have ensured that all transmitters are active, you can set the propagation model parameters. For information on
choosing and configuring a propagation model, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
Calculating path loss matrices can be extremely time and resource intensive when you are working on larger projects. Conse-
quently, Atoll offers you the possibility of distributing path loss calculations on several computers. You can install the Atoll
computing server application on other workstations or on servers. Once the computing server application is installed on a
workstation or server, the computer is available for distributed path loss calculation to other computers on the network. For
information on distributed calculations, see the Administrator Manual.
6.2.8.5 The Calculation Process

When you create a coverage prediction and calculate it, either by clicking the Calculate button on the coverage prediction
properties dialog box or by clicking the Calculate button ( ), Atoll follows the following process:
1. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss matrices exist and, if so, whether they are valid. There must be valid
path loss matrices for each active and filtered transmitter whose propagation radius intersects the rectangle contain-
ing the computation zone.
For information on what can affect the validity of calculated path loss matrices, see the Technical Reference Guide.
2. If the path loss matrices do not exist or are not valid, Atoll calculates them. There has to be at least one unlocked cov-
erage prediction in the Predictions folder. If not, Atoll will not calculate the path loss matrices when you click the Cal-
culate button ( ).
3. Atoll calculates all unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the
Predictions folder.
• You can stop any calculations in progress by clicking the Stop Calculations button
( ) in the toolbar.
• When you click the Force Calculation button ( ) instead of the Calculate button,
Atoll calculates all path loss matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simula-
tions.
6.2.9 Studying Base Stations

You can study one or several base stations to test the effectiveness of the set parameters. Coverage predictions on groups of
base stations can take a large amount of time and consume a lot of computer resources. Restricting your coverage prediction
to the base station you are currently working on allows you get the results quickly. You can expand your coverage prediction
to a number of base stations once you have optimised the settings for each individual base station.
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Before studying a base station, you must assign a propagation model. The propagation model takes the radio and geographic
data into account and calculates propagation losses along the transmitter-receiver path. This allows you to predict the
received signal level at any given point. Any coverage prediction you make on a base station uses the propagation model to
calculate its results. For more information, see "Preparing Base Stations for Calculations" on page 270.
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results" on page 291
• "Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics" on page 292
• "Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results" on page 296
• "Analysing Signal Reception Using the Point Analysis" on page 296
• "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 297
6.2.9.1 Signal Level Coverage Predictions

Atoll offers a series of standard coverage predictions that are common to all radio technologies. Coverage predictions specific
to GSM/GPRS/EDGE are covered in "Interference Coverage Predictions" on page 443 and "Packet-Specific Coverage Predic-
tions" on page 455.
Once you have created and calculated a coverage prediction, you can use the coverage prediction’s context menu to make
the coverage prediction into a customised prediction which will appear in the Prediction Types dialog box. You can also select
Duplicate from the coverage prediction’s context menu to create a copy. By duplicating an existing prediction that has the
parameters you want to study, you can create a new coverage prediction more quickly than by creating a new coverage
prediction. If you clone a coverage prediction, by selecting Clone from the context menu, you can create a copy of the cover-
age prediction with the calculated coverage. You can then change the display, providing that the selected parameter does not
invalidate the calculated coverage prediction.
You can also save the list of all defined coverage predictions in a user configuration, allowing you or other users to load it into
a new Atoll document. When you save the list in a user configuration, the parameters of all existing coverage predictions are
saved; not just the parameters of calculated or displayed ones. For information on exporting user configurations, see "Saving
a User Configuration" on page 105.
The following standard coverage predictions are explained in this section:
• "Studying DL Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 277
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal Level" on page 280
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by UL Signal Level" on page 281
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 283
• "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 290.
6.2.9.1.1 Studying DL Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station

As you are building your radio-planning project, you might want to check the DL coverage of a new base station without having
to calculate the entire project. You can do this by selecting the site with its transmitters and then creating a new coverage
prediction.
This section explains how to calculate the DL signal level coverage of a single site. A DL signal level coverage prediction displays
the signal of the best server for each pixel of the area studied.
You can use the same procedure to study the DL signal level coverage of several sites by
grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Grouping Data
Objects by a Selected Property" on page 96.
To study the DL signal level coverage of a single base station:

2. Right-click the transmitter folder and select Group By > Sites from the context menu. The transmitters are now dis-
played in the Transmitters folder by the site on which they are situated.
If you wish to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by status.
3. Select the propagation parameters to be used in the coverage prediction:

a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder.
b. Right-click the group of transmitters you want to study. The context menu appears.
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c. Select Open Table from the context menu. A table appears with the properties of the selected group of transmit-
ters.
d. In the table, you can configure two propagation models: one for the main matrix, with a shorter radius and a high-
er resolution, and another for the extended matrix, with a longer radius and a lower resolution. By calculating two
matrices you can reduce the time of calculation by using a lower resolution for the extended matrix and you can
obtain more accurate results by using propagation models best suited for each distance for the main and extended
matrices.
e. In the Main Matrix column:
f. If desired, in the Extended Matrix column:
g. Close the table.
4. Right-click the object either in the explorer window or on the map. The context menu appears.
5. In the Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations > Create a
New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions,
supplied with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised predictions, the
Customised Predictions list will be empty.
6. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
7. You can configure the following parameters in the Properties dialog box:
• General tab: You can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Resolution, and you can add a
Comment. The resolution you set is the display resolution, not the calculation resolution.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
• "<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 233.
• "studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information
on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100.
The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" cover-
age prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you should set the display resolutions of
coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists the levels of precision that are
usually sufficient:
Size of the Coverage Prediction Display Resolution
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
According to the size of the

Country
country
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• Conditions tab: The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the DL signals that
will be considered for each pixel (see Figure 6.17).
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. You can click the down
arrow button and select Subcell C Threshold to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (includ-
ing the defined power reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range or Global C Threshold to enter a
threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
• In Figure 6.17, a Global C Threshold less than or equal to -105 dBm will be considered.
• Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers.
• If you select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probabil-
ity.
• You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
• You can select which TRX type to consider by selecting it from the Reception from Subcells list.
Figure 6.17: Condition settings for a signal level coverage prediction
• Display tab: You can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
• Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
• Under Field, select "Best signal level." Selecting "All" or "Best signal level" on the Conditions tab will give you
the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best signal level"
necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
• You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties,
• You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to
the Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
• You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you may make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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6.2.9.1.2 Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal Level

A coverage prediction by DL signal level allows you to predict the best DL signal strength at each pixel. You can base the cover-
age on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined range.
To make a coverage prediction by DL signal level:
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 6.18). On the Conditions tab, you can define the signals that will be considered
for each pixel.
arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
• Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range.
• Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
• If you select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
Figure 6.18: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by DL signal level
7. Click the Display tab.
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If you choose to display the results by best signal level, the coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresh-
olds. If you choose to display the results by signal level, the coverage prediction results will be arranged according to
transmitter. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47. Selecting "All"
or "Best signal level" on the Conditions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best
server in either case. Selecting "Best signal level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
later:
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 6.19).
Figure 6.19: Coverage prediction by DL signal level
You can also display the best idle mode reselection criterion (C2) by selecting "Best C2" on
the Display tab. This allows you to compare the coverage in idle mode with the coverage
in dedicated mode. For more information on coverage predictions in idle mode, See
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Idle Mode Reselection
Criterion (C2)" on page 288.
6.2.9.1.3 Making a Coverage Prediction by UL Signal Level

A coverage prediction by UL signal level allows you to predict the UL signal strength at a transmitter, on a user-defined service
area, from a user-defined terminal located on each pixel. You can base the coverage on the signal level or total losses within
a defined range.
To make a coverage prediction by UL signal level:
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (UL) and click OK.
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6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 6.20). On the Conditions tab, you can define how the transmitter service areas
will be evaluated.
Under DL Coverage Conditions, you can set the range of signal level to be considered via the following parameters:
• Click the down arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
• Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers. This option defines the server at which the UL signal level is eval-
uated.
clutter class.
• In the Terminal list, select which terminal type is to be considered on each pixel. The UL transmitted power is
based on the max power of the selected terminal, gains and losses. The UL signal level is then a result of this output
power reduced by the path loss which is identical to the one in DL
• For information on the Terminal Specifications dialog box, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on
page 518.
Figure 6.20: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by UL signal level

transmitter. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47. Selecting "All"
or "Best signal level" on the Conditions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best
server in either case. Selecting "Best signal level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
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later:
Figure 6.21: Coverage prediction by UL signal level
You can also base the transmitter service areas on the best idle mode reselection criterion
(C2) by selecting "Best C2" on the Display tab. This allows you to compare the coverage in
idle mode with the coverage in dedicated mode. For more information on coverage predic-
tions in idle mode, See "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best
Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)" on page 288.
6.2.9.1.4 Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter

A coverage prediction by transmitter allows you to predict which server is the best at each pixel. You can base the coverage
on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined range.
The type of server you base the coverage prediction on determine the type of coverage prediction by transmitter you make.
In this section, the following scenarios are explained:
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Signal Level" on page 283
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Signal Level by HCS Layer" on page 285
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter on HCS servers" on page 286
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter for Highest Priority HCS Server" on page 287
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)" on page 288.
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Signal Level
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best signal level, Atoll will consider the best signal level on each
pixel. A coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level is more suitable for a network that does not have
HCS layers. If the network has HCS layers, a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level can give mislead-
ing results as the best signal on any pixel will usually be on a macro layer, although not all users will necessarily connect to it.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level:
4. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK.
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Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping" on page 97; for information on sorting, see "Advanced Sorting"
on page 100.
for each pixel.
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. You can click the dow arrow
button and select one of the following thresholds:
In Figure 6.22, a Global C Threshold less than or equal to -105 dBm will be considered.
• Under Server, select "Best Signal Level" to take the best signal level from all servers on all layers into consideration
(for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496).
• Enter a hand-over margin in the With a Margin text box. The default value is "4 dB."
clutter class.
Figure 6.22: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by transmitter

For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each coverage zone will then be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmit-
ter. For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
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When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
later:
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
You can also predict which server is second best server on each pixel by selecting "Second
Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab and selecting "Discrete Values" as the Display
Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Signal Level by HCS Layer
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best signal level by HCS layer, Atoll will consider the best signal
level by HCS layer on each pixel. Grouping the results by HCS layer will allow you to quickly select which HCS layer is displayed.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level per HCS layer:
on page 100.
a. Click the Group By button. The Group dialog box appears.
b. Select "HCS Layers" in the Available Fields list and click to move it to the Group these fields in this order list.
c. Click OK to close the Group dialog box.
for each pixel.
• Under Server, select "Best Signal Level per HCS Layer" to take the best signal level from all servers on each HCS
layer into consideration (for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496).
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clutter class.
pixel.
later:
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. You can select which
HCS layer to display by clicking the Expand button ( ) to expand the coverage prediction in the Predictions folder and the
selecting only the visibility check box of the HCS layer you want to display.
You can also predict which server is second best server per HCS layer on each pixel by
selecting "Second Best Signal Level per HCS Layer" on the Conditions tab and selecting
"Discrete Values" as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter on HCS servers
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on HCS servers, Atoll will consider the best signal level by HCS layer on
each pixel, assuming the cell edge of each layer is defined by the HCS threshold.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter on HCS servers:
on page 100.
for each pixel.
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• Under Server, select "HCS servers" to take the best signal level by HCS layer on each pixel into consideration,
assuming this signal level on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level
or specifically for each transmitter (for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on
page 496).
• Enter a HO margin in the With a Margin text box. The default value is "4 dB."
clutter class.
pixel.
later:
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter for Highest Priority HCS Server
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter for highest priority HCS servers, Atoll will consider the best signal level
of the highest priority on each pixel, assuming priority is a combination of the priority field and the minimum threshold per
HCS layer.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter for highest priority HCS servers:
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on page 100.
for each pixel.
• Under Server, select "Highest priority HCS server" to take the best signal level of all the severs on the highest pri-
ority HCS layer into consideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal
level exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter
(for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496).
clutter class.
pixel.
later:
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best C2, Atoll will consider the best signal level in idle mode. Such
type of coverage can be used:
• to compare idle and dedicated mode best servers for voice traffic
• to display the GPRS/EDGE best server (based on the GSM idle mode)
The path loss criterion C1 used for cell selection and reselection is defined by:
C1 = BCCH Reception level - BCCH Reception Threshold
The path loss criterion (GSM03.22) is satisfied if C1>0. The reselection criterion C2 is used for cell reselection only and is
defined by:
C2= C1+ Cell Reselect Offset
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level:
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on page 100.
for each pixel.
• Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all BCCH subcells as the lower end of the signal level
range.
• Under Server, select "Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)" to consider the best C2 from all servers.
clutter class.
Figure 6.23: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by transmitter based on Best C2

selected by default. Each coverage zone will be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmitter.
For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
pixel.
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later:
6.2.9.1.5 Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones

Overlapping zones (dl) are composed of pixels that are, for a defined condition, covered by the signal of at least two transmit-
ters. You can base a coverage prediction of overlapping zones on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined
range.
To make a coverage prediction on overlapping zones:
4. Select Overlapping zones (dl) and click OK.
on page 100.
for each pixel.
assuming the signal level on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level
page 496).
• Enter a HO margin in the With a Margin text box. The default value is "4 dB."
clutter class.
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Figure 6.24: Condition settings for a coverage prediction on overlapping zones

For a coverage prediction on overlapping zones, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Number of
servers" is selected by default. Each overlapping zone will then be displayed in a colour corresponding to the number
of servers received per pixel. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on
page 47.
later:
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
6.2.9.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results

The results are displayed graphically in the map window according to the settings you made on the Display tab when you
created the coverage prediction (step 7. of "Studying DL Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 277). If several
coverage predictions are visible on the map, it might be difficult to clearly see the results of the coverage prediction you wish
to analyse. You can select which predictions to display or to hide by selecting or clearing the display check box. For information
on managing the display, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
In this section, the following tools are explained:
• "Displaying the Legend Window" on page 291
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using the Tip Text" on page 292
6.2.9.2.1 Displaying the Legend Window

When you create a coverage prediction, you can add the displayed values of the coverage prediction to a legend by selecting
the Add to Legend check box on the Display tab.
• Select View > Legend Window. The Legend window is displayed, with the values for each displayed coverage predic-
tion identified by the name of the coverage prediction.
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6.2.9.2.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using the Tip Text

You can get information by placing the pointer over an area of the coverage prediction to read the information displayed in
the tip text. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab when you created the coverage
prediction (step 7. of "Studying DL Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 277).
To get coverage prediction results in the form of tip text:
• In the map window, place the pointer over the area of the coverage prediction that you want more information on.
After a brief pause, the tip text appears with the information defined in the Display tab of the coverage prediction
properties (see Figure 6.25).
Figure 6.25: Displaying coverage prediction results using tip text
6.2.9.3 Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics

Once you have completed a prediction, you can generate reports and statistics with the tools that Atoll provides.
• "Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 292
• "Generating a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 293
• "Exporting a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 295
• "Viewing Coverage Prediction Statistics" on page 295
6.2.9.3.1 Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report
The focus and hot spots define an area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you can only
have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone. Focus and hot spots are taken into account
whether or not they are visible.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus and hot spots. The computation zone defines the area
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, etc., while the focus and hot spots are the areas taken into
consideration when generating reports and results. When you create a coverage prediction report, it gives the results for the
focus zone and for each of the defined hot spots.
To define a focus zone or hot spot:
• Draw Polygon
direction.
• Draw Rectangle
check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
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You can also create a focus or hot spot as follows:
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon on the map as a focus or hot spot by right-clicking it and selecting
Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine an existing focus zone or hot
spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the explorer window and selecting Add To > Hot
Spot or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
area, you can import it and use it as a focus or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot Spots
folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can import
the name given to each zone as well.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a focus or hot spot the size of the map window by selecting Fit Zone to Map
Window from the context menu.
Once you have created a focus or hot spot, you can use Atoll’s polygon editing tools to edit it. For more information on the
polygon editing tools, see "Using Polygon Zone Editing Tools" on page 62.
You can save the focus zone or hot spots, so that you can use it in a different Atoll docu-
focus zone in the user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on
page 105.
You can include population statistics in the focus or hot spot by importing a population
map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File"
on page 144.
6.2.9.3.2 Generating a Coverage Prediction Report

Atoll can generate a report for any coverage prediction whose display check box is selected ( ). The report displays the
covered surface and percentage for each threshold value defined in the Display tab of the coverage prediction’s Properties
dialog box.
The coverage prediction report is displayed in a table. For information on working with tables, see "Working with Data Tables"
on page 76. By default, the report table only displays the name and coverage area columns. You can edit the table to select
which columns to display or to hide. For information on displaying and hiding columns, see "Displaying or Hiding a Column"
on page 81.
Atoll bases the report on the area covered by the focus zone and hot spots; if no focus zone is defined, Atoll will use the
computation zone. However, by using a focus zone for the report, you can create a report for a specific number of sites,
instead of creating a report for every site that has been calculated.
The focus zone or hot spot must be defined before you display a report; it is not necessary to define it before calculating cover-
age. The focus zone or hot spot does not, however, need to be visible; even if it is not displayed, Atoll will take it into account
when generating the report. For information on defining a focus zone or hot spot, see "Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for
a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 292.
Once you have generated a report, you can export it to a text file or to an Excel spreadsheet. For more information on export-
ing a coverage prediction report, see "Exporting a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 295.
Atoll can generate a report for a single coverage prediction, or for all the coverage predictions currently displayed on the map.
To generate a report for a single coverage prediction:
3. Right-click the coverage prediction for which you want to generate a report. The context menu appears.
4. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears.
In case a hot spot was imported in your Atoll document, additional fields will appear at the bottom of the Columns to
Be Displayed dialog box if the hot spot description contains parameters other than Atoll-specific parameters.
5. Define the format and content of the report:
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You can select the columns that will be displayed in the report and define the order they are in:
a. Select the check box for each column you want to have displayed.
b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it up or
to move it down.
You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report:
a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialog box appears.
b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied.
You can save the current report format in a configuration:
a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialog box appears.
b. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name.
6. When you have finished defining the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog
box. The coverage prediction report table appears. The report is based on the hot spots and on the focus zone if avail-
able or on the hot spots and computation zone if there is no focus zone.
To generate a report for all the coverage predictions currently displayed on the map:
3. Select the check box in front of each coverage prediction that you want to include in the report.
to move it down.
7. Once you have defined the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog box.
The coverage prediction report table appears, showing a report for each displayed prediction in the order they appear
in the Predictions folder. The report is based on the focus zone, if any (even if it is not displayed on the map), or on
the calculation zone if there is no focus zone.
By default, the ranges which do not contain any pixels do not appear in the report. By
setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can include these ranges in the report. For more
You can include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots by importing a population map. For information on import-
ing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File" on page 144. Normally, Atoll takes all geo data into consideration,
whether it is displayed or not. However, for the population statistics to be used in a report, the population map has to be
displayed.
To include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots:
1. Ensure that the population geo data is visible. For information on displaying geo data, see "Displaying or Hiding
Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
2. Display the report as explained above.
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3. Select Format > Display Columns. The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears.
4. Select the following columns, where "Population" is the name of the folder in the Geo explorer containing the popu-
lation map:
• "Population" (Population): The number of inhabitants covered.
• "Population" (% Population): The percentage of inhabitants covered.
• "Population" (Population [total]: The total number of inhabitants inside the zone.
Atoll saves the names of the columns you select and will automatically select them the next time you create a cover-
age prediction report.
5. Click OK.
If you have created a custom data map with integrable data, the data can be used in prediction reports. The data will be
summed over the coverage area for each item in the report (for example, by transmitter or threshold). The data can be value
data (revenue, number of customers, etc.) or density data (revenue/km², number of customer/km², etc.). Data is considered
as non-integrable if the data given is per pixel or polygon and cannot be summed over areas, for example, socio-demographic
classes, rain zones, etc. For information on integrable data in custom data maps, see "Integrable versus Non-integrable Data"
on page 163.
6.2.9.3.3 Exporting a Coverage Prediction Report

Once you have generated a coverage prediction report as explained in "Generating a Coverage Prediction Report" on
page 293, you can export it to a text file or to a spreadsheet.
To export a coverage prediction report:
1. Right-click the report and select Export from the context menu or click the Export button ( ) in the Table toolbar.
The Save As dialog box appears.
2. In the Save As dialog box, enter the File name and select the format from the Save as type list:
• TXT: To save the report as a text file.
• CSV: To save the report as a comma-separated values file.
• XLS: To save the report as an Excel spreadsheet.
• XML Spreadsheet 2003: To save the report as an XML spreadsheet.
3. Click Save to export the coverage prediction report.
In case a hot spot was imported in your Atoll document, additional columns will appear on the right of the exported
coverage report if the hot spot description contains parameters other than Atoll-specific parameters.
6.2.9.3.4 Viewing Coverage Prediction Statistics

Atoll can display statistics for any coverage prediction whose display check box is selected ( ). By default, Atoll displays a
histogram using the coverage prediction colours, interval steps, and shading as defined on the Display tab of the coverage
prediction’s Properties dialog box. You can also display a cumulative distribution function (CDF) or an inverse CDF (1 - CDF).
For a CDF or an inverse CDF, the resulting values are combined and shown along a curve. You can also display the histogram
or the CDFs as percentages of the covered area.
Atoll bases the statistics on the area covered by the focus zone; if no focus zone is defined, Atoll will use the computation
zone. However, by using a focus zone for the report, you can display the statistics for a specific number of sites, instead of
displaying statistics for every site that has been calculated. Hot spots are not taken into consideration when displaying statis-
tics.
The focus zone must be defined before you display statistics; it is not necessary to define it before calculating coverage. For
information on defining a focus zone, see "Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 292.
To display the statistics on a coverage prediction:
3. Right-click the coverage prediction whose statistics you want to display. The context menu appears.
4. Select Histogram from the context menu. The Statistics dialog box appears with a histogram of the area defined by
the focus zone (see Figure 6.30).
• Under Histogram based on covered areas, you can select to view a histogram, CDF, or inverse CDF based on area
or percentage.
• The Zoom on selected values section displays the covered area values, or the percentage of the covered area,
along the y-axis against the coverage criterion along the x-axis. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging
in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the selected values.
• You can copy the graph by clicking the Copy button.
• You can print the graph by clicking the Print button.
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• Under Statistics based on prediction conditions, you can view the mean and standard deviation of the coverage
criterion calculated during the coverage calculations, if available.
Figure 6.26: Histogram of a coverage prediction by signal level
6.2.9.4 Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results

Once you have made a coverage prediction, you can print the results displayed on the map or save them in an external format.
You can also export a selected area of the coverage as a bitmap.
• Printing coverage prediction results: Atoll offers several options allowing you to customise and optimise the printed
coverage prediction results. Atoll supports printing to a variety of paper sizes, including A4 and A0. For more informa-
tion on printing coverage prediction results, see "Printing a Map" on page 91.
• Defining a geographic export zone: If you want to export part of the coverage prediction as a bitmap, you can define
a geographic export zone. After you have defined a geographic export zone, when you export a coverage prediction
as a raster image, Atoll offers you the option of exporting only the area covered by the zone. For more information on
defining a geographic export zone, see "Using a Geographic Export Zone" on page 64.
• Exporting coverage prediction results: In Atoll, you can export the coverage areas of a coverage prediction in raster
or vector formats. In raster formats, you can export in BMP, TIF, JPEG 2000, ArcView© grid, or Vertical Mapper (GRD
and GRC) formats. When exporting in GRD or GRC formats, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 GB. In vector
formats, you can export in ArcView©, MapInfo©, or AGD formats. For more information on exporting coverage pre-
diction results, see "Exporting Coverage Predictions Results" on page 72.
6.2.9.5 Analysing Signal Reception Using the Point Analysis

Once you have calculated the coverage prediction, you can use the Point Analysis tool.
2. Select Reception ( ) from the list at the top of the Point Analysis window. (see Figure 6.27).
The predicted signal level from different transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from
the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. Each bar is displayed in the colour of
the transmitter it represents. In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the
colour of the transmitters they represent. The best server of the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer
receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal level received from the corresponding transmit-
ter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
At the top of the Reception view, you can select the Subcell and the HCS Layer to be analysed. If you select nothing
from the HCS Layer list, the signals from all HCS layers will be studied.
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Figure 6.27: Point Analysis window - Reception view
3. At the top of the Reception view, you can click one of the following buttons:
• : Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculations Options dialog box. You can change the following:
• Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
• Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
per clutter class.
• : Click the Copy button ( ) to copy the Reception view. You can then paste the contents of the Reception
view as a graphic into a graphic editing or word-processing programme.
• : Click the Print button ( ) to print the Reception view.
You can also select the Details view ( ) to get more information. The Details view displays the current position and height
of the receiver, the clutter class it is situated on, and for each transmitter its BCCH signal level, the BCCH C/I, the most inter-
fered mobile station allocation (TRX, MAL or MAL-MAIO depending on the hopping mode) and its corresponding C/I.
6.2.9.6 Comparing Coverage Predictions

Atoll allows you to compare two similar predictions to see the differences between them. This enables you to quickly see how
changes you make affect the network.
In this section, there are two examples to explain how you can compare two similar predictions. You can display the results
of the comparison in one of the following ways:
• Intersection: This display shows the area where both prediction coverages overlap (for example, pixels covered by
both predictions are displayed in red).
• Merge: This display shows the area that is covered by either of the coverage predictions (for example, pixels covered
by at least one of the predictions are displayed in red).
• Union: This display shows all pixels covered by both coverage predictions in one colour and pixels covered by only one
coverage prediction in a different colour (for example, pixels covered by both predictions are red and pixels covered
by only one prediction are blue).
• Difference: This display shows all pixels covered by both coverage predictions in one colour, pixels covered by only
the first prediction with another colour and pixels covered only by the second prediction with a third colour (for
example, pixels covered by both predictions are red, pixels covered only by the first prediction are green, and pixels
covered only by the second prediction are blue).
• Value Difference: This display shows the dB difference between any two coverage predictions by signal level. This dis-
play option will not be available if the coverage predictions were calculated using different resolutions.
To compare two similar coverage predictions:
1. Create and calculate a coverage prediction of the existing network.
2. Examine the coverage prediction to see where coverage can be improved.
3. Make the changes to the network to improve coverage.
4. Duplicate the original coverage prediction (in order to leave the first coverage prediction unchanged).
5. Calculate the duplicated coverage prediction.
6. Compare the original coverage prediction with the new coverage prediction. Atoll displays differences in coverage
between them.
In this section, the following examples are explained:
• "Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station" on page 298
• "Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt" on page 299.
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Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station
If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage.
A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal
Level" on page 280. The results are displayed in Figure 6.28. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of the
figure.
Figure 6.28: Signal level coverage prediction of existing network
A new base station is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Base Station" on page 241, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station
Template" on page 253. Once the new site base station been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but
then it will be impossible to compare the two predictions. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied
by selecting Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new site (see Figure 6.29).
Figure 6.29: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station
Now you can compare the two predictions.

To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want
to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
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The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their name and reso-
lution.
4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
To see the changes that adding a new base station made, choose Difference.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 6.30, shows clearly the area covered only by the new
base station.
Figure 6.30: Comparison of both signal level coverage predictions
Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt
age. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage.
A coverage prediction by transmitter of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Trans-
mitter" on page 283. The results are displayed in Figure 6.31. The coverage prediction shows that one transmitter is covering
its area poorly. The area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 6.31.
Figure 6.31: Coverage prediction by transmitter of existing network
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You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it will be impos-
sible to compare the two predictions. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from
its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 6.32).
Figure 6.32: Coverage prediction by transmitter of network after modifications
As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
propagation, you can compare the two predictions.
lution.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one predictions in another colour. The
increase in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 6.33, shows clearly the increase in coverage due to the
change in antenna tilt.
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Figure 6.33: Comparison of both transmitter coverage predictions
6.2.10 Planning Intra-technology Neighbours

You can set neighbours for each transmitter manually, or you can let Atoll automatically allocate neighbours, based on the
parameters that you define. When allocating neighbours, the transmitter to which you are allocating neighbours is referred
to as the reference transmitter. The transmitters that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours are referred to as potential
neighbours. When allocating neighbours automatically to all active and filtered transmitters, Atoll allocates neighbours only
to the transmitters within the focus zone and considers as potential neighbours all the active and filtered transmitters whose
propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. If there is no focus zone, Atoll allocates neighbours
only to the transmitters within the computation zone.
The focus and computation zones are taken into account whether or not they are visible. In other words, the focus and compu-
tation zones will be taken into account whether or not their visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is
selected.
Usually, you will allocate neighbours globally during the beginning of a radio planning project. Afterwards, you will allocate
neighbours to base stations or transmitters as you add them. You can automatically allocate neighbours to all the transmitters
in the document, or you can define a group of transmitters either by using a focus zone or by grouping transmitters in the
explorer window and automatically allocate neighbours to the defined group. For information on creating a focus zone, see
"Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 292. For information on grouping transmitters
in the explorer window, see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96.
Atoll supports the following neighbour types in a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network:
• Intra-technology neighbours: Intra-technology neighbours are transmitters defined as neighbours that also use GSM/
GPRS/EDGE.
• Inter-technology neighbours: Inter-technology neighbours are transmitters defined as neighbours that use a tech-
nology other than GSM/GPRS/EDGE.
• "Importing Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 301
• "Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs" on page 302
• "Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 302
• "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 303
• "Checking Automatic Allocation Results" on page 306
• "Allocating and Deleting Neighbours per Transmitter" on page 311
• "Calculating the Importance of Existing Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 315
• "Checking the Consistency of the Intra-technology Neighbour Plan" on page 316
• "Exporting Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 317.
6.2.10.1 Importing Intra-technology Neighbours

You can import neighbour data in the form of ASCII text files (in TXT and CSV formats) into the current Atoll document using
the Neighbours table.
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To import neighbours using the Neighbours table:

1. Open the Neighbours table:
a. Select the Network explorer.
b. Right-click the GSM Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
c. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology from the context menu, then Open Table. The Neighbours table appears.
2. Import the ASCII text file as explained in "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
6.2.10.2 Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs

In Atoll, you can define neighbour constraints that can be taken into consideration during the automatic allocation of neigh-
bours. Exceptional pairs can be taken into consideration when you manually allocate neighbours.
To define exceptional pairs of neighbours:
3. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears.
4. Right-click the transmitter for which you want to define neighbour constraints. The context menu appears.
5. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The transmitter’s Properties dialog box appears.
6. Click the Intra-technology Neighbours tab.
7. Under Exceptional Pairs, create a new exceptional pair in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ):
a. Click the Edit button on the bottom-right of the dialog box. The exception pairs list can now be edited.
b. Select the transmitter from the list in the Neighbours column.
c. In the Status column, select one of the following:
• Forced: The selected transmitter will always be a neighbour of the reference transmitter.
• Forbidden: The selected transmitter will never be a neighbour of the reference transmitter.
8. Click elsewhere in the table when you have finished creating the new exceptional pair.
9. Click OK.
You can also create exceptional pairs using the Exceptional Pairs of Intra-Technology
Neighbours table. You can open this table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder and
selecting Neighbours > Intra-Technology > Exceptional Pairs.
6.2.10.3 Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours

You can define the relative importance of the factors that Atoll will use to evaluate possible intra-technology neighbours (for
information on how Atoll calculates importance, see Technical Reference Guide).
To configure the importance factors for intra-technology neighbours:
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Configure Importance from the context menu. The Neighbour Importance
Weighting dialog box appears with a single tab: Intra-technology Neighbours.
Figure 6.34: Intra-technology Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box
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On this tab, you can set the following importance factors:

• Distance Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour transmitter being located
within the maximum distance from the reference transmitter.
• Coverage Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a neighbour being admitted for coverage rea-
sons.
• Adjacency Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour transmitter being adjacent
to the reference transmitter. The Adjacency Factor will be used in automatic neighbour allocation if you select the
Adjacent transmitters as neighbours and/or Adjacent HCS layers as neighbours check boxes when defining auto-
matic neighbour allocation. For information on automatic neighbour allocation, see "Allocating Intra-technology
Neighbours Automatically" on page 303.
• Co-site Factor: Set the Min and Maximum importance of a possible neighbour transmitter being located on the
same site as reference transmitter. The Co-site Factor will be used in automatic neighbour allocation if you select
the Co-site transmitters as neighbours check box in the Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box. For informa-
tion on automatic allocation of intra-technology neighbours, see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Auto-
matically" on page 303.
6.2.10.4 Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically

Atoll can automatically allocate intra-technology neighbours in a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Atoll allocates neighbours based
on the parameters you set in the Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box.
To automatically allocate intra-technology GSM/GPRS/EDGE neighbours:
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic Neighbour
Allocation dialog box appears.
4. On the Intra-technology Neighbours tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Max Inter-site Distance: Set the maximum distance between the reference transmitter and a possible neighbour.
By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, repeaters and remote antennas can be taken into
account in the maximum inter-site distance. For more information, see the Administrator
Manual.
• Max no. of Neighbours: Set the maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours that can be allocated to a trans-
mitter. This value can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Transmitters
table, in which case the value in the Transmitters table is used.
5. Use Coverage Conditions check box:
Clear this box to use the distance criterion between neighbours and reference transmitters and go to the next step,
or select this box to use the coverage conditions between neighbours and their reference transmitters.
Click Define to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box and change the following parameters:
• Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of transmitters for automatic neigh-
bour allocation.
• Global Reception Threshold: Enter the minimum signal level which must be provided by reference transmitter A
and possible neighbour transmitter B.
• Handover Start (HO margin): Enter the signal level which indicates the beginning of the handover margin. The
handover start must be outside of the best server area of the reference transmitter (see Figure 6.35).
• Handover End: Enter the signal level which indicates the end of the handover margin. The handover end must
exceed the value entered for the Handover Start. The higher the value entered for the Handover End, the longer
the list of potential neighbours (see Figure 6.35). The area between the Handover Start and the Handover End
constitutes the area in which Atoll will search for neighbours.
• Shadowing Taken into Account: If desired, select this check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• Indoor Coverage: Select this check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
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Figure 6.35: The handover area between the reference transmitter and the potential candidate
6. Take Into Account: Define whether Atoll selects potential candidates by whose handover zone shared with the refer-
ence transmitter has the greatest surface area or the greatest circuit traffic.
• Covered Area: If you select this option, Atoll will select the potential candidates whose handover zone shared with
the reference transmitter has the greatest surface area.
• Covered Traffic: If you select this option, Atoll will select the potential candidates whose handover zone shared
with the reference transmitter covers the most circuit traffic (Erlangs). Atoll considers the traffic maps used for
the default traffic analysis to calculate the covered traffic.
7. Next to % Min Covered Area, enter the percent amount of covered area or covered traffic of the reference trans-
mitter’s coverage that another transmitter must cover to be considered as a potential candidate. The % Min. Covered
Area is the percentage of the area described by S A  S B in Figure 6.35.
8. Under Force, select the desired calculation parameters:

• Co-site Transmitters as Neighbours: Select this check box if you want transmitters located on the same site as the
reference transmitter to be automatically considered as neighbours.
• Adjacent Transmitters as Neighbours: Select this check box to automatically consider as neighbours the transmit-
ters that have intra-HCS adjacency with the reference transmitter. A transmitter is considered adjacent if there is
at least one pixel in the reference transmitter’s coverage area where the possible neighbour transmitter is best
server or second best server (respecting the handover margin).
• Adjacent HCS Layers as Neighbours: Select this check box to automatically consider as neighbours the transmit-
ters that have HCS layer adjacency with the reference transmitter. A transmitter is considered adjacent if there is
at least one pixel in the reference transmitter’s coverage area where the possible neighbour transmitter is best
server or second best server (respecting the handover margin).
• Symmetric Relations: Select this check box if you want the neighbour relations to be reciprocal. In other words,
any reference transmitter is a possible neighbour of all the transmitters that are its neighbours.
If the neighbours list of a transmitter is full, the reference transmitter will not be added as
a neighbour of that transmitter and that transmitter will be removed from the reference
transmitter’s neighbours list. You can force Atoll to keep that transmitter in the reference
transmitter’s neighbours list by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information,
see the Administrator Manual.
• Exceptional Pairs: Select this check box if you want to to force or forbid the neighbour relations defined in the
Exceptional Pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs" on
page 302.
• Delete Existing Neighbours: Select this check box if you want Atoll to delete all current neighbours when allo-
cating neighbours. If you do not select this check box, Atoll will not delete any existing neighbours when automat-
ically allocating neighbours; it will only add new neighbours to the list.
9. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating intra-technology neighbours. Atoll first checks to see whether
the path loss matrices are valid before allocating neighbours. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates
them.
Once Atoll has finished calculating neighbours, the new neighbours are visible under Results. Atoll only displays new
neighbours. If no new neighbours have been found and if the Delete existing neighbours check box is cleared, the
Results table will be empty.
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The Results table contains the following information.

• Transmitter: The name of the reference transmitter.
• Number: The total number of neighbours allocated to the reference transmitter.
• Maximum Number: The maximum number of neighbours that the reference transmitter can have.
• Neighbour: The transmitter that will be allocated as a neighbour to the reference transmitter.
• Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the parameters defined in the previous step. Neighbours are
ranked from the most to the least important.
By default, the neighbour importance calculated with respect to distance is based on the
global Max inter-site distance setting for all neighbour candidates. As a consequence,
there can be cases where the calculated importance is different when the global Max
inter-site distance is modified. You can avoid that by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file
to force Atoll to prioritise individual distances between reference transmitters and their
respective neighbour candidates. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
• Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated the possible neighbour transmitter (identified in the Neighbour column) to
the reference transmitter (identified in the Transmitter column):
• Co-Site
• Adjacent
• Adjacent Layer
• Symmetric
• Coverage
• Existing
• Coverage: The amount of reference transmitter’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and
in square kilometres.
• Adjacency: The area of the reference transmitter, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the neighbour
transmitter is best server or second best server.
10. Select the Commit check box for each neighbour you want to assign to a transmitter. You can use many of Atoll’s table
shortcuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables"
on page 76.
At this point you can compare the automatic allocation results proposed by Atoll with the current neighbour list (exist-
ing neighbours) in your document.
To compare the proposed and existing neighbour lists:
• Click Compare. The list of automatically allocated neighbours, whose Commit check box is selected, is compared
with the existing list of neighbours. A report of the comparison is displayed in a text file called NeighboursDeltaRe-
port.txt, which appears at the end of the comparison. This file lists:
• The document name and the neighbour allocation type,
• The number of created neighbour relations (new neighbour relations proposed in the automatic allocation
results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations,
• The number of deleted neighbour relations (neighbour relations not proposed in the automatic allocation
• The number of existing neighbour relations (existing neighbour relations that are also proposed in the auto-
matic allocation results) and the list of these relations.
11. Click Commit. All the neighbours whose Commit check box is selected are assigned to the reference transmitters.
Neighbours are listed in the Intra-Technology Neighbours tab of each transmitter’s Properties dialog box.
By default, the automatic neighbour allocation compares the defined Max inter-site
distance with the effective inter-transmitter distance. As a consequence, there can be
cases where the real distance between assigned neighbours is higher than the Max inter-
site distance, because the effective distance is smaller. You can force Atoll to compare the
Max inter-site distance with the real inter-site distance by adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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• A forbidden neighbour will not be listed as a neighbour unless the neighbour rela-
tion already exists and the Delete existing neighbours check box is cleared when
you start the new allocation. In this case, Atoll displays a warning in the Event
Viewer indicating that the constraint on the forbidden neighbour will be ignored
by the algorithm because the neighbour already exists.
• When Exceptional pairs and Symmetric relations are selected, Atoll considers the
constraints on exceptional pairs in both directions in order to respect symmetry.
On the other hand, if the neighbour relation is forced in one direction and for-
bidden in the other one, symmetry cannot be respected. In this case, Atoll displays
a warning in the Event Viewer.
• You can save automatic neighbour allocation parameters in a user configuration.
For information on saving automatic neighbour allocation parameters in a user
configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 105.
Atoll also enables you to automatically allocate neighbours to a single base station or transmitter:
• "Allocating Neighbours to a New Base Station" on page 306
• "Allocating Neighbours to a New Transmitter" on page 306.
6.2.10.4.1 Allocating Neighbours to a New Base Station

When you create a new base station, you can let Atoll allocate neighbours to it automatically. Atoll considers the transmitters
of the new base station and other transmitters whose coverage area intersects with the coverage area of the transmitters of
the new base station.
To allocate neighbours to a new base station:
1. In the Network explorer, group the transmitters by site, as explained in "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96.
2. In the Transmitters folder, right-click the new base station. The context menu appears.
4. Define the automatic neighbour allocation parameters as described in "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Auto-
6.2.10.4.2 Allocating Neighbours to a New Transmitter

When you add a new transmitter, you can let Atoll allocate neighbours to it automatically. Atoll considers the transmitter and
other transmitters whose coverage area intersects with the coverage area of the new transmitter.
To allocate neighbours to a new transmitter:
2. In the Transmitters folder, right-click the new transmitter. The context menu appears.
3. Select Allocate Neighbours from the context menu. The Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box appears.
6.2.10.5 Checking Automatic Allocation Results

You can verify the results of automatic neighbour allocation in the following ways:
• "Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map" on page 306
• "Displaying the Coverage of Each Neighbour of a Transmitter" on page 310.
6.2.10.5.1 Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map

You can view neighbour relations directly on the map. Atoll can display them and indicate the direction of the neighbour rela-
tion (in other words, Atoll indicates which is the reference transmitter and which is the neighbour) and whether the neighbour
relation is symmetric.
In co-planning mode, you can also display intra- and/or inter-technology neighbour rela-
tions to study handover possibilities.
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To display the neighbour relations of a transmitter on the map:
1. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
appears.
2. Select Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears.
Figure 6.36: Neighbour Display dialog box
3. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display Links check box and click the corresponding Browse button.
The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.
Figure 6.37: Neighbour Display Settings dialog box
a. From the Display Type list, choose one of the following:

• Unique: Select this option to colour all neighbour links of a transmitter with a unique colour.
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• Discrete values: Select this option to colour the neighbour links automatically or according to a value from the
table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, neighbour frequency band, neighbour transmitter type, or neigh-
bour HCS layer.
When "Transmitter" or "Neighbour" is selected in the Field list, a neighbour link colour is
determined automatically according to the colour of the source or target transmitter.
• Value Intervals: Select this option to colour the neighbour links according to their "Importance", as deter-
mined by the weighting factors.
You can display the number of handoff attempts for each transmitter-neighbour pair by
first creating a new field of Type "Integer" in the Intra-Technology Neighbour table for
the number of handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the
new column, you can select this field from the Field list along with "Value Intervals" as
the Display Type. For information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to
a Data Table" on page 78.
Each neighbour link display type has a visibility check box. By selecting or clearing the visibility check box, you can
display or hide neighbour link display types individually.
For information on changing display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
b. Select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed neighbour links to the legend.
c. Click the Browse button next to Tip Text and select the neighbour characteristics to be displayed in the tip text.
This information will be displayed on each neighbour link.
d. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
4. Back in the Neighbour Display dialog box, you can select the Display links check box under Inter-technology neigh-
bours (in co-planning mode only) to display inter-technology neighbour relations.
5. Under Advanced, specify which neighbour links you want to display:
• Outwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected transmitter is
the reference transmitter and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Inwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected transmitter is
neighbour and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Symmetric links: Select this option to display neighbour relations that are symmetric between the selected trans-
mitter and the neighbour.
6. In the Labels drop-down list, specify which labels you want to display on the map:
• None: Select this option to hide all labels.
• Display neighbour labels: Select this option to display only neighbour labels.
• Keep transmitter labels: Select this option to display only transmitter labels, if any were defined in the Transmit-
ters Properties dialog box.
7. Select the Adjust Map Window check box if you want the map window to self-adjust to display all the neighbour rela-
tions of the selected transmitter.
8. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display dialog box.
appears.
10. Select Neighbours as the type of neighbour links to display.
11. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
12. Select a transmitter to show its neighbour links:
• In the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer: Select the transmitter in the Transmitters folder. The
selected transmitter is centred in the map and all its neighbours are indicated. Atoll displays the selected trans-
mitter in the Neighbours table if it is open.
• On the map: Select the transmitter on the map. The neighbours of the selected transmitter are displayed on the
map. When there is more than one transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu
allowing you to select the transmitter you want (see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45). Atoll
displays the selected transmitter in the Neighbours table if it is open.
• In the Neighbours table: Select the transmitter-neighbour relation you want to display by clicking in the left
margin of the table row to select the entire row. The selected transmitter is centred in the map with the selected
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transmitter-neighbour relation (see Figure 6.38). The selected transmitter is also displayed in the Transmitters
folder of the Network explorer.
Figure 6.38: Displaying Neighbour Links
Atoll displays the following information for the selected transmitter (e.g. "Site22_3" in Figure 6.39):
• Symmetric neighbour relations of the selected transmitter are indicated by a simple line, e.g. Site20_1.
• Outward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the neighbour, e.g. Site1_2.
• Inward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the reference transmitter, e.g.
Site9_3.
As shown in Figure 6.39, neighbour links are coloured according to which transmitter is the neighbour:
• The symmetric and outward links for Site22_3 are coloured like the neighbours, i.e. Site20_1 and Site1_2.
• The inward links for Site22_3 are coloured like the reference transmitter, i.e. Site22_3 is a neighbour of Site9_3.
Figure 6.39: Symmetric, outward, and inward neighbour links
In Figure 6.40, neighbour links are displayed according to the neighbour frequency band. You can view 900-900 and
900-1800 neighbour links. Here, all neighbour relations are symmetrical.
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Figure 6.40: 900-900 and 900-1800 Neighbours of Site 22_3(0)
You can display forced/forbidden neighbours or exceptional pairs (defined with AFP) by
clicking the Arrow button beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) and selecting
Forced Neighbours, Forbidden Neighbours, or Exceptional Pairs (AFP).
6.2.10.5.2 Displaying the Coverage of Each Neighbour of a Transmitter

By combining the display characteristics of a coverage prediction with neighbour display options, Atoll can display the cover-
age areas of a transmitter’s neighbours and colour them according to any neighbour characteristic available in the Neighbours
table.
To display the coverage of each neighbour of a transmitter:
1. Create, calculate, and display a "Coverage by transmitter (DL)" prediction, with the Display Type set to "Discrete
Values" and the Field set to Transmitter (for information on creating a coverage by transmitter prediction, see
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 283).
2. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The context
menu appears.
3. Select Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears. See Figure 6.36 on
page 307.
4. Under Intra-technology neighbours, select the Display coverage areas check box.
5. Click the Browse button beside the Display coverage areas check box. The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box
appears. See Figure 6.37 on page 307.
a. From the Display type list, choose one of the following:
• Unique: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of transmitter’s neighbours with a unique colour.
When the coverage areas of a transmitter’s neighbours are displayed with this setting, the coverage area of
the source transmitter appears in yellow.
• Discrete values: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of transmitters’ neighbours automatically or
according to a value from the table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, or relation type. When "Cell" or
"Neighbour" is selected in the Field list, the coverage areas of transmitters’ neighbours are determined auto-
matically according to the colour of the source or target transmitter.
• Value Intervals: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of transmitters’ neighbours according their
"Importance", as determined by the weighting factors.
b. Click the Browse button next to Tip Text and select the neighbour characteristics to be displayed in the tip text.
This information will be displayed on each coverage area.
c. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
7. Under Advanced, specify which neighbour links you want to display:
• Outwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected transmitter is
the reference transmitter and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Inwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected transmitter is
neighbour and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
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• Symmetric links: Select this option to display neighbour relations that are symmetric between the selected trans-
mitter and the neighbour.
tions of the selected transmitter.
appears.
12. Select Neighbours from the menu. The neighbours of a transmitter will be displayed when you select a transmitter.
14. Click a transmitter on the map to display the coverage of each neighbour. When there is more than one transmitter
with the same azimuth on the site, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to
select the transmitter you want (see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45).
Figure 6.41: Displaying Neighbour Links and Coverage Areas
15. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the
Radio Planning toolbar.
6.2.10.6 Allocating and Deleting Neighbours per Transmitter

Although you can let Atoll allocate neighbours automatically, you can adjust the overall allocation of neighbours by allocating
or deleting neighbours per transmitter. You can allocate or delete neighbours directly on the map or using the Intra-Technol-
ogy Neighbours tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box.
• "Allocating or Deleting a Transmitter’s Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 311
• "Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table" on page 312
• "Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Directly on the Map" on page 314.
Allocating or Deleting a Transmitter’s Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box
To allocate or delete a transmitter’s neighbours using its Properties dialog box:

3. Right-click the transmitter you want. The context menu appears.
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4. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitter’s Properties dialog box appears with several tabs.
6. Click the Edit button. The items on the tab you selected become editable.
7. If desired, you can enter the Max number of neighbours.
8. You can now do one of the following:
To allocate a new neighbour:
i. In the Neighbour column of the List table, click inside the cell on the row marked with . An arrow icon ( )
appears on the right-hand side of the cell where you clicked.
ii. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select in the drop-down list the transmitter that you want to define as a new
neighbour.
iii. Click in any other row to finish allocating the new neighbour. As a result, Atoll will automatically calculate the
distance between the new neighbour and the reference transmitter and display it under Distance, set the Im-
portance to "1", and set the Source to "manual".
To create a symmetric neighbour relation:
i. Click in the left margin of the row containing the neighbour. The entire row should be selected.
ii. Right-click anywhere on the selected row. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu.
iv. Click on Apply. The corresponding check box under Symmetry is now selected indicating that a symmetric
neighbour relation now exists between the two transmitters.
To delete a symmetric neighbour relation:
iii. Select Delete Symmetric Relation from the context menu.
iv. Click on Apply. The corresponding check box under Symmetry is now cleared indicating that the symmetric
neighbour relation no longer exists between the two transmitters.
To delete a neighbour:
iii. Select Delete Link from the context menu. The relation is deleted and the neighbour is removed from the list.
To delete a neighbour and its symmetric neighbour relation:
iii. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The relation is deleted and the neighbour
is removed from the list.
Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table
To allocate or delete neighbours using the Neighbours table

2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appear.
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Neighbours table appears.
For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
To create a new neighbour relation:
i. In the Transmitter column, click inside the cell on the row marked with . An arrow icon ( ) appears on the
right-hand side of the cell where you clicked.
ii. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select the reference transmitter in the drop-down list.
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iii. On the same row, go to the corresponding cell in the Neighbour column and click inside. An arrow icon ( )
iv. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select in the drop-down list the transmitter that you want to define as a new
neighbour.
v. Click in any other row to finish creating the new neighbour relation. As a result, Atoll will automatically calcu-
late the distance between the reference transmitter and its neighbour and display it under Distance, set the
Importance to "1", and set the Source to "manual".
ii. Right-click anywhere in the table. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. The corresponding check box under Symmetry is now se-
lected indicating that a symmetric neighbour relation exists between the two transmitters
To make several neighbour relations symmetrical:
i. Click in the left margin of the table rows containing the neighbours to select the entire rows. You can select
contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last row. You can select non-contig-
uous rows by pressing CTRL and clicking each rows separately.
iii. Select Make Symmetrical from the context menu. The corresponding check boxes under Symmetry are now
selected indicating in each row that a symmetric relation exists between the reference transmitter and its
neighbour.
To take all exceptional pairs into consideration:
i. Right-click anywhere in the table. The context menu appears.
ii. Select Force Exceptional Pairs from the context menu.
You can add or delete forced and forbidden neighbours using the Exceptional Pairs table.

i. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row.
ii. Right-click the Neighbours table. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Delete Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the
transmitter in the Neighbour column and the transmitter in the Transmitter column is deleted.
To delete several symmetric neighbour relations:
i. Click in the left margins of the table rows containing the neighbours to select the entire rows. You can select
contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row. You can select non-contigu-
ous rows by pressing CTRL and clicking each rows separately.
ii. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Delete Link from the context menu. The neighbour relation between the transmitter in the Neighbour
column and the transmitter in the Transmitter column is deleted.
To delete several neighbours:
iii. Select Delete Link from the context menu.
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i. Click the Edit button on the bottom-right of the dialog box. The neighbour list becomes editable.
ii. Click in the left margin of the table row containing the neighbour to select the entire row.
iii. Right-click the neighbour in the Neighbour column. The context menu appears.
iv. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation be-
tween the transmitter in the Neighbour column and the transmitter in the Transmitter column is deleted in
both directions.
To delete several neighbours and their symmetric neighbour relations:
iii. Select Delete Link and Symmetric Relation from the context menu.
Allocating or Deleting Neighbours Directly on the Map
You can allocate or delete neighbours directly on the map using the mouse.
To add or remove intra-technology neighbours using the mouse, you must activate the display of intra-technology neighbours
on the map. To do so, select the Display links check box in the Intra-technology neighbours frame of the Neighbour Display
dialog box, as explained in "Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map" on page 306.
Likewise, to add or remove using the mouse, you must activate the display of inter-technology neighbours on the map. To do
so, select the Display links check box in the Inter-technology neighbours frame of the Neighbour Display dialog box.
The following procedures apply to transmitters; if you want, you can select any repeater
or remote antenna to create a neighbour relation with the donor transmitter. Cascaded
repeaters and remote antennas are also considered.
To add a symmetrical neighbour relation:

i. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations.
ii. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds both trans-
mitters to the intra-technology neighbours list.
To remove a symmetrical neighbour relation:
ii. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes both
transmitters from the intra-technology neighbours.
To add an outward neighbour relation:
ii. Press CTRL and click the transmitter with which you want to set a neighbour relation. Atoll adds the reference
transmitter to the intra-technology neighbour list of the reference transmitter.
To remove an outward neighbour relation:
ii. Press CTRL and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the refer-
ence transmitter from the intra-technology neighbours list of the reference transmitter.
To add an inward neighbour relation:
ii. If the two transmitters already have a symmetric neighbour relation, press CTRL and click the other transmit-
ter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inward non-symmetric neighbour relation.
iii. If there is no existing neighbour relation between the two transmitters, first create a symmetric neighbour re-
lation by pressing SHIFT and clicking the transmitter with which you want to create a symmetric relation. Then
press CTRL and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric
neighbour relation.
To remove an inward neighbour relation:
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ii. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter you want to remove from the list of neighbours. Atoll removes the trans-
mitter from the intra-technology neighbours list of the reference transmitter.
• When there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth on a site, clicking
the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select
the transmitter you want (see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on
page 45).
• You can add or delete either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking
the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio
Planning toolbar and selecting either Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neigh-
bours.
6.2.10.7 Calculating the Importance of Existing Intra-technology Neighbours

After you have imported neighbours into the current Atoll document or manually defined neighbours, Atoll can calculate the
importance of each neighbour, i.e., the weight of each neighbour. This weight is used by the AFP. If you have only partial
importance values, you can use Atoll in order to complete this partial information.
Atoll calculates the importance for neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone and in the selected
folder.
To calculate the importance of existing neighbours:
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Calculate Importance from the context menu. The Neighbour Importance
Evaluation dialog box appears.
4. Under Importance:
a. Enter the Max inter-site distance. Sites outside the defined maximum inter-site distance will not be considered as
potential neighbours.
Manual.
b. Select the factors to be taken into consideration when calculating the importance (for information on defining im-
portance factors, see "Configuring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 302):
• Take into account the co-site factor: Select this check box to verify that neighbour transmitters are located
on the same site as their reference transmitter when calculating importance.
• Take into account transmitter adjacency: Select this check box to verify that neighbour transmitters are adja-
cent to their reference transmitters when calculating importance.
• Take into account HCS layer adjacency: Select this check box to verify that neighbour HCS layers are adjacent
to their reference transmitters when calculating importance.
Clear this box to use the distance criterion between neighbours and reference transmitters and go to the next step,
or select this box to use the coverage conditions between neighbours and their reference transmitters.
• Resolution: Enter a resolution to calculate the transmitters’ coverage areas in automatic neighbour allocation.
• Global Reception Threshold: Enter the minimum signal level to be provided by the reference transmitter and the
neighbour.
• Handover Start (HO margin): Enter the signal level which indicates the beginning of the handover margin. The
handover start must be outside of the best server area of the reference transmitter (see Figure 6.35).
• Handover End: Enter the signal level which indicates the end of the handover margin. The handover end must
exceed the value entered for the Handover Start (see Figure 6.35). The higher the value entered for the Handover
End, the longer the list of potential neighbours (see Figure 6.35). The area between the Handover Start and the
Handover End constitutes the area in which Atoll will search for neighbours.
• Margin (inter-technology only): Enter the handover margin.
• Indoor coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
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6. Take Into Account: select whether Atoll defines the importance of neighbours by the size of the handover zone shared
with the reference transmitter or by the amount of circuit traffic.
• Covered Area: If selected, Atoll defines importance according to the size of the handover zone shared with the
reference transmitter
• Covered Traffic: If selected, Atoll defines importance according to the amount of circuit traffic (in Erlangs).
7. Filter button: Atoll indicates the number of neighbours to be calculated and displays the neighbours with their initial
attributes (importance and reason) in the table below the Filter button. By clicking Filter, you can define advanced
filtering conditions to restrict the neighbours to be calculated.
You can use many of Atoll’s table shortcuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information
on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
8. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of calculating the importance of the neighbours displayed in the table. Atoll
first checks to see whether the path loss matrices are valid before calculating the importance. If the path loss matrices
are not valid, Atoll recalculates them.
Once Atoll has finished calculating importance, the results are displayed in the table.
The table contains the following information.
• Transmitter: The name of the reference transmitter.
• Neighbour: The neighbour of the reference transmitter.
• Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in step 4.
• Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated a value in the Importance column.
• Co-Site
• Adjacent (transmitter adjacency)
• Adjacent Layer (HCS layer adjacency)
• Symmetric
• Coverage
• Distance: The distance in kilometres between the reference transmitter and the neighbour.
9. Click Commit. The importance values and the reasons for allocation are committed in the Neighbours table.
6.2.10.8 Checking the Consistency of the Intra-technology Neighbour Plan

You can perform an audit of the current neighbour allocation plan. When you perform an audit of the current neighbour allo-
cation plan, Atoll lists the results in a text file. You can define what information Atoll provides in the audit.
To perform an audit of the neighbour allocation plan:
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Audit from the context menu. The Neighbour Audit dialog box appears.
4. Click the Intra-Technology Neighbours tab.
5. Define the parameters of the audit:
• Average No. of Neighbours: Select the Average No. of Neighbours check box if you want to verify the average
number of neighbours per transmitter.
• Empty Lists: Select this check box if you want to verify which transmitters have no neighbours (in other words,
which transmitters have an empty neighbour list).
• Full Lists: Which transmitters having the maximum number of neighbours allowed (in other words, which trans-
mitters have a full neighbour list). The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters,
or specified for each transmitter in the Transmitters table.
• Lists > Max Number: Which transmitters having more than the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The
maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the
Transmitters table.
• Missing Co-sites: Select the Missing Co-sites check box if you want to verify which transmitters have no co-site
neighbours.
• Missing Symmetrics: Select the Missing Symmetrics check box if you want to verify which transmitters have non-
symmetric neighbour relations.
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• Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box if you want to verify which transmitters have forced
neighbours or forbidden neighbours.
• Distance Between Neighbours: Select the Distance Between Neighbours check box and enter the distance
between neighbours that should not be exceeded.
• Same BCCH: Select the Same BCCH check box if you want to verify which transmitters have the same BCCH.
6. Click OK to perform the audit. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a new text file:
• Average Number of Neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per transmitter for
the plan audited.
• Empty Lists: x/X; x number of transmitters out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list)
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER|
• Full Lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of transmitters out of a total of X having Y number of neigh-
bours listed in their respective neighbours lists.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER|
• Lists > Max Number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of transmitters out of a total of X having more than
Y number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER|
If the field Maximum number of intra-technology neighbours in the Transmitters table is

empty, the Full Lists check and the Lists > Max Number check use the Default Max.
Number value defined in the audit dialog box.
• Missing Co-Sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour plan.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR|
• Non Symmetric Links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour plan.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
• Missing Forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour plan.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR|
• Existing Forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
• Distance Between Neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan that are
located at a distance greater than Y.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |DISTANCE|
• Neighbours with the same BCCH: X; total number of neighbours having the same BCCH.
Syntax: |TRANSMITTER| |NUMBER| |NEIGHBOUR| |NEIGHBOUT BCCH| |NEIGHBOUR BSIC|
6.2.10.9 Exporting Intra-technology Neighbours

The neighbour data of an Atoll document is stored in a series of tables. You can export the neighbour data to use it in another
application or in another Atoll document.
To export neighbour data:
3. Select Neighbours and then select the neighbour table containing the data you want to export from the context menu:
• Intra-technology > Open Table: This table contains the data for the intra-technology neighbours in the current
Atoll document.
• Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs: This table contains the data for the intra-technology exceptional pairs
(forced and forbidden) in the current Atoll document.
4. When the selected neighbours table opens, you can export the content as described in "Exporting Tables to Text Files
and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
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6.3 Studying Network Capacity

In Atoll, you can study the network capacity of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network by studying the traffic demand, which is a prereq-
uisite for dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, that the network can handle. There are several different ways to study
traffic demand:
• OMC traffic data: You can use OMC traffic data to calculate traffic demand and import the traffic demand into the
Subcells Table: Traffic Data.
• Traffic captures: You can import traffic demand information from traffic maps and then use this information to create
a traffic capture.
• Simulations: Like for the traffic captures, you can import traffic demand from traffic maps and then use this informa-
tion to create one or several simulations.
A traffic capture is based on a macroscopic description of traffic as defined by one or more traffic maps. In a traffic capture,
the total traffic is broken down per transmitter, respecting the compatibility between the traffic and the transmitter. For
example, if two transmitters cover the same traffic:
• the traffic can be treated as traffic demand for each, or
• the traffic can be treated as traffic demand for only one of the two, taking into consideration the maximum speed
defined per layer (for example, traffic with a high-speed mobility type will not be allocated to a micro layer), frequency
bands, etc.
The result of the traffic capture is the demand per transmitter, broken down by subcell, service, terminal, and mobility, in
terms of Kbps for packet-switched traffic (maximum bit rate or constant bit rate) and Erlangs for circuit-switched traffic. This
breakdown is made on the service zones defined for each subcell, as defined by the parameters set on the Conditions tab of
the traffic capture’s Properties dialog box.
Compared to a traffic capture, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of voice or packet users at a given point in time.
The distribution of users at a given moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various
network parameters such as the UL and DL C/(I+N) for each mobile, the required power and the obtained coding (codec or
coding scheme) of the mobile, the DL/UL Traffic Load, the mean power control gain, the DL DTX gain and the Half-rate traffic
ratio of each subcell. Simulations are calculated in an iterative fashion.
When several simulations are performed at the same time using the same traffic information, the distribution of users will be
different, according to a Poisson distribution. Consequently you can have variations in user distribution from one snapshot to
another.
To create snapshots, services and users must be modelled. As well, certain traffic information in the form of traffic maps must
be provided. Once services and users have been modelled and traffic maps have been created, you can make simulations of
the network traffic.
• "Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on page 318
• "Defining Multi-service Traffic Data" on page 319
• "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 319
• "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture" on page 329
• "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 335.
• "Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations" on page 339
6.3.1 Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic
Data
As explained in "Subcell Definition" on page 245, subcell data is displayed in three subcell tables: Standard Data, Traffic Data,
and AFP Data. The data in the Subcells Table: Traffic Data can be used for a variety of different purposes in Atoll:
• For dimensioning purposes
• To calculate quality indicators
• For the AFP
• To evaluate and allocate neighbours
• In interference predictions.
You can use OMC traffic data as a source of accurate traffic data and import it into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data. The first
step in using OMC traffic data is ensuring that the data is available in a form usable by Atoll. Normally, OMC traffic data is
measured in kbits instead of timeslots.
The major drawback of this method is the fact that, in many cases, the packet-switched OMC traffic demand is available in
kbits instead of timeslot units. In order to correctly translate Kbits into timeslots, you must create traffic maps as described in
the sections below. The traffic capture will analyse the radio conditions at each point, defining the coding schemes, modula-
tion, and bit rates, in order to calculate how many timeslots are required for a given demands of kbits.
318
It is very common to use traffic maps based on OMC data per transmitter for the purpose
of retrieving interference matrices based on traffic. The best method of working with an
AFP is to use the OMC data of the subcells table and to generate interference matrices
based on clutter weighting as explained in "Calculating an Interference Matrix Based on
Clutter Weighting" on page 364.
Once the data has been converted into timeslots, you can import it into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data.
To import OMC traffic data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:
3. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Traffic Data from the context menu. The Subcells Table: Traffic Data opens.
After modifying the available OMC data to change it from served traffic to traffic demand, you can import the following data
into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:
• Voice demand in Erlangs
• Packet-switched demand in timeslots
• Half-rate traffic ratio.
For more information on working with data tables in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
6.3.2 Defining Multi-service Traffic Data

The first step in studying network capacity is defining how the network is used. In Atoll, this is accomplished by creating all of
the parameters of network use, in terms of services, users, and equipment used.
The following services and users are modelled in Atoll in order to create simulations:
• Codec Modes: Codecs are used by the network to compress voice and, as a consequence, to increase the voice traffic
in the network. The Codec Modes table lists all the available codec modes. Codec modes can be selected according to
radio conditions. Mappings between quality and codec modes are listed in the Codec configuration table. You can
create new codec configurations and modify existing ones by using the Codec Configuration table. For information on
codec mode configurations, see "Codec Configuration" on page 504.
• Coding Schemes: Coding Schemes are used by the network for carrying packet-switched data. The Coding Schemes
table lists all the available coding schemes. Coding Schemes can be selected according to radio conditions. Mappings
between quality and coding schemes are listed in the Coding Schemes configuration table. You can create new coding
scheme configurations and modify existing ones by using the Coding Scheme Configuration table. For information on
coding scheme configurations, see "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 507.
• Services: Services are the various services, such as voice, VoIP, mobile internet access, etc., available to subscribers.
These services can be either circuit-switched or packet-switched. There are two types of packet-switched services:
max. bit rate or constant bit rate (e.g., VoIP). For each service, quality targets, such as quality of service in Erlangs for
circuit-switched services, are defined for network dimensioning. For information on modelling end-user services, see
"Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services" on page 516.
• Mobility types: In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage connec-
tions: a mobile used by a driver moving quickly or a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same HCS layer.
For information on creating a mobility type, see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Type" on
page 517.
• Terminals: In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile
phone, a PDA, or a car’s on-board navigation device. It is defined to ensure compliancy between transmitter equip-
ment and supported frequency bands and GPRS/EDGE parameters. For information on creating a terminal, see "Cre-
ating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on page 518.
6.3.3 Creating a Traffic Map

The following sections describe the different types of traffic maps available in Atoll and how to create, import, and use them.
Atoll provides three types of traffic maps for GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects.
• Sector traffic map
• User profile traffic map
• User density traffic map (number of users per km2)
These maps can be created using different types of traffic data sources as follows:
• Sector traffic maps can be used if you have live traffic data from the OMC (Operation and Maintenance Centre).
The OMC (Operations and Maintenance Centre) collects data from all cells in a network. This includes, for example,
throughput and Erlangs in each cell and the traffic characteristics related to different services. Traffic is spread over
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the best server coverage area of each transmitter and each coverage area is assigned either Erlangs for circuit-
switched services or constant bit rate packet-switched services and Kbps for maximum bit rate packet-switched
services. For more information, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on page 320.
• User profile traffic maps can be used if you have marketing-based traffic data.
User profile traffic maps, where each vector (polygon, line, or point) describes subscriber densities (or numbers of
subscribers for points) with user profiles and mobility types, and user profile environment based traffic maps, where
each pixel has an assigned environment class. For more information, see "Importing a User Profile Traffic Map" on
page 323, "Importing a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 325, and "Creating a User Profile Envi-
ronment Based Traffic Map" on page 325.
• User density traffic maps (number of users per km2) can be used if you have population-based traffic data, or 2G net-
work statistics.
Each pixel has a user density assigned. The value either includes all activity statuses, or it corresponds to a particular
activity status. For more information, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 326, "Creating a User
Density Traffic Map" on page 327, "Converting 2G Network Traffic" on page 328 and "Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on
page 328.
6.3.3.1 Creating a Sector Traffic Map

This section explains how to create a sector traffic map in Atoll to model traffic.
You can input either the throughput demand or Erlangs. A coverage prediction by transmitter is required to create this traffic
map. If you do not already have a coverage prediction by transmitter in your document, you must create and calculate it. For
more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 283.
To create a sector traffic map:
2. Right-click the Traffic folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Sector Traffic Map.
5. Select the type of traffic information you want to input. You can choose between:
a. Uplink and Downlink Throughputs, Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses) or Number of Users per Activity
Status to use them in simulations.
b. Downlink throughput/Erlangs for GSM traffic analysis to use it in traffic captures. Continue with the following
step.
6. Click the Create button. The Sector Traffic Map dialog box appears.
You can also import a traffic map from a file by clicking the Import button. You can import
AGD (Atoll Geographic Data) format files that you have exported from an other Atoll docu-
ment.
7. Select a coverage prediction by transmitter from the list of available coverage predictions by transmitter.
8. Enter the data required in the Sector Traffic Map dialog box:
• If you have selected Uplink and Downlink Throughputs, enter the throughput demands in the uplink and downlink
for each sector and for each listed service.
• If you have selected Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses), enter the number of connected users for each
sector and for each listed service.
• If you have selected Number of Users per Activity Status, enter the number of inactive users, the number of users
active in the uplink, in the downlink and in the uplink and downlink, for each sector and for each service.
• If you have selected Downlink throughput/Erlangs for GSM traffic analysis, enter for each service in the appro-
priate column:
• For circuit services (voice), enter a value in Erlangs.
• For packet services (maximum bit rate), enter the minimum throughput in Kbps.
• For packet services (constant bit rate, such as VoIP), enter a value in Erlangs. Erlangs are internally trans-
formed into Kbps by multiplying the value by the service-guaranteed bit rate per user.
You can also import a text file containing the data by clicking the Actions button and select-
ing Import Table from the menu. For more information on importing table data, see
"Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
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9. Click OK. The Sector Traffic Map Properties dialog box appears.
10. Select the Traffic tab. Enter the following:
a. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must
equal 100.
b. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must
equal 100.
c. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter a weight to spread the traffic over the clutter classes.
11. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic folder.
You can modify the sector traffic map after it has been created.
To modify the sector traffic map:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic folder.
3. Right-click the traffic map based on live data that you want to update. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Sector Traffic Map dialog box appears.
5. Select the Traffic tab.
6. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages must equal
100.
7. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentages must equal
100.
8. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter a weight to spread the traffic over the clutter classes.
9. Click OK. Atoll saves the traffic map with its modified values.
You can update the information, throughput demands and Erlangs, on the map afterwards. You can update traffic per sector
maps if you add or remove a base station or if you modify the clutter classes or their distribution. You must first recalculate
the coverage prediction by transmitter. For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on
page 283. Once you have recalculated the coverage prediction, you can update the traffic map.
To update the traffic map:
4. Select Update from the context menu. The Sector Traffic Map dialog box appears.
5. Select the updated coverage prediction by transmitter and define traffic values for the new transmitter(s) listed at the
bottom of the table. Deleted or deactivated transmitters are automatically removed from the table.
If desired you can update the values under Terminals (%), Mobilities (%), and Clutter Distribution.
7. Click OK. The traffic map is updated on the basis of the selected coverage prediction by transmitter.
If you want to extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account
any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic map, you can create user density traffic maps from sector traffic maps. For
more information, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps" on page 328.
6.3.3.2 Creating a User Profile Traffic Map

The marketing department can provide information which can be used to create traffic maps. This information describes the
behaviour of different types of users. In other words, it describes which type of user accesses which services and for how long.
There can also be information about the type of terminal devices they use to access different services.
In Atoll, this type of data can be used to create traffic maps based on user profiles and environments.
A user profile models the behaviour of different subscriber categories. Each user profile is defined by a list of services which
are in turn defined by the terminal used, the calls per hour, and duration (for circuit-switched or constant bit rate packet-
switched calls) or downlink and uplink volume (for max bit rate packet-switched calls).
Environment classes are used to describe the distribution of subscribers on a map. An environment class describes its envi-
ronment using a list of user profiles, each with an associated mobility type and a given density (i.e., the number of subscribers
with the same profile per km²).
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The sections "Importing a User Profile Traffic Map" on page 323, "Importing a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map"
on page 325 and "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 325 describe how to use traffic data from
the marketing department in Atoll to model traffic.
• "Modelling User Profiles" on page 322
• "Modelling Environments" on page 322.
Modelling User Profiles
You can model variations in user behaviour by creating different profiles for different times of the day or for different circum-
stances. For example, a user might be considered a business user during the day, with video conferencing and voice, but no
web browsing. In the evening the same user might not use video conferencing, but might use multi-media services and web
browsing.
To create a user profile:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder.
3. Right-click the User Profiles folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The User Profiles: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
You can modify the properties of an existing user profile by right-clicking the user profile
in the User Profiles folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. You can modify the following parameters:

• Service: Select a service from the list. For information on services, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services" on
page 516.
• Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For information on terminals, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Termi-
nals" on page 518.
• Calls/Hour: For circuit-switched services and constant bit rate packet-switched services, enter the average
number of calls per hour for the service. The calls per hour is used to calculate the activity probability. For these
services, one call lasting 1000 seconds presents the same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each.
For packet-switched services (max. bit rate), the Calls/Hour value is defined as the number of sessions per hour.
A session is like a call in that it is defined as the period of time between when a user starts using a service and when
he stops using a service. In packet-switched services, however, he might not use the service continually. For ex-
ample, with a web-browsing service, a session starts when the user opens his browsing application and ends when
he quits the browsing application. Between these two events, the user might be downloading web pages and oth-
er times he might not be using the application, or he might be browsing local files, but the session is still consid-
ered as open. A session, therefore, is defined by the volume transferred in the uplink and downlink and not by the
time.
In order for all the services defined for a user profile to be taken into account during traffic
scenario elaboration, the sum of activity probabilities must be lower than 1.
• Duration: For circuit-switched services and constant bit rate packet-switched services, enter the average duration
of a call in seconds. For packet-switched services, this field is left blank.
• DL Volume: For max bit rate packet-switched services, enter the average downlink volume per session in kilo-
bytes.
• UL Volume: For max bit rate packet-switched services, enter the average uplink volume per session in kilobytes.
Modelling Environments
An environment class describes its environment using a list of user profiles, each with an associated mobility type and a given
density (i.e., the number of subscribers with the same profile per km²). To get an appropriate user distribution, you can assign
a weight to each clutter class for each environment class.
To create or modify a GSM/GPRS/EDGE environment:
3. Right-click the Environments folder. The context menu appears.
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4. Select New from the context menu. The Environments: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
You can modify the properties of an existing environment by right-clicking the environ-
ment in the Environments folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab.

6. Enter a Name for the new GSM/GPRS/EDGE environment.
7. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), set the following parameters for each user profile/mobility combi-
nation that this GSM/GPRS/EDGE environment will describe:
• User: Select a user profile.
• Mobility: Select a mobility type.
• Density (Subscribers/km2): Enter a density in terms of subscribers per square kilometre for the combination of
user profile and mobility type.
8. Click the Clutter Weighting tab.
9. For each clutter class, enter a weight that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
The user distribution is calculated using the following equation:
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:
Nk = Number of users in the clutter k

N Area = Number of users in the zone Area
Wk = Weight of clutter k 
Sk = Surface area of clutter k (in square km)
For example: An area of 10 km² with a subscriber density of 100/km². Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 subscrib-
ers. The area is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and for Build-
ing is "4." Given the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class and 800 in
the Building clutter class.
6.3.3.2.1 Importing a User Profile Traffic Map

User profile traffic maps are composed of vectors (either points with a number of subscribers, lines with a number of subscrib-
ers⁄km, or polygons with a number of subscribers⁄km²) with a user profile, mobility type, and traffic density assigned to each
vector.
To create a user profile traffic map:
4. Select User Profile Traffic Map.
5. Select User Profile Densities from the list.
6. Click the Import button. The Open dialog box appears.
You can also create a traffic map manually in Atoll by clicking the Create button in the New
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Profile Environment Based
Traffic Map" on page 325.

8. Click Open. The File Import dialog box appears.
9. Select Traffic from the Data Type list.
10. Click Import. Atoll imports the traffic map. The traffic map’s Properties dialog box appears.
11. Select the Traffic tab (see Figure 6.42). Under Traffic Fields, you can specify the user profiles to be considered, their
mobility type (km⁄h), and their density. If the file you are importing has this data, you can define the traffic character-
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istics by identifying the corresponding fields in the file. If the file you are importing does not have data describing the
user profile, mobility, or density, you can assign values. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map.
Figure 6.42: Traffic map Properties dialog box - Traffic tab
Define each of the following:

• User Profile: If you want to import user profile information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and
select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a user profile from the Traffic Parameters
folder in the Parameters explorer, under Defined, select "By value" and select the user profile in the Choice
column.
• Mobility: If you want to import mobility information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and select the
source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a mobility type from the Traffic Parameters folder in
the Parameters explorer, under Defined, select "By value" and select the mobility type in the Choice column.
• Density: If you want to import density information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and select the
source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign a density, under Defined, select "By value" and enter a
density in the Choice column for the combination of user profile and mobility type. In this context, the term "den-
sity" depends on the type of vector traffic map. It refers to the number of subscribers per square kilometre for
polygons, the number of subscribers per kilometre in case of lines and the number of subscribers when the map
consists of points.
When you import user profile or mobility information from the file, the values in the file
must be exactly the same as the corresponding names in the Traffic Parameters folder in
the Parameters explorer. If the imported user profile or mobility does not match, Atoll
will display a warning.
12. Under Clutter Distribution, enter a weight for each class that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:
13. Click OK to finish importing the traffic map.
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6.3.3.2.2 Importing a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map

Environment classes describe the distribution of user profiles.
To create a user profile environment based traffic map:
5. Select User Profile Environments from the list.
7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (8 bit): TIF, JPEG 2000, BIL,
IST, BMP, PlaNET©, GRC Vertical Mapper, or Erdas Imagine.
11. Select the Description tab.
In the imported map, each type of region is defined by a number. Atoll reads these numbers and lists them in the Code
column.
12. For each Code, select the environment it corresponds to from the Name column.
The environments available are those available in the Environments folder, under Traffic Parameters in the Parame-
ters explorer. For more information, see "Modelling Environments" on page 322.
13. Select the Display tab. For information on changing the display parameters, see "Display Properties of Objects" on
page 47.
6.3.3.2.3 Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map

Atoll enables you to create a user profile environment traffic map based on by drawing it in the map window.
To draw a traffic map:
6. Click Create. The Environment Map Editor toolbar appears (see Figure 6.43).
Draw Map Delete

Figure 6.43: Environment Map Editor toolbar
7. Select the environment class from the list of available environment classes.
8. Click the Draw Polygon button ( ) to draw the polygon on the map for the selected environment class.
9. Click the Delete Polygon button ( ) and click the polygon to delete the environment class polygon on the map.
10. Click the Close button to close the Environment Map Editor toolbar and end editing.
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6.3.3.2.4 Displaying Statistics on a User Profile Environment Traffic Map

You can display the statistics of a user profile environment traffic map. Atoll provides absolute (surface area) and relative
(percentage of the surface) statistics on the focus zone for each environment class. If you do not have a focus zone defined,
statistics are determined for the computation zone.
To display traffic statistics of a user profile environment traffic map:
3. Right-click the user profile environment traffic map whose statistics you want to display. The context menu appears.
4. Select Statistics from the context menu. The Statistics window appears.
The Statistics window lists the surface (Si in km²) and the percentage of surface (% of i) for each environment class "i"
Si
-  100
within the focus zone. The percentage of surface is given by: % of i = -------------
 Sk
k
You can print the statistics by clicking the Print button.
5. Click Close.
If a clutter classes map is available in the document, traffic statistics provided for each environment class are listed per clutter
class.
6.3.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2)

User density traffic maps can be based on population statistics (user densities can be calculated from the density of inhabit-
ants) or based on 2G traffic statistics. User density traffic maps provide the number of connected users per unit of surface,
i.e., the density of users, as input.
In this section, the following ways of creating a user density traffic map are explained:
• "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 326
• "Creating a User Density Traffic Map" on page 327.
User density traffic maps can also be created from sector traffic maps in order to extract and display the exact number of users
per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic maps. For
6.3.3.3.1 Importing a User Density Traffic Map

The user density traffic map defines the density of users per pixel. For a traffic density of X users per km², Atoll will consider
x users per pixel during traffic analyses, where x depends on the size of the pixels. These x users will have a terminal, a mobility
type, a service, and percentage of indoor users as defined on the Traffic tab of the traffic map’s properties dialog box.
You can create a number of user density traffic maps for different combinations of terminals, mobility types, and services. You
can add vector layers to the map and draw regions with different traffic densities.
To create a user density traffic map:
4. Select User Density Traffic Map (No. Users/km2).

5. Select the type of traffic information that you want to input:
• All activity statuses: Select All activity statuses if the map you are importing provides a density of users with any
activity status.
• Active in uplink: Select Active in uplink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the uplink
only.
• Active in downlink: Select Active in downlink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in
the downlink only.
• Active in uplink and downlink: Select Active in uplink and downlink if the map you are importing provides a den-
sity of users with both uplink and downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select Inactive if the map you are importing provides a density of inactive users.
• Downlink user density for GSM traffic analysis: Select Downlink user density for GSM traffic analysis if the map
you are importing provides a density of users active in the downlink only, and with a view to use it in a traffic cap-
ture.
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The first 5 traffic map types above are dedicated to simulations whereas the last one can
be only used for traffic captures.
7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (16 or 32 bit): BIL, BMP,
PlaNET©, TIF, JPEG 2000, ISTAR, and Erdas Imagine.
100.
100.
14. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentages must equal 100.
6.3.3.3.2 Creating a User Density Traffic Map

Atoll enables you to create a user density traffic map by drawing it in the map window.
To draw a traffic map per user density:
4. Select User Density Traffic Map (Number of users per km2).

5. Select the type of traffic information provided in the map:
• All Activity Statuses: Select this option if the map provides a density of users with any activity status.
• Active in Uplink: Select this option if the map provides a density of users active in the uplink only.
• Active in Downlink: Select this option if the map provides a density of users active in the downlink only.
• Active in Uplink and Downlink: Select this option if the map provides a density of users with both uplink and
downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select this option if the map provides a density of inactive users.
• Downlink user density for GSM traffic analysis: Select this option if the map provides a density of users active in
the downlink only, and with a view to use it in a traffic capture.
The first 5 traffic map types above are dedicated to simulations whereas the last one can
be only used for traffic captures.
6. Click the Create button. The traffic map’s properties dialog box appears.
100.
100.
12. Right-click the traffic map. The context menu appears.
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13. Select Edit from the context menu.

14. Use the tools available in the Vector Editor toolbar in order to draw contours. For more information on how to edit
contours, see "Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65. Atoll creates an item called Density values in the User
Density Map folder.
15. Right-click the traffic map in the Traffic folder. The context menu appears.
17. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e., the number of users per km2) for each contour you have drawn.
18. Right-click the traffic map in the Traffic folder. The context menu appears.
19. Select Edit from the context menu to end editing.
6.3.3.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps
You can create user density traffic maps from sector traffic maps. User density traffic maps created from sector traffic maps
extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter
weighting defined for the sector traffic maps.
To create user density traffic maps from a sector traffic map:
3. Right-click the sector traffic map from which you want to create user density traffic maps. The context menu appears.
4. Select Create Density Maps from the context menu.
Atoll creates as many user density traffic maps as the number of services present in the sector traffic map. The user
density map files use the resolution of the coverage prediction used for the sector traffic map and are embedded in
the document.
6.3.3.4 Converting 2G Network Traffic

Atoll can cumulate the traffic of the traffic maps that you select and export it to a file. The information exported is the number
of users per km² for a particular service of a particular type, i.e., data or voice. This allows you to export your 2G network
packet and circuit service traffic, and then import these maps as traffic maps per user density into your GSM/GPRS/EDGE
document. These maps can then be used in traffic captures like any other type of map.
For more information on how to export cumulated traffic, see "Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on page 328, and for information
on importing traffic maps per user density, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 326.
To import a 2G traffic map into a GSM/GPRS/EDGE document:
1. Create a sector traffic map in your 2G document for each type of service, i.e., one map for packet-switched and one
for circuit-switched services. For more information on creating live data traffic maps, see "Creating a Sector Traffic
Map" on page 320.
2. Export the cumulated traffic of the maps created in step 1. For information on exporting cumulated traffic, see
"Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on page 328.
3. Import the traffic exported in step 2 to your GSM/GPRS/EDGE document as a user density traffic map. For more infor-
mation on importing user density traffic maps, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 326.
6.3.3.5 Exporting Cumulated Traffic

Atoll allows you to export the cumulated traffic of selected traffic maps in the form of user density traffic maps. During export,
Atoll converts any traffic map to user density. The cumulated traffic is exported in 32-bit BIL, ArcView© Grid, or Vertical
Mapper format. When exporting in BIL format, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 GB. The exported traffic map can
then be imported as a user density traffic map and used for traffic analysis. For more information on traffic analysis, see
"Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture" on page 329.
To export the cumulated traffic:
3. Select Export Cumulated Traffic from the context menu. The Save As dialog box appears.
4. Enter a file name and select the file format.
5. Click Save. The Export dialog box appears.
6. Under Region, select the area to export:
• The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the cumulated traffic over the entire project.
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• The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the cumulated traffic contained by a rectangle encom-
passing the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible.
You must enter a resolution before exporting. If you do not enter a resolution, it remains
at "0" and no data will be exported.
8. Under Traffic, define the data to be exported in the cumulated traffic. Atoll uses this information to filter the traffic
data to be exported.
• Terminal: Select the type of terminal that will be exported or select "All" to export traffic using any terminal.
• Service: Select the service that will be exported, select "Circuit services" to export traffic using any circuit service,
or select "Packet services" to export traffic using any packet service.
• Mobility: Select the mobility type that will be exported or select "All" to export all mobility types.
• Activity: Select one of the following:
• All Activity Statuses: Select this option to export all users without any filter by activity status.
• Uplink: Select this option to export terminals that are active in the uplink only.
• Downlink: Select this option to export terminals that are active in the downlink only.
• Uplink/Downlink: Select this option to export only terminals with both uplink and downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select this option to export only inactive terminals.
9. In the Select Traffic Maps to Be Used list, select the check box of each traffic map you want to include in the cumulated
traffic.
10. Click OK. The defined data is extracted from the selected traffic maps and cumulated in the exported file.
6.3.4 Exporting a Traffic Map

To export a traffic map:
3. Right-click the traffic map you want to export. The context menu appears.
5. Enter a file name and select a file format for the traffic map.
6. Click Save.
If you are exporting a raster traffic map, you have to define:
• The Export Region:
• Entire Project Area: Saves the entire traffic map.
• Only Pending Changes: Saves only the modifications made to the map.
• Computation Zone: Saves only the part of the traffic map inside the computation zone.
• An export Resolution.
6.3.5 Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture

In Atoll, you can create a traffic capture from an existing traffic map to analyse traffic at the transmitter level. When you calcu-
late a traffic capture, the traffic from the selected maps is distributed to all transmitters according to the criteria defined for
each transmitter, as well as the Traffic Parameters: services, mobility types, terminals, and user profiles.
For example, an GPRS/EDGE-enabled transmitter will be allocated the data user traffic whereas a transmitter not capable of
GPRS/EDGE will only carry GSM voice traffic.
Similarly, a user using a GSM900-band mobile phone will not be allocated to a transmitter that only functions on the DCS1800
band.
By creating different traffic captures using different criteria to represent different conditions, you can analyse network traffic
under the various situations.
You can define one of the traffic captures as the default traffic capture. It can be used to:
• dimension a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network
• calculate KPI
• calculate interference matrices
• allocate neighbours according to overlapping traffic.
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Instead of using a default traffic capture, you can import the actual network traffic directly into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data
(see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 335 for more information).
• "Prerequisites for a Traffic Capture" on page 330
• "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 330
• "GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results" on page 331
• "Estimating a Traffic Increase" on page 334
• "Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture" on page 334.
6.3.5.1 Prerequisites for a Traffic Capture

To successfully create a traffic capture, you must ensure that you have the following information:
• A valid traffic map (see "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 319)
• Correct GPRS-related parameters (see "Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 251), including:
• GPRS/EDGE capacity selected
• GPRS/EDGE-capable configuration selected
• Correct packet traffic-related parameters
• Target rate for traffic overflow defined for subcells (see "Subcell Definition" on page 245)
• Correctly defined service zones (see "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 330)
• Correctly defined HCS layers (see "Setting HCS Layers" on page 495).
6.3.5.2 Creating a Traffic Capture

To create a traffic capture:
2. Right-click the Traffic Analysis folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New from the context menu. A traffic capture Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click the General tab. You can change the following:
• Name: By default, Atoll names traffic captures sequentially. You can change the assigned name.
• Filter: You can select the transmitters to be considered in the traffic capture by clicking the Filter button. For infor-
mation on using the Filter dialog box, see "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 102.
5. Click the Traffic tab. You can enter the following:
• Global Scaling Factor: If desired, enter a scaling factor to increase user density.
The global scaling factor enables you to increase user density without changing traffic parameters or traffic maps.
For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for
environment and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps). For information on
using the global scaling factor, see "Estimating a Traffic Increase" on page 334.
• Select Traffic Maps to Be Used: Each available traffic map in the project can be used for the current traffic capture
by assigning its traffic to all HCS layers (default mode) or by restricting its spread to a specific HCS layer. In order
to make the traffic capture, you must select at least one traffic map and assign its traffic to a single HCS layer or
to all.
Assigning traffic to all HCS layers means that for a given traffic map, its traffic will overflow from lowest to highest
priority layers as explained in "Subcell Definition" on page 245 and in Figure 6.7 on page 249. If the traffic of a map
is assigned to a specific layer, its traffic is only captured on that layer and the traffic only overflows within concen-
tric cells.
You can select traffic maps of any type. However, if you have several different types of traffic maps and want to
make a traffic capture on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the
same type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 319.
6. Click the Conditions tab. The parameters on the Conditions tab define how the service zone for each transmitter and
the number of timeslots for circuit and packet services will be calculated.
7. Under Coverage Conditions, set the following parameters to define how the service area of each transmitter will be
calculated:
page 496).
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Shadowing margins (depending on the entered cell edge coverage probability and the model standard deviation
per clutter class) are applied to the values for C.
clutter class.
If shadowing is taken into account, the C⁄I standard deviation per clutter class is used to
estimate the shadowing losses on the calculated C⁄I values.
8. Under GPRS/EDGE, you can set the parameters to define how the number of timeslots for circuit and packet services
will be calculated. Select one of the following to define how the calculations in the traffic capture are going to be
made:
• Select Calculations Based on C if you want to base the traffic capture on C⁄N. Continue to step 14.
• Select Calculations Based on C⁄I and continue with the following step.
9. Select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is talking in the
Voice Activity Factor text box, if you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into
account.
10. From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-
channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the
adjacent channel protection level.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 714. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
11. Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
• 100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
• From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as user-defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
12. Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput for a
given C or C⁄I to be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme by considering only the coding scheme
admission threshold in terms of C and/or C⁄I.
13. Select the Thermal Noise Taken into Account check box if you want Atoll to consider thermal noise.
14. Click Calculate.
After the traffic capture has been completed, two new tabs appear on the traffic capture Properties dialog box with
the results. For a detailed explanation of the results, see "GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results" on page 331.
6.3.5.3 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results

After you have calculated a GSM/GPRS/EDGE traffic capture, as described in "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 330, two
new tabs, Results per Transmitter and Results per Subcell, appear on the traffic capture Properties dialog box:
• Results per Transmitter: The results on the Results per Transmitter tab give the traffic allocated to each transmitter:
• Circuit demand (Erlangs): The total circuit-switched traffic demand in Erlangs for that transmitter. This is calcu-
lated by summing the circuit-switched traffic in Erlangs per pixel in the transmitter coverage area.
• Circuit average demand (Timeslots): The average demand on circuit timeslots takes into consideration the effect
of half-rate circuit-switched traffic carried by the transmitter, i.e., it takes into consideration the fact that 2 half-
rate users are equivalent to 1 full-rate user in terms of Erlangs of traffic.
• Packet demand (Kbps): The total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by the packet-switched users
within the coverage area of the transmitter.
• Packet average demand (Timeslots): The number of timeslots needed to meet the packet traffic demand depends
on the maximum throughput that a packet timeslot can support.
• Average Packet Timeslot Capacity (Kbps): The average packet timeslot capacity is calculated according to the
propagation conditions on each pixel of the transmitter coverage area. When calculating the traffic capture, you
can choose to base this on carrier power or on interference (C or C⁄I).
• Results per Subcell: The results on the Results per Subcell tab give the traffic per subcell. For each subcell (except for
the BCCH, which captures the same traffic as the corresponding TCH), Atoll indicates the types of traffic assigned by
service, mobility, and terminal and displays:
• Packet Demand (Kbps): The total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by the packet-switched users
within the coverage area of the transmitter.
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• Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The total circuit-switched traffic demand in Erlangs. In case of circuit switched services,
it depends whether the subcell supports half-rate traffic.
If the percentage of half-rate traffic of the subcell is 0, the average demand in circuit timeslots will be the same as
the traffic demand in Erlangs and the number of used timeslots will be the same as the traffic demand. If there is
a certain percentage of half-rate traffic, the number of used timeslots will depend on the percentage of traffic us-
ing half-rate connections.
• Average demand (Timeslots): The average number of timeslots needed to match the demand in circuit-switched
and packet-switched traffic.
The demand in packet timeslots depends on the maximum throughput that a timeslot can support. Therefore, it
depends on the average timeslot capacity within the transmitter coverage area, which in turn depends on the
propagation conditions.
The traffic capture results provide traffic per transmitter. You can retrieve the amount of
traffic (Erlangs for circuit services, Kbps for max bit rate packet services) defined in the
input traffic map in output as follows:
1. Create a sector traffic map per HCS layer (see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on
page 320) based on a best server coverage prediction (HCS server option with
0 dB HO margin). As a result, you will have as many sector traffic maps as the
number of HCS layers.
2. Create a traffic capture (HCS server option with 0 dB HO margin) where the traffic
of each map is assigned to its respective layer (see "Creating a Traffic Capture" on
page 330).
As a result, each transmitter will have the same amount of traffic (Erlangs for circuit
services, Kbps for max bit rate packet services) as the transmitter in the selected traffic
maps used for input. Constant bit rate services cannot be treated in the same way since
their input traffic is stated in Erlangs whereas the corresponding demand is evaluated in
Kbps as with any other packet-switched service.
For more information on how the results are calculated and on the formulas used, see the Technical Reference Guide.
6.3.5.4 Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document

When you have created a simulation or group of simulations, you can re-examine the same conditions by adding new simula-
tions to the Atoll document. In Atoll, there are the following ways of adding new simulations:
• Addition to a group: When you add one or more simulations to an existing group of simulations, Atoll reuses the same
input (radio, traffic, and simulation parameters) as those used to generate the group of simulations. It then generates
a new user distribution and performs the power control simulation.
To add a simulation to a group of simulations, see "Adding a Simulation to a Group of Simulations" on page 333.
• Replaying a group: When you replay an existing group of simulations, Atoll reuses the same user distribution (users
with a service, a mobility and an activity status) as the one used to calculate the initial simulation. The shadowing error
distribution between simulations is different. Traffic parameter changes can be taken into account. Finally, radio data
modifications (new transmitters, changes to the antenna azimuth, etc.) are always taken into account during the
power control (or throughput/power control) simulation.
To replay a group of simulations, see "Replaying a Simulation or Group of Simulations" on page 333.
• Using the Generator Initialisation Number: When you create groups of simulations using the same generator initial-
isation number (which must be an integer other than 0) Atoll generates the same user and shadowing error distribu-
tions (user with a service, a mobility, an activity status and a shadowing error) in all groups using the same number.
However, any modifications to traffic parameters and radio data are taken into account during the power control sim-
ulation.
By creating and calculating one group of simulations, making a change to the network and then creating and calculat-
ing a new group of simulations using the same generator initialisation number, you can see the difference your param-
eter changes make.
To create a new simulation to a group of simulations using the generator initialisation number, see "Creating a New
Simulation or Group of Simulations Using the Generator Initialisation Number" on page 333.
• Duplicating a Group: When you duplicate a group of simulations, Atoll creates the new group with the same simula-
tion parameters as the ones used to generate the original group. You can then modify the simulation parameters
before calculating the group.
To duplicate a group of simulations, see "Duplicating a Simulation or Group of Simulations" on page 334.
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Adding a Simulation to a Group of Simulations
To add a simulation to an existing group of simulations:

2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Simulations folder.
3. Right-click the group of simulations to which you want to add a simulation. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The properties dialog box of the group of simulations appears.
When adding a simulation to an existing group of simulations, the parameters originally

used to calculate the group of simulations are used for the new simulations. Consequently,
few parameters can be changed for the added simulation.
5. On the General tab of the dialog box, you can set the following parameters:
• Change the Name, and add Comments if you want.
• Number of Simulations: Enter the number of simulations to be added to this group of simulations.
6. You can calculate the new simulation(s) immediately or save them and calculate them later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined simulation(s) and calculate them immediately.
• OK: Click OK to save the defined simulation(s) without calculating them. You can calculate them later clicking the
Replaying a Simulation or Group of Simulations
To replay an existing simulation or group of simulations:

3. Right-click the group of simulations you want to replay. The context menu appears.
4. Select Replay from the context menu. The properties dialog box of the group of simulations appears.
When replaying an existing group of simulations, some parameters originally used to calcu-
late the group of simulations are reused for the replayed group. Consequently, few param-
eters can be changed for the replayed group.
6. On the Traffic tab of the dialog box, select the Refresh Traffic Parameters check box if you want to take into account
traffic parameter changes in the replayed simulation.
7. On the Advanced tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that should run to make convergence.
• DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
• UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two iter-
ations.
• DL power control gain: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink power control gain that must be reached
between two iterations.
• UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two itera-
tions.
8. Click Calculate. Atoll immediately begins the simulation.
Creating a New Simulation or Group of Simulations Using the Generator Initialisation Number
To create a new simulation or group of simulations using the generator initialisation number:
2. Right-click the Simulations folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New from the context menu. The properties dialog box for a new simulation or group of simulations appears.
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4. Click the Advanced tab.

5. Under Generator Initialisation, enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. The integer must be the same
generator initialisation number as used in the group of simulations with the user and shadowing error distributions
you want to use in this simulation or group of simulations. If you enter "0", the default, the user and shadowing error
distribution will be random. If you enter any other integer, the same user and shadowing error distribution will be
used for any simulation using the same generator initialisation value.
6. For information on setting other parameters, see "Creating Simulations" on page 342.
You can create a new group of simulations with the same parameters as the original
group of simulations by duplicating an existing one as explained in "Duplicating a
Simulation or Group of Simulations" on page 334.
Duplicating a Simulation or Group of Simulations
To duplicate an existing simulation or group of simulations:

3. Right-click the simulation or group of simulations you want to duplicate. The context menu appears.
4. Select Duplicate from the context menu. The properties dialog box for the duplicated group of simulations appears.
You can change the parameters for the duplicated simulation or group of simulations as explained in "Creating Simu-
lations" on page 342.
6.3.5.5 Estimating a Traffic Increase

When you create a traffic capture, you are basing it on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situation you are creating
the network for. However, traffic can, and in fact most likely will, increase. You can test the performance of the network
against an increased traffic load without changing traffic parameters or maps by using the global scaling factor. For example,
setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment and user profile
traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
To change the global scaling factor:
1. Create a traffic capture by:
• Creating a new traffic capture as explained in "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 330.
• Modify an existing traffic capture by right-clicking a traffic capture in the Traffic Analysis folder of the Network
explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu.
2. Click the Source Traffic tab of the Properties dialog box.
3. Enter a Global Scaling Factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial
number of subscribers (for environment and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic
maps).
6.3.5.6 Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture

Atoll offers several options to modify a traffic capture once you have created it as explained in "Creating a Traffic Capture" on
page 330. As well, you can use a traffic capture for one of several calculations. You can access these options using the traffic
capture’s context menu:
To access the options for a traffic capture:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Analysis folder.
3. Right-click the traffic capture. The context menu appears.
4. Select one of the following from the context menu:
• Properties: Select Properties to open the traffic capture’s Properties dialog box. You can review the results of the
traffic capture, or change the parameters and recalculate the traffic capture. For a description of the results, see
"GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results" on page 331. For information on the parameters available, see "Cre-
ating a Traffic Capture" on page 330.
• Default: Select Default to set the current traffic capture as the default traffic capture. The default traffic capture
( ) is the one used to:
• dimension a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network (see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 335)
• calculate KPIs (see "Calculating Key Performance Indicators of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 477)
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• calculate interference matrices (see "Interference Matrices" on page 360)

• allocate neighbours according to overlapping traffic (see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automati-
cally" on page 303)
• Calculate: Select Calculate to calculate a new traffic capture (i.e., one that you created but closed without calcu-
lating) or to recalculate an existing traffic capture to which you have made changes.
• Delete: Select Delete to delete the current traffic capture.
The traffic capture is deleted immediately; there is no opportunity to confirm or cancel

the action.
• Rename: Select Rename to rename the current traffic capture.
6.3.6 Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network

The dimensioning process allows you to calculate the number of TRXs required to meet the traffic needs of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE
network. Dimensioning is carried out using the parameters defined in the selected dimensioning model and on either:
• the default traffic capture based on one or more traffic maps, or
• the current traffic data present in the subcells table,
During dimensioning, Atoll evaluates a number of TRXs so as to have enough circuit timeslots (shared and dedicated) to match
the circuit traffic demand with the quality requirements defined in circuit-switched services (Erlang B or C). Then, Atoll calcu-
lates how many TRXs must be added to meet packet traffic demand, using the quality charts defined in the dimensioning
model.
• "Defining a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dimensioning Model" on page 335
• "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 337.
6.3.6.1 Defining a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dimensioning Model

The dimensioning model is the definition of the parameters that will be used during the dimensioning process. You can modify
an existing dimensioning model or you can create a new dimensioning model.
To create or modify a dimensioning model:
1. If you are creating a new dimensioning model:
a. Select the Parameters explorer.
b. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Network Settings folder.
c. Right-click the Dimensioning Models folder. The context menu appears.
d. Select New from the context menu. The Dimensioning Models: New Record Properties dialog box appears (see
Figure 6.2 on page 241).
2. If you are modifying the properties of an existing dimensioning model:
a. Select the Parameters explorer.
b. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Parameters folder.
c. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Dimensioning Models folder.
d. Right-click the dimensioning model you want to modify. The context menu appears.
e. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can set the following parameters:
• Name: Atoll assigns a Name to the dimensioning model. You can change the default name, if desired.
• Max. Number of TRXs per Transmitter: Enter the maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can have. During
dimensioning, this value is used for transmitters for which this value is not defined on the TRXs tab of the Proper-
ties dialog box (see "Subcell Definition" on page 245).
Under Circuit:
• Queuing Model: Enter the queuing model for GSM voice calls (Erlang B or Erlang C).
Under Packet:
• Min. number of packet-dedicated timeslots per transmitter: Enter the minimum number of dedicated packet-
switched timeslots that must be reserved for each transmitter.
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• Max. number of additional TRXs for packet services: Enter the maximum number of TRXs that can be added for
the subcell to satisfy the demand for packet-switched services after Atoll has dimensioned the circuit-switched
services.
• KPIs to Take into Account: Select the key performance indicators you want taken into account during dimen-
sioning. The values of the key performance indicators are defined by the quality graphs on the Quality Graphs tab
of the dimensioning model Properties dialog box.
• Min. Throughput: Select the Min. Throughput check box if you want to take minimum required throughput
(or the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) into account when performing di-
mensioning.
From the point of view of a GPRS/EDGE user, throughput is the average maximum throughput experienced by
the mobile terminal during a data call. If there is more than one user multiplexed on the same timeslot, which
occurs when the system accommodates many users, each multiplexed user will experience a reduction in
throughput. This reduction in throughput is described by the reduction factor defined in the reduction factor
graph. A reduction factor of 1, or almost 1, means that each user has the maximum throughput that a timeslot
can offer in a given environment (the maximum throughput per timeslot, in turn, depends on the carrier pow-
er and/or C⁄I ratio at a given location). As the system load increases, the reduction factor starts decreasing,
corresponding to the decrease in throughput per user.
• Max. Blocking Rate: Select the Max. Blocking Rate check box if you want to take blocking probability into
account when performing dimensioning.
The blocking probability and the delay in the GPRS/EDGE system are closely related. A user starts to experi-
ence more delay in service when the system is near saturation and the incoming packets are placed in a wait-
ing queue as there are no resources available for immediate transfer. This buffering of packets is related to
the load of the system. The blocking probability is the probability that an incoming packet be placed in a
queue. The delay is the average delay the packet will undergo due to blocking as it waits its turn to be trans-
mitted when resources are available.
In GPRS and EDGE, the term "system load" refers to the ratio of the number of used packet
timeslots to the number of packet switching (shared and dedicated) timeslots available in
the system.
• Max. Delay: Select the Max. Delay check box if you want to take delay into account when performing dimen-
sioning.
The delay is the average delay the packet will undergo due to blocking as it waits its turn to be transmitted
when resources are available.
The delay can be restricted to an allowed maximum in the properties of the service.
If the dimensioning model takes into account all three KPIs, the following conditions are
satisfied when the number of TRXs to add for packet service is calculated:
• The throughput must be greater than the minimum throughput (or the guaranteed
bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) even if a reduction factor is
applied to the throughput.
• The delay and the blocking rate must be lower than the maximum delay and max-
imum blocking rate, respectively.
4. Click the Quality Charts tab. The Quality Charts tab displays the throughput reduction factor, delay, and blocking
probability graphs used for dimensioning packet switched traffic. The graphs are calculated as a function of the system
load, which is defined as the ratio of the number of used packet timeslots to the number of packet switching (shared
and dedicated) timeslots available in the system.
You can modify or replace the quality graphs with graphs generating using a third-party simulator.
If the quality graphs are modified incorrectly, the dimensioning and quality analysis
results that are based on the quality graphs will also be incorrect.
• For the moment, Atoll does not provide a default delay graph; if desired, you can
enter your own values.
• The blocking rate graph is based on a user multiplexing factor of 8. The user multi-
plexing factor corresponds to the number of timeslots on a GSM/GPRS/EDGE
frame.
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5. Click OK.
6.3.6.2 Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network

You can dimension a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network once you have the necessary information:
• Either a default traffic capture (for information on creating a traffic capture, see "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic
Capture" on page 329) or alternatively a populated traffic data part of the subcells table (see "Subcell Definition" on
page 245).
If you have modified the traffic map, traffic parameters, or transmitter properties (e.g.,
calculation area, coding scheme configuration, etc.), since creating the traffic capture, you
must recalculate the traffic capture before dimensioning.
• A dimensioning model (for information on creating a or modifying a dimensioning model, see "Defining a GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Dimensioning Model" on page 335).
To dimension a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network:
3. Select Traffic > Dimensioning from the context menu. The Dimensioning/KPIs dialog box appears (see Figure 6.44).
Figure 6.44: The Dimensioning dialog box
4. Under Dimensioning parameters, select the dimensioning model from the Model list.
5. Under Traffic (circuit and packet demand), select whether the dimensioning is to be based on the traffic demand com-
puted in the default traffic capture of from the current values (circuit and packet demands) in the subcells table.
• If you selected "From subcell table," you will define the following additional parameters:
• Specify the minimum throughput reduction factor that can be accepted in the network. When calculating a
traffic capture, this parameter is evaluated (but not displayed) during the calculation. The minimum through-
put reduction factor models the fact that at the user level, the user throughput can be reduced due to how
much it will be multiplexed with other users. In other words, this parameter will be affected by the traffic load
which is a consequence of the dimensioning.
• Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages
must equal 100.
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• Under Circuit Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of circuit service used in the map. The total
percentages must equal 100.
• Under Packet Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of packet service used in the map (assuming the
packet services consist of max bit rate and constant bit rate packet services). The total percentages must equal
100.
6. Click Calculate to dimension the network.
The output of the dimensioning appears in the Dimensioning dialog box, under Results. Some columns are hidden by
default. You can select which columns to display by clicking the Displayed Columns button and selecting or clearing
the check box of the columns. The following results are given for each transmitter in the Transmitter column:
• TRX Type: For each transmitter, the results are given by TRX type (e.g., BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER).
Together, the Transmitter and TRX Type columns identify the subcell.
• Initial required number of TRXs: This is the required number of TRXs before dimensioning. For example, this value
might come from the actual number of TRXs or it might be the result of an estimate the number of required TRXs.
• Required Number of TRXs: The number of TRXs required to satisfy both the subcell's circuit-switched and packet-
switched traffic, while taking into account the quality of service criterion assigned for each.
The required number of TRXs is the most important result of the dimensioning process. If the number of required
TRXs exceeds the maximum number of TRXs per transmitter, Atoll displays the results for the subcell in red.
• Required TRXs to add: The required TRXs to add is the difference between the obtained required number of TRXs
(before the dimensioning process) and the initial required number of TRXs. If the value is positive, it means that
the current dimensioning process has evaluated than more TRXs than the initial estimated value are needed to
absorb the traffic.
• Load (%): The average demand in timeslots (packet and circuit), divided by the total number of timeslots available.
It represents the average occupancy of the TRXs. This parameter is one of the principal results of dimensioning
along with the number of TRXs. It is assigned to subcell pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
• Multiplexing Factor: The user or Temporary Block Flow (TBF) multiplexing factor. The multiplexing factor is an
input of the dimensioning process. It corresponds to the number of packet switched service users that can be mul-
tiplexed onto the same timeslot in GPRS and EDGE.
• Maximum Number of TRXs per Transmitter: The maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can support is an
input of the dimensioning process. This parameter is provided by the equipment manufacturer. The value can be
set for each transmitter or taken from the dimensioning model for transmitters where this value is not set.
• Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): This input parameter defines the percentage of traffic that is allowed to over-
flow from one subcell to another in case the traffic assigned to this subcell is greater than the maximum traffic
that it can accommodate. It can be considered an anticipation of the percentage of traffic that will be rejected
from higher priority subcells or layers to lower ones. The value is specified for each subcell.
• Half-rate Traffic Ratio (%): This input parameter is defined per subcell and indicates the percentage of subcell
traffic that uses half-rate access.
If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow
and the half-rate traffic ratio from the BCCH subcell.
• Packet demand (Kbps): The Packet Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by
packet switched service users within the coverage area of the transmitter. This parameter comes from the traffic
capture or from the Subcells table, depending on the source you chose for the traffic demand. It is assigned to
subcell pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
• Packet average demand (Timeslots): The number of timeslots needed to satisfy the packet traffic demand
depends on the maximum throughput that a packet timeslot can support.
• Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The Circuit Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in Erlangs generated by circuit-
switched-service users within the coverage area of the transmitter. This parameter comes from the traffic capture
or from the subcells table, depending on the user selection for the traffic demand source. It is assigned to subcell
pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
• Circuit average demand (Timeslots): The Average Demand in Circuit Timeslots is calculated taking into account
the effect of half-rate circuit-switched traffic: two half-rate users are equivalent to one full-rate user.
• Served Circuit Traffic (Erlangs): The Served Circuit Traffic is the circuit-switched traffic in Erlangs that the subcell
can potentially serve, if the dimensioning results are applied. The served circuit-switched traffic is circuit traffic
demand less the effective overflowed circuit traffic.
• Served Packet Traffic (Kbps): The Served Packet Traffic is the packet-switched traffic in kilobits per second that
the subcell can potentially serve, if the dimensioning results are applied. The served packet-switched traffic is
packet traffic demand less the effective overflowed packet traffic.
• Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow is the actual rate of traffic that is
rejected by the subcell because of a lack of packet timeslots. In a GSM network, the value is the same as the
blocking probability. In a more complex network, this value includes the traffic overflow from all services.
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For Erlang B, the effective rate of traffic overflow corresponds to the effective blocking rate. This value is calculat-
ed from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots) and the circuit traffic demand
in Erlang B tables.
For Erlang C, the effective rate of traffic overflow is zero except if the maximum number of TRXs is exceeded. The
effective blocking rate is inferred from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots)
and the circuit traffic demand in Erlang C tables.
• Circuit Blocking Rate (/Delay) (%): The Circuit Blocking Rate is the grade of service (GoS) indicator for circuit-
switched traffic. It can be either the rate at which calls are blocked (Erlang B) or delayed (Erlang C), depending on
which queuing model the dimensioning model uses.
• Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor is the lowest
throughput reduction factor that can still guarantee service availability. The Minimum Throughput Reduction
Factor is one of the criteria for packet-switched traffic dimensioning. It is calculated using the parameters defined
for the services: the minimum service throughput (or the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched
services); the maximum number of timeslots per connection; the required availability; and the per pixel timeslot
capacity of the subcell coverage area. This parameter is calculated when making the traffic capture or is user-
defined, depending on the source of traffic demand on which the dimensioning is based.
• Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Throughput Reduction Factor is calculated from the quality charts using
the packet load and available connections for each subcell. This reduction factor must be greater than the min-
imum throughput reduction factor for packet-switched services for these services to be satisfactorily available in
the subcell.
• Maximum Delay (s): The Maximum Delay is the defined delay in seconds that must not be exceeded for the ser-
vice quality to be considered satisfactory.
• Delay (s): The Delay is a key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using the quality graphs, the load, and the
number of connections available. This dimensioning output must not exceed the maximum delay defined for the
service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
• Maximum Packet Blocking Rate (/Delay) (%): The Maximum Packet Blocking Rate is defined for each packet ser-
vice and is the highest probability that the service will be blocked that is acceptable in terms of service availability.
• Packet Blocking Rate (Delay) (%): The Packet Blocking Rate is a dimensioning output and must not exceed the
Maximum Packet Blocking Rate defined for the service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
6.3.7 Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations

Once you have modelled the network services and users and have created traffic maps, you can create simulations. The simu-
lation process consists of two steps:
1. Obtaining a realistic user distribution: Atoll generates a user distribution using a Monte Carlo algorithm; this user
distribution is based on the traffic database and traffic maps and is weighted by a Poisson distribution between simu-
lations of the same group.
Each user is assigned a service, a mobility type, and an activity status by random trial, according to a probability law
that uses the traffic database.
The user activity status is an important output of the random trial and has direct consequences on the next step of
the simulation and on the network interferences. A user can be either active or inactive. Both active and inactive users
consume radio resources and create interference.
Finally, another random trial determines user positions in their respective traffic zone (possibly according to the clut-
ter weighting and the indoor ratio per clutter class).
2. Modelling network regulation mechanisms: Atoll manages the GSM resources as described in "Radio Resource Man-
agement in GSM" on page 339
6.3.7.1 Radio Resource Management in GSM

• "MSA Definition" on page 339
• "GSM Simulation Process" on page 340.
6.3.7.1.1 MSA Definition

In order to understand the difference between each frequency hopping mode from the point of view of a mobile, you can
consider the Mobile Station Allocation. MSA is characterised by the pair channel list and MAIO. In the following, this concept
of MSA will be used to characterise the interference and resources set of a mobile.
For non-hopping (NH) mode, the channel list is 1 channel. For base-band hopping (BBH) or synthesised frequency hopping
(SFH), the channel list corresponds to the mobile allocation list (MAL).
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For BBH, channels of MAL belong to the same TRX type.
Examples:
For NH, you have:
TRX index Channel list MAIO MSA

1 53 * (53,*)
2 54 * (54,*)
For BBH, if you assume TRXs belong to the same TRX type, you have:

1 53 * ([53,54,55],0)
2 54 * ([53,54,55],1)
3 55 * ([53,54,55],2)
For SFH, you have:

1 53 54 55 56 2 ([53,54,55,56],2)
2 53 54 55 56 3 ([53,54,55,56],3)
Therefore, from the point of view of a mobile station, BBH and SFH work in the same way. An MSA will be attached to each
mobile considered during the simulation and the level of interference will be evaluated on this MSA.
6.3.7.1.2 GSM Simulation Process

Figure 6.45 shows the GSM simulation algorithm. The specific simulation process in GSM consists of the following steps:
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Figure 6.45: GSM simulation algorithm
For each simulation, the simulation process performs the following actions:
1. It sets initial values for the following parameters:
a. Mobile transmission power is set to the maximum mobile power.
b. Cell traffic loads for each MSA and transmitter are set to their average current value in the Transmitters table (one
traffic load value per subcell).
For each iteration k, the simulation process does the following:
2. For each circuit-switched mobile, the simulation:
a. Determines the server and the MSA to which the circuit-switched mobile is attached (which is the same in uplink
and downlink).
b. Determines the downlink and uplink C/(I+N) for each of these mobiles.
c. Determines MSA codec modes in downlink and uplink and performs the corresponding target power controls.
3. For each packet-switched mobile, the simulation:
a. Determines the server and the MSA to which the packet-switched mobile is attached (which is the same in uplink
and downlink).
b. Determines the downlink and uplink C/(I+N) for each of these mobiles.
c. Determines MSA coding scheme in downlink and uplink, evaluates the numbers of necessary timeslots to reach
the minimum downlink and uplink throughput demands (defined in the requested service) of the users randomly
ranked and performs the corresponding target power controls. The number of timeslots in DL and UL are obviously
not linked.
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4. It equally shares the remaining resources to packet-switched users who did not reach their maximum throughput
demands. Resources and throughputs are finally assigned to each packet-switched user.
5. It updates the DL traffic loads, power control gains, DTX gains, and half-rate traffic ratios of all the subcells according
to the resources in use and the total resources.
6. It updates the UL traffic loads of all the subcells and the UL noise rises of all the TRXs according to the resources in use
and the total resources.
7. It performs a convergence test to see whether the differences between the current and the new loads and noise rises
are within the convergence thresholds.
8. Repeats the previous steps (from step 2. to step 7.) for the iteration k+1 using the new calculated load conditions as
the current load and noise rise.
At the end of the simulations, active users can be connected in the direction corresponding to their activity status if:
• They have a serving cell assigned
• For a circuit-switched (or packet-switched) service, he has a codec mode (or coding scheme) corresponding to his
activity status
• He is not rejected due to resource saturation.
If users are rejected during server determination, the cause of rejection is "No Coverage". If users are rejected because quality
is too low to obtain any codec mode or coding scheme, the cause of rejection is "No Service". If users are rejected because
they cannot be allocated a sufficient number of resources to obtain the codec mode or coding scheme, the cause of rejection
is "Resource Saturation," i.e., all of the cell’s resources were used up by other users.
6.3.7.2 Creating Simulations

In Atoll, simulations enable you to model GSM network regulation mechanisms in order to minimise interference and maxim-
ise capacity.
You can create one simulation or a group of simulations that will be performed in sequence.
To create a simulation or a group of simulations:
4. On the General tab of the dialog box, enter a Name and Comments for this simulation or group of simulations.
5. Under Execution on the General tab, you can set the following:
• Number of simulations: Enter the number of simulations to be carried out. All simulations created at the same
time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer.
6. On the Traffic tab, enter the following:
• Global scaling factor: If desired, enter a scaling factor to increase user density.
environment and user profile traffic maps), throughputs/users or number of users (for sector traffic maps) or den-
sity of users (for traffic density maps).
• Select traffic maps to be used: Select the traffic maps you want to use for the simulation.
make a simulation on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the same
type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 319.
7. On the Advanced tab, under Generator initialisation, enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. If you enter
"0", the default, the user and shadowing error distribution is random. If you enter any other integer, the same user
and shadowing error distribution is used for any simulation using the same generator initialisation value.
Using the same generated user distribution for several simulations can be useful when
you want to compare the results of several simulations where only one parameter
changes.
8. Under Convergence on the Advanced tab, enter the following parameter:

• Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that should run to make convergence.
iterations.
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ations.
• DL power control gain: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink power control gain that must be reached
between two iterations.
tions.
9. Once you have defined the simulation, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it to calculate it later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined simulation and calculate it immediately.
• OK: Click OK to save the defined simulation without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate
button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer.
6.3.7.3 Displaying the Traffic Distribution on the Map

You can use the map to display the distribution of traffic that is generated by all simulations according to different parameters.
For example, you can display the traffic according to a service, activity status or any output of the simulation.
You can set the display of the traffic distribution according to discrete values and the select the value to be displayed. Or, you
can select the display of the traffic distribution according to value intervals, and then select the parameter and the value inter-
vals that are to be displayed. You can also define the colours of the icon and the icon itself.
For information on changing display characteristics, see "Defining the Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
In this section are the following examples of traffic distribution:
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Connection Status" on page 343
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Service" on page 344.
You can make the traffic distribution easier to see by hiding geo data and predictions.
For more information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer
Windows" on page 42.
6.3.7.3.1 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Connection Status

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by the connection status.
To display the traffic distribution by the connection status:
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Simulations Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Connection Status" as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by connection status (see Figure 6.46).
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Figure 6.46: Displaying the traffic distribution by connection status
6.3.7.3.2 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Service

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by service.
To display the traffic distribution by service:
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Service" as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by service (see Figure 6.47).
Figure 6.47: Displaying the traffic distribution by service
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6.3.7.4 Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation

After you have created a simulation, as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 342, you can display the results.
To access the results of a single simulation:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the folder of the simulation group containing the simulation whose results you
want to access.
4. Right-click the simulation. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The simulation properties dialog box appears.
One tab gives statistics of the results of the simulation. Other tabs in the simulation properties dialog box contain
simulation results as identified by the tab title. A final tab lists the initial conditions of the simulation. The amount of
detail available when you display the results depends on the level of detail you selected from the Information to
retain list on the General tab of the properties dialog box for the group of simulations. For more information on the
different options, see step 5. of "Creating Simulations" on page 342.
The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following two sections:
• Demand: Under Demand, you will find data on the connection requests:
• Atoll calculates the total number of users who try to connect. This number is the result of the first random
trial; power control has not yet finished. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input.
• During the first random trial, each user is assigned a service and an activity status. The number of users per
activity status and the UL and DL throughputs that all active users could theoretically generate are provided.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status) is given.
• Results: Under Results, you will find data on connection results:
• The number of iterations that were run in order to converge.
• The number and the percentage of rejected users is given along with the reason for rejection. These figures
include rejected users only. These figures are determined at the end of the simulation and depend on the
network design.
The Sites tab: The Sites tab contains the following information per site:
• DL and UL Throughput for Each Service: The throughput in kbits⁄s for each service. The result is detailed on the
downlink and uplink only when relevant.
The Subcells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per transmitter and TRX Type:
• Frequency Domain: The frequency domain assigned to the subcell.
• DL Power Reduction (dB): The power reduction applied to the considered subcell compared to the BCCH power.
• DL Traffic Load: The obtain DL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in DL.
• UL Traffic Load: The obtain UL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in UL.
• Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average gain due to the DL power control in order to reduce interference.
• DL DTX Gain (dB): The gain due to DTX users inactivity.
• Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): The percentage of half-rate voice traffic in the subcell.
• DTX supported: The ability of subcell to support DTX mode. For BCCH subcells, this box should remain cleared. If
this box is selected, a DL DTX gain can be obtained.
The TRXs tab: The TRXs tab contains the following information:
• Hopping Mode: The hopping mode of the subcell to which the TRX belongs
• Channels: The channel list to which the TRX is part of. In case of non hopping, it corresponds to a unique channel.
In case of any hopping mode, it corresponds to a MAL.
• MAIO: The MAIO defined at this TRX in case of SFH only
• TRX Rank: The rank assigned to the TRX during an automatic frequency allocation
• Intra-technology UL Noise Rise (dB): the resulting noise rise caused by the surrounding UL traffic at the TRX. This
result is the output which can be committed to the TRXs table.
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information:
• X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
• Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
• Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and
the user profile.
• User Profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
minal and the user profile.
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• Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
• Activity Status: The activity status assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distri-
bution.
• Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
• Server: The transmitter serving the mobile on its MSA.
• HCS Layer: The HCS Layer of the serving cell
• Best Server Signal Level (dBm): The received signal strength of the serving cell.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the transmitter-mobile link.
• TRX Type: The TRX type of the subcell to which the mobile is attached.
• DL Requested Throughput (kbps): The DL max throughput demand defined in the service.
• DL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The DL obtained throughput depending on the resources allocated to the user.
This value must be between the minimum and the maximum throughput demands.
• UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The UL max throughput demand defined in the service.
• UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The UL obtained throughput depending on the resources allocated to the user.
This value must be between the minimum and the maximum throughput demands.
• Timeslots (DL): the number of DL timeslots used. It should be 0 if it is not connected. Then for circuit-switched
services, depending on the served codec mode, it can be 0,5 or 1, but has to be the same as for UL. For packet-
switched services, this is the number of timeslots corresponding to the DL total obtained throughput.
• Timeslots (UL): the number of UL timeslots used. It should be 0 if it is not connected. Then for circuit-switched
services, depending on the served codec mode, it can be 0,5 or 1, but has to be the same as for DL. For packet-
switched services, this is the number of timeslots corresponding to the UL total obtained throughput.
• Initial C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the user location in the downlink before power control.
• Final C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the user location in the downlink after power control.
• Target Threshold (DL) (dB): The DL C/(I+N) to get the coding (coding scheme of codec mode) at the current loca-
tion.
• Initial C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the serving cell in the uplink before power control.
• Final C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the serving cell in the uplink after power control.
• Target Threshold (UL) (dB): The UL C/(I+N) to get the coding (coding scheme of codec mode) at the serving cell.
• Mobile Total Power (dBm): The mobile total power corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
• Channels: The channel or list of channels allocated to the mobile station during the simulation. It has to be 1
channel in case of "Non Hopping" and a list of channel in case of frequency hopping.
• MAIO: The Mobile Allocation Index Offset assigned in case of frequency hopping (BBH or SFH) to avoid intra-site
collisions caused by two sites using the same or adjacent channels. This value has to be an integer ranging from 0
and N-1 (where "N" is the number of channels used in the hopping sequence)
• Codec or Coding scheme (DL): According to the capability of both the base station and the terminal, this value is
either the codec mode (for a circuit-switched service) or the coding scheme (for a packet-switched service) served
at the terminal.
• Codec or Coding scheme (UL): According to the capability of both the base station and the terminal, this value is
either the codec mode (for a circuit-switched service) or the coding scheme (for a packet-switched service) served
at the cell.
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
• The input parameters specified when creating the simulation:
• The generator initialisation value
• The global scaling factor
• The maximum number of iterations
• The DL traffic load convergence threshold
• The UL traffic load convergence threshold
• The DL power control convergence threshold
• The UL noise rise convergence threshold
• The name of the traffic maps used.
• The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
6.3.7.5 Displaying the Average Results of a Group of Simulations

After you have created a group of simulations, as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 342, you can display the average
results of the group. If you want to display the results of a single simulation of a group, see "Displaying the Results of a Single
Simulation" on page 345.
To access the averaged results of a group of simulations:
3. Right-click the group of simulations on which you want to average the results.
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4. Select Average Simulation and from the context menu. A properties dialog box appears.
One tab gives statistics of the results of the group of simulations. Other tabs in the properties dialog box contain simu-
lation results for all simulations, both averaged.
network design.
The Sites (Average) tab: The Sites (Average) tab contains the following average information per site:
The Subcells (Average) tab: The Subcells (Average) tab contains the following average information per transmitter
and TRX Type:
• Frequency Domain: The frequency domain assigned to the subcell.
• DL Power Reduction (dB): The power reduction applied to the considered subcell compared to the BCCH power.
• DL Traffic Load: The obtain DL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in DL.
• UL Traffic Load: The obtain UL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in UL.
• Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average gain due to the DL power control in order to reduce interference.
• DL DTX Gain (dB): The gain due to DTX users inactivity.
• Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): The percentage of half-rate voice traffic in the subcell.
• DTX supported: The ability of subcell to support DTX mode. For BCCH subcells, this box should remain cleared. If
this box is selected, a DL DTX gain can be obtained.
The TRXs (Average) tab: The TRXs tab contains the following information:
• Hopping Mode: The hopping mode of the subcell to which the TRX belongs
• Channels: The channel list to which the TRX is part of. In case of non hopping, it corresponds to a unique channel.
In case of any hopping mode, it corresponds to a MAL.
• MAIO: The MAIO defined at this TRX in case of SFH only
• TRX Rank: The rank assigned to the TRX during an automatic frequency allocation
• Intra-technology UL Noise Rise (dB): the resulting noise rise caused by the surrounding UL traffic at the TRX. This
result is the output which can be committed to the TRXs table.
• The DL traffic load convergence threshold
• The UL traffic load convergence threshold
• The DL power control convergence threshold
• The UL noise rise convergence threshold
6.3.7.6 Updating Cell Values With Simulation Results

After you have created a simulation or a group of simulations, as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 342, you can
update values for each subcell with the results calculated during the simulation. The following values are updated:
• Subcell traffic loads (UL and DL)
• DL Power control gains
• DTX gains
• Half-rate traffic ratios
In addition, you also can update the intra-technology UL noise rise calculated for each TRX during the simulation.
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To update subcell and TRXs values with simulation results:

1. Display the simulation results:
To display the results for a group of simulations:
c. Right-click the group of simulations whose results you want to access.
d. Select Average Simulation from the context menu. A properties dialog box appears.
lation results for all simulations, both averaged.
To display the results for a single simulation:
c. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the folder of the simulation group containing the simulation whose results
you want to access.
d. Select Properties from the context menu. The simulation properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Subcells or the TRXs tab.
3. On the Subcells tab, click Commit Results.
The following values are updated for each subcell:
• Subcell traffic loads (DL and UL)
• DL Power control gains
• DTX gains
• Half-rate traffic ratios.
The following value is updated for each TRX:
• Intra-technology UL noise rise.

When you create a simulation or a group of simulations, you are basing it on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situ-
ation you are creating the network for. However, traffic can, and in fact most likely will, increase. You can test the performance
of the network against an increased traffic load without changing traffic parameters or maps by using the global scaling factor.
For example, setting the global scaling factor to "2" is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment
and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
1. Create a simulation or group of simulations by creating a new simulation or group of simulations as described in
"Creating Simulations" on page 342.
2. Click the Traffic tab of the properties dialog box.
3. Enter a Global Scaling Factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to "2" is the same as doubling the initial
number of subscribers (for environment and user profile traffic maps) or the users/throughputs (for sector traffic
maps).
6.4 Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and

MAIOs
The allocation of resources is an important part of planning and optimising a GSM network. The resources — frequencies,
BSICs, HSNs, and MAIOs — can be allocated manually, automatically, or interactively. These resources are limited, conse-
quently each resource will have to be used more than once, although identical instances of the same resource can not be used
close to each other.
The resources are allocated on different levels:
• The channel, MAIO, and MAL are allocated at the TRX level: each TRX requires one channel (or MAL) and one MAIO.
• The HSN is allocated at the subcell level: each subcell performing frequency hopping requires an HSN (however cells
that do not perform frequency hopping do not need to be allocated an HSN). The allocation of HSNs is managed using
domains and groups.
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• The BSIC is allocated at the cell level and the BSIC-BCCH pair is used to identify the transmitters in the network. The
allocation of BSICs is managed using domains and groups.
Frequencies are managed on three different levels: frequency bands, and then domains, and finally groups.
The frequency band is the highest level and is defined by the frequencies allocated to GSM/GPRS/EDGE in the area covered
by the project. It can therefore be considered as a fixed item. The frequency bands usually follow the Absolute Radio
Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN) standards. The frequency bands are mainly used for base station and terminal compat-
ibility. A frequency domain is a subset of the frequencies contained by the frequency band. The frequency domain can contain
one or more groups. While the frequency band is fixed, frequency groups and domains can be defined and modified.
The second level on which frequencies are managed, and the highest level on which BSICs and HSNs are managed, is the
domain. The main role of the domain is to limit the resources to the subset of those resources available. For BSICs and HSNs,
the domain is the highest level on which they can be managed. Much like frequency domains, BSIC and HSN domains can
contain one or more groups. However, while the resources defined in a frequency domain are limited by the frequency band
the domain belongs to, the resources in a BSIC or HSN domain are defined by the GSM standard.
The lowest level at which frequencies, BSICs, and HSNs are managed is at the group level. A group belongs to a domain. All
frequencies in a group must belong to the frequency band the domain belongs to. In the case of BSIC or HSN groups, the
entries must be valid BSIC or HSN numbers.
This section begins with an explanation of how to manually allocate resources. By beginning with manual allocation, you will
have a better understanding of how Atoll manages the various resources.
When the project is too large or when there are too many variables to co-ordinate, manually allocating resources will be too
time-consuming and complex. At that point, you will probably need to use Automatic Frequency Planning (AFP). By allocating
resources efficiently within defined parameters, the AFP can enhance network performance. However, before you can
perform an automatic allocation, you must be certain that the pre-requisites have been filled: you must have valid interfer-
ence matrices, you must determine the number of required TRXs, and you must define separation rules and quality targets.
Along with manual and automatic allocation, Atoll also allows you to allocate resources using Interactive Frequency Planning
(IFP). The IFP enables you to verify the frequency allocation of each transmitter and interactively improve an existing
frequency plan by selecting the most appropriate channels to assign to individual TRXs. The IFP uses the installed AFP module
to calculate the costs associated with the current and modified frequency plans.
By using the AFP to allocate channels and find the best solution in terms of allocated channels, i.e., the frequency allocation
that provides the lowest overall cost, the IFP lets you use your knowledge of the network to improve the frequency plan
proposed by the AFP.
Automatic and interactive allocation are implemented using an AFP module. Many AFP modules work with Atoll. Because
each module is different, in this section only the general allocation process will be described.
For more information on the optional Atoll AFP module, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
• "Defining Resource Ranges" on page 349
• "Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually" on page 354
• "AFP Prerequisites (IM, Separations, Traffic, etc.)" on page 359
• "Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP Module" on page 382.
6.4.1 Defining Resource Ranges

In Atoll, when you allocate resources such as frequencies and BSICs, you do so using domains and groups. The domains and
groups define the range of resources that can be used by the transmitter, subcell, or TRX. Using defined ranges of resources
facilitates both allocation and management of resources.
• "Defining Frequency Bands, Domains, and Groups" on page 349
• "Defining BSIC Domains and Groups" on page 351
• "Defining HSN Domains and Groups" on page 353
6.4.1.1 Defining Frequency Bands, Domains, and Groups

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, you can manage frequencies by defining frequency domains and groups based on standard
frequency bands. A frequency domain consists of one or several frequency groups. The frequency domain in turn belongs to
a frequency band. A frequency group is a set of channels. A frequency group can belong to one or several frequency domains.
Frequency planning, both manual and automatic, is based on the frequency domains assigned to the TRX types in defined cell
types.
• "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 350
• "Defining Frequency Domains and Groups" on page 350.
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6.4.1.1.1 Defining Frequency Bands

Frequency bands represent the defined frequency that frequency domains and groups refer to. In a GSM/GPRS/EDGE project,
the frequency bands are usually fixed items, whereas domains and groups can be defined and modified to respond to the
needs of the project.
The properties of frequency bands can be accessed from the Frequency Bands table.
To define a frequency band:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Frequencies folder.
4. In the Frequencies folder, right-click Bands. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Frequency Bands table appears.
6. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a frequency band (for infor-
mation on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency, for example, "GSM 1900." This name will appear in other dialog boxes
when you select a frequency band.
• Frequency (MHz): Enter the average frequency.
• Channel Width (kHz): Enter the width, in kHz, that each channel will cover.
• First channel: Enter the number of the first channel in this frequency band.
• Last channel: Enter the number of the last channel in this frequency band.
• Excluded channels: Enter the channels that will not be included in this frequency band, even though they are
between the first and last channels.
• Multiplexing factor: Enter the multiplexing factor of the frequency band. The user multiplexing factor corresponds
to the number of timeslots in a GSM/GPRS/EDGE frame.
• Max channel number: Enter the maximum channel number after which the channel number count restarts at 0.
The GSM 900 frequency band in Atoll includes the P-GSM (primitive GSM), R-GSM (GSM for railways), and E-GSM
(extended GSM) bands, i.e., channels from 1 to 124 (P-GSM), from 955 to 974 (R-GSM), and from 975 to 1023 and
0 (E-GSM). The channel numbers 0 and 1023 will be considered adjacent if you enter a Max Channel Number of
1024 for this frequency band.
You can also modify the properties of a frequency band using its Properties dialog box. You
can open the frequency band Properties dialog box by double-clicking the left margin of
the row with the frequency band. The frequency band Properties dialog box has a General
tab which allows you to modify the properties described above, a Frequency Domains tab
which indicates the frequency domains that belong to the frequency band, and, if user-
defined fields have been added to the Frequency Bands table, an Other Properties tab.
The absolute radio frequency channel numbers are determined in Atoll with the following equation:
ARFCN of X = First Channel Number + (Channel Frequency of X - First Channel Frequency)/200 kHz
6.4.1.1.2 Defining Frequency Domains and Groups

In a GSM/GPRS/EDGE project, the frequency bands are usually fixed items, whereas domains and groups can be defined and
modified to respond to the needs of the project. Frequency domains are linked to TRX types. Frequency groups are used in
frequency allocation.
To define frequency domains and groups:
4. In the Frequencies folder, right-click Domains. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Frequency Domains table appears.
6. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a frequency domain (for
information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency domain, for example, "GSM 1900 domain." This name will appear in other
dialog boxes when you select a frequency domain.
• Frequency Band: Select the frequency band the domain will belong to from the list.
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7. Select the row containing the frequency domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The fre-
quency domain’s Properties dialog box appears.
In the frequency domain’s Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the frequency domain and create
frequency groups.
8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a frequency
group (for information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency group, for example, "GSM 1900 domain Group1." This name will appear in
other dialog boxes when you select a frequency group.
• Min.: Enter the number of the first channel in this frequency group.
• Max.: Enter the number of the last channel in this frequency group.
• Step: Enter the value interval between channels in this frequency group.
• Excluded: Enter the channels that you do not want to use in this frequency group. You can enter or paste a list of
channels; the values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a
range of channels to be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last channel of the range separated by
a hyphen. For example, entering 520-525 corresponds to entering 520 521 522 523 524 525.
• Extra: Enter the additional channels, outside the first and last channels of the group, that you want to use in this
frequency group. You can enter or paste a list of channels; the values must be separated with either a comma, or
a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a range of channels to be excluded from this group, by entering the
first and last channel of the range separated by a hyphen. For example, entering 520-525 corresponds to entering
520 521 522 523 524 525.
9. Click OK to close the frequency domain’s Properties dialog box.
10. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Frequency Domains table.
You can associate frequency groups to frequency domains using the Frequency Groups
table. You can open the Frequency Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings
folder in the Parameters explorer, expanding the Frequencies folder, right-clicking Groups
and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
Although each group name in a single frequency domain must be unique, you can use the
same group name in different frequency domains.
6.4.1.2 Defining BSIC Domains and Groups

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, the Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) is assigned to a BCCH to identify the transmitter on which the BCCH
is located. BSICs are made available according to country and area. The mobile uses the BSIC, which can be in either decimal
or octal format, to distinguish one BCCH from BCCHs on nearby transmitters. The BSIC is composed of a Network Colour Code
(NCC) and a BTS Colour Code (BCC). BSICs are modelled using domains and groups which can be defined and modified:
• A domain consists of one or more groups.
• A group is a defined set of BSICs. A BSIC group can belong to one or more BSIC domains.
• "Defining the BSIC Format" on page 351
• "Defining BSIC Domains and Groups" on page 352.
6.4.1.2.1 Defining the BSIC Format

The BSIC is composed of a Network Colour Code (NCC) combined with a BTS Colour Code (BCC). Both the NCC and the BCC are
integers from 0 to 7, making a total of 64 possible BSICs. They are broken down into 8 groups (one group for each possible
NCC) of 8 BSICs. For each NCC-BCC pair, the resulting BSIC number can be in either decimal or octal format.
• Decimal format: In decimal format, all numbers from 0 to 9 can be used to define the BSIC. Because both the NCC and
the BCC are in octal format (using the numbers from 0 to 7), their combined value must be converted to decimal
format with the following equation:
NCCx8 + BCC
The resulting value is the BSIC in decimal format. For example, the NCC-BCC pair 3-2 results in a decimal BSIC value of
26.
• Octal format: Both the NCC and the BCC are already in octal format (using the numbers from 0 to 7), so they can be
combined directly to express the resulting BSIC. For example, the NCC-BCC pair 3-2 results in an octal BSIC value of 32.
The octal format is more commonly used than the decimal format.
In Atoll, you define the format globally for the entire GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
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When you import drive test data, you must ensure that the defined BSIC format is the
same as that of the drive test data before you import the data.
To define the BSIC format for a GSM/GPRS/EDGE document:

3. Right-click the BSICs folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Format and select one of the following:
• Decimal
• Octal
6.4.1.2.2 Defining BSIC Domains and Groups

BSICs are modelled using domains and groups which can be defined and modified. A domain consists of one or more groups.
You must assign a BSIC domain to each transmitter. A group is a defined set of BSICs. A BSIC group can belong to one or more
BSIC domains. Groups are used during automatic BSIC allocation.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the BSICs folder.
4. In the BSICs folder, right-click Domains. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The BSICs Domains table appears. The BSIC Domains table contains a default domain called "ALL
BSICs;" it contains all 64 BSICs divided into 8 groups.
6. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the name of the new BSIC domain.
7. Select the row containing the BSIC domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The BSIC
domain’s Properties dialog box appears.
In the BSIC domain’s Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the BSIC domain and create BSIC groups.
8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a BSIC group
(for information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
When defining the BSIC group, ensure that the entered values are consistent with the
defined BSIC format (see "Defining the BSIC Format" on page 351).
• Name: Enter a name for the BSIC group. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a BSIC group.
• Min.: Enter the first BSIC in this BSIC group.
• Max.: Enter the last BSIC in this BSIC group.
• Step: Enter the value interval between BSICs in this BSIC group.
• Excluded: Enter the BSICs that you do not want to use in this BSIC group. You can enter or paste a list of BSICs; the
values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a range of BSICs to
be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last BSIC of the range separated by a hyphen. For example,
entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
• Extra: Enter the additional BSICs, outside the first and last BSICs of the group, that you want to use in this BSIC
group. You can enter or paste a list of BSICs; the values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon,
or a space. You can also enter a range of BSICs to be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last BSIC
of the range separated by a hyphen. For example, entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
9. Click OK to close the BSIC domain’s Properties dialog box.
10. Click the Close button ( ) to close the BSIC Domains table.
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You can associate BSIC groups to BSIC domains using the BSIC Groups table. You can open
the BSIC Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings folder in the Parameters
explorer, expanding the BSICs folder, right-clicking Groups and selecting Open Table from
the context menu.
Although each group name in a single BSIC domain must be unique, you can use the same
group name in different BSIC domains.
6.4.1.3 Defining HSN Domains and Groups

In Atoll, both base band hopping (BBH) and synthesised frequency hopping (SFH) are supported in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects.
BBH and SFH are modelled using the hopping sequence number (HSN) along with other parameters such as the MAL and the
MAIOs.
The HSN describes the frequency hopping sequence. It can have one of 64 different values (from 0 to 63). Frequency
sequences are pseudo-random, except for HSN "0," where frequencies are used one after the other (cyclic hopping). In Atoll,
HSNs are modelled in the form of HSN domains and groups:
• A domain consists of one or more HSN groups.
• A group is a defined set of HSNs. A HSN group can belong to one or more HSN domains.
Manual and automatic HSN allocation is based on the HSN domains assigned to TRX types in cell types; when you define a cell
type, you must assign an HSN domain to each TRX type. The assigned HSN domain will be used as a constraint during auto-
matic HSN allocation.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the HSNs folder.
4. In the HSNs folder, right-click Domains. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The HSNs Domains table appears. The HSN Domains table contains a default domain called "ALL
HSNs;" it contains all 64 HSNs.
6. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the name of the new HSN domain.
7. Select the row containing the HSN domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The HSN
domain’s Properties dialog box appears.
In the HSN domain’s Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the HSN domain and create HSN groups.
8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a HSN group
(for information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Enter a name for the HSN group. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a HSN group.
• Min.: Enter the first HSN in this HSN group.
• Max.: Enter the last HSN in this HSN group.
• Step: Enter the value interval between HSNs in this HSN group.
• Excluded: Enter the HSNs that you do not want to use in this HSN group. You can enter or paste a list of HSNs; the
values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a range of HSNs to
be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last HSN of the range separated by a hyphen. For example,
entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
• Extra: Enter the additional HSNs, outside the first and last HSNs of the group, that you want to use in this HSN
group. You can enter or paste a list of HSNs; the values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon,
or a space. You can also enter a range of HSNs to be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last HSN
of the range separated by a hyphen. For example, entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
9. Click OK to close the HSN domain’s Properties dialog box.
10. Click the Close button ( ) to close the HSN Domains table.
You can associate HSN groups to HSN domains using the HSN Groups table. You can open
the HSN Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings folder in the Parameters
explorer, expanding the HSNs folder, right-clicking Groups and selecting Open Table from
the context menu.
Although each group name in a single HSN domain must be unique, you can use the same
group name in different HSN domains.
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6.4.2 Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually

Normally, when you allocate frequencies and BSICs for an entire project, you will allocate them automatically. However, Atoll
enables you to allocate frequencies and BSICs manually, for example, when you add new base stations or when you modify
frequencies or BSICs that have already been allocated.
When you allocate frequencies or BSICs, you first define a range of frequencies or BSICs for the transmitter. You will then
assign frequencies or BSICs that respect the defined range. In Atoll, ranges of frequencies and BSICs are modelled using
domains and groups.
For information on creating or modifying frequency or BSIC domains and groups, see "Defining Resource Ranges" on page 349.
In this section, setting a range of frequencies or BSICs is explained, as well as manually assigning frequencies or BSICs from the
defined range:
• "Assigning BSIC Domains to Transmitters" on page 354
• "Assigning BSICs to Transmitters Manually" on page 354
• "Defining Frequency Domains for Transmitters" on page 355
• "Assigning Frequencies to Subcells" on page 355.
6.4.2.1 Assigning BSIC Domains to Transmitters

Before you assign a BSIC to a transmitter, you define the range of possible BSICs for that transmitter by assigning a BSIC
domain. For information on creating or modifying BSIC domains and groups, see "Defining BSIC Domains and Groups" on
page 352.
To assign a BSIC domain to a transmitter:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign a BSIC domain. The context menu appears.
You can also access a transmitter’s Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu.

6. Under Identification, select the BSIC Domain from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties
of the selected BSIC domain.
7. Click OK.
6.4.2.2 Assigning BSICs to Transmitters Manually

Normally, you will allocate Base Station Identity Codes (BSICs) automatically for an entire project. However, you can allocate
BSICs manually, for example, when you add new base stations or when you modify BSICs that have already been allocated.
The BSIC is composed of the Network Colour Code (NCC) and the BTS Colour Code (BCC). Both the NCC and BCC must be whole
numbers from 0 to 7.
The combination of the BSIC and BCCH (in other words, the frequency of the BCCH) permit to precisely identify a transmitter.
Over greater distances, a BSIC-BCCH pair can be repeated.
To allocate a BSIC to a transmitter manually:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign a BSIC. The context menu appears.
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6. Under Identification, select the BSIC from the list. The BSICs available in the list will be those available in the defined
BSIC domain.
You can enter a value in the BSIC field, however, it must be a BSIC that is part of the
selected BSIC Domain and in the correct BSIC format (for information on the BSIC format,
see "Defining the BSIC Format" on page 351). As well, you can enter a BSIC in the format
of a NCC-BCC. When you click OK or Apply, Atoll will convert it into the single-digit BSIC
format.
Once you have selected the BSIC, the NCC-BCC is displayed.

7. Click OK.
6.4.2.3 Defining Frequency Domains for Transmitters

Before you assign a frequency to a transmitter, you define the range of possible frequencies for that transmitter by assigning
a frequency domain to the transmitter’s subcells.
In Atoll, you define the range of frequencies that can be assigned to a transmitter by assigning frequency domains to the trans-
mitter’s subcells. By default, a transmitter’s subcells, based on the selected cell type (for information, see "Applying a New
Cell Type" on page 252), already have an assigned frequency domain. However, you can change a subcell’s frequency domain.
If you select a different cell type after having modified any of the parameters of a subcell, Atoll offers you the choice of keep-
ing current parameters or resetting them to those found in the cell type.
For information on creating or modifying frequency domains and groups, see "Defining Frequency Domains and Groups" on
page 350.
To change the frequency domain assigned to a transmitter:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign a frequency domain. The context menu appears.

6. Under Subcells, select "Standard" from the Display list. The standard table lists each TRX group defined in the cell type
selected under Cell Type on the TRXs tab.
7. Select a Frequency Domain from the list. Only channels belonging to this frequency domain will be allocated to TRXs
of this group during automatic or manual frequency planning.
The frequency domains assigned to the BCCH subcell and to the TCH subcell must refer-
ence the same frequency band. If the transmitter has more than one subcell with the TRX
type TCH, only one must reference the same frequency band as the BCCH subcell.
8. If desired, add Excluded Channels. The defined frequency domain can have, as part of its definition, a list of excluded
channels. Addition excluded channels for this subcell can be added in the Excluded Channels column.
9. Click OK.
If you are defining frequency domains for several transmitters, you can group them by
frequency band (for information on grouping transmitters, see "Grouping Data Objects" on
page 96) and then open the Transmitters table for the selected transmitters and assign the
frequency domain to all transmitters at the same time. For information on working with
data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
6.4.2.4 Assigning Frequencies to Subcells

In a GSM/GPRS/EDGE project, frequencies are modelled using channels. The channels are assigned to the TRXs of each subcell.
If your Atoll document represents an existing network, frequencies might already have been assigned to many of the trans-
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mitters. You can then import the existing frequency list into your current Atoll document. You can also export the frequency
list from the current Atoll document.
• "Importing a Frequency List" on page 356
• "Adding New TRXs to a Document" on page 356
• "Displaying the Frequency Plan" on page 357
• "Exporting the Frequency List" on page 357.
6.4.2.4.1 Importing a Frequency List

If your Atoll document represents an existing GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, frequencies can already have been assigned to many
of the transmitters. You can import the existing frequency list into your current Atoll document. You can then complete the
data for new TRXs either manually or using the AFP.
The frequency list you import must be a TXT or CSV file and the data must be arranged in a manner compatible with Atoll. The
imported file must contain the transmitter name and the TRX type to identify the TRX to which the frequencies will be
assigned. When you import a frequency list for a network with non-hopping or base-band hopping only, you only need to
import the channels and the TRX types. If the network has synthesised frequency hopping, even if not all subcells use synthe-
sised frequency hopping, you will also have to import the MAIO, the HSN, and the synchronisation.
When Atoll imports the data, it will add TRXs that do not yet exist in the Atoll document to existing transmitters. If some sites
and transmitters do not yet exist in the Atoll document, you must create them before you import the frequency list. For infor-
mation on creating sites and transmitters, see "Creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Station" on page 241.
To import an existing frequency list:
3. Select Subcells > TRXs Table from the context menu. The TRXs table appears.
4. Import the file as explained in "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
The file imported must contain, at a minimum, the transmitter name and TRX type to identify the TRX to which the
frequencies will be assigned, and the channels, identifying the frequencies. In the case of SFH, the channels will consti-
tute the MAL. Additionally, if the hopping mode is SFH, the file imported must also contain the MAIO.
If the hopping mode is BBH or SFH, continue with step 5.
6. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the context menu. The Subcells table appears.
The file imported must contain, at a minimum, the transmitter name and TRX type to identify the TRX. When the
hopping mode is BBH or SFH, file must also contain the synchronisation and the HSN.
If you want to import the BSIC at the same time, you can also import the frequency list into
the Transmitters table, which you can open by right-clicking the Transmitters folder and
selecting Open Table from the context menu.
If you are modifying the frequency list of a single transmitter, it is easier to modify the
information directly on the TRXs tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. For more
information, see "Subcell Definition" on page 245.
6.4.2.4.2 Adding New TRXs to a Document

You can add TRXs to existing transmitters either by using the TRXs tab of the transmitter Properties dialog box, or by using
the TRXs table.
If you are adding TRXs to a single transmitter, it is easier to use the transmitter Properties dialog box.
To add TRXs using the TRXs tab of the transmitter Properties dialog box:
1. In the map window, select the transmitter to which you want to add a TRX.
You can also select the transmitter in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the transmitter. The context menu appears.

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4. Click the TRXs tab.

5. Under TRXs, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the parameters described in "TRX Definition" on
page 250.
6. Click OK.
If you are adding TRXs to several transmitters, it is easier to use the TRXs table.
To add TRXs using the TRXs table:
4. Scroll down to the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
5. In the Transmitter column, select the transmitter to which the TRXs will be added.
6. Enter the parameters described in "TRX Definition" on page 250.
6.4.2.4.3 Displaying the Frequency Plan

You can display or modify the network frequency plan, that is the channels allocated to each TRX, by opening the TRXs table.
To open the TRXs table:
If you want, you can export the frequency plan. For information on exporting the frequency plan, see "Exporting the
Frequency List" on page 357.
6.4.2.4.4 Exporting the Frequency List

You can export the network frequency list, that is the channels allocated to each TRX, using the TRXs table. The exported file
must contain the transmitter name and the TRX type to identify the TRX to which the frequencies are assigned.
To export the frequency list:
4. Export the file as explained in "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
If the hopping mode is BBH or SFH, continue with step 5.
6. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the context menu. The Subcells table appears.
7. Export the file as explained in "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
The file exported must contain, at a minimum, the transmitter name and TRX type to identify the TRX to which the
frequencies are assigned, the HSN, and the synchronisation.
6.4.2.4.5 Assigning Frequencies Manually Using the Map

Using Atoll, you can allocate frequencies manually on the map. When allocating frequencies using this method, you must
ensure that neighbours have already been allocated. For information on allocating neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology
Neighbours" on page 301.
To allocate frequencies manually using the map:
1. Create and display a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level and set the display to discrete
values by transmitter. For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best
Signal Level" on page 283.
appears.
3. Select Neighbours from the context menu.
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If you display the coverage areas of the neighbours, you can see not only the neighbours
on the map but their coverage as well. This will enable you to see more clearly where
frequencies used by the neighbours could cause interference. You can display the coverage
areas of neighbours by clicking the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button
( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and selecting Display Options from the menu. In the
Neighbour Display dialog box that appears, you can select the Display Coverage Areas
option.
5. From the Find list, select "GSM Channel."
6. In the Channel list, enter a channel that you would like to allocate.
7. Select the check boxes to define where you want Atoll to search for the selected channel:
• Used as BCCH
• Used as TCH
8. Select the Adjacent channels check box if you want Atoll to display adjacent channels as well as the selected channel.
9. Click the Search button. The map window displays the coverage areas with the selected channel along with coverage
areas using adjacent channels, if you selected the Adjacent channels check box.
By repeating the search with other channels you can find a frequency with few adjacent channels close by that you
can allocate to the selected transmitter.
In the following example, channel 11 would not be a good choice because it is used by a neighbour. Channels 10 and 12 are
adjacent channels that are also used by neighbours of the selected transmitter.
Figure 6.48: Scanning for frequencies
On the other hand, channel 14 would be a good choice and could be allocated. Neither channel 14 nor either of the adjacent
channels (13 and 15) are allocated to neighbours of the selected transmitter.
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Figure 6.49: Scanning for frequencies
6.4.3 AFP Prerequisites (IM, Separations, Traffic, etc.)

In Atoll, you can use an Automatic Frequency Planning (AFP) module to allocate frequencies and BSICs, as well as the MAL,
MAIO, and HSN.
The Automatic Frequency Planning (AFP) module assigns frequencies according to traffic demand (as indicated by the number
of required TRXs) and respecting quality requirements with the aim of reducing interference. Atoll can use an optional Atoll
AFP module as well third-party AFP tools.
The AFP attempts to allocate resources in an optimal fashion, i.e., it attempts to allocate resources in a way that minimises
interference and complies with a set of user-defined constraints. The two main types of constraints are separation constraints
and interference. The AFP assigns a cost to each constraint and then uses a cost-based algorithm to evaluate possible
frequency plans and find the frequency plan with the lowest costs. Although you can run the AFP without an interference
matrix, allocation will be calculated without taking interference into consideration, i.e., without considering one of the most
important constraints.
When you assign frequencies manually, you do not need an interference matrix, traffic, or separation rules; you will be using
your knowledge of the network. On the other hand, when you assign frequencies automatically (or interactively) you need to
supply the additional information to the AFP.
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Figure 6.50: Input data for the AFP
In this section, the AFP input records are explained. As well, both a quick and a longer, more accurate process of finding the
necessary information for each record is explained. The quality of the results given by the AFP depends on the quality of the
input, therefore it is very important that you understand and prepare the input before running the AFP. This will enable you
to choose the level of complexity that corresponds to the desired accuracy of the results.
The following AFP input records are explained in this section:
• "Interference Matrices" on page 360
• "Channel Separations" on page 371
• "Modelling Traffic" on page 377
• "AFP-Related Parameters in the Subcells Table" on page 379
• "Modelling Layers and Subcells" on page 381.
6.4.3.1 Interference Matrices

In Atoll, the probability of interference between pairs of subcells is stored in an interference matrix. An interference matrix
can be thought of as the probability that a user connected to an interfered subcell will receive a given C/I level where the only
interference ("I") is the interference coming from the interferer sub-cell.
The set of active interference matrices will be combined by the AFP to provide interference estimations for each pair of
subcells. You can use more than one interference matrix in an Atoll document. The interference matrices themselves can be
created using the data from different sources (propagation, OMC data, drive tests, or other planning tools) and can be acti-
vated or deactivated, as necessary.
Atoll allows for a great deal of flexibility in interference matrix use, which in turn enables varying levels of complexity with the
AFP:
• Level 1: The AFP can base its calculations on neighbour relations and work without an interference matrix
• Level 2: You can calculate an interference matrix based on uniform traffic spreading
• Level 3: You can calculate an interference matrix with clutter weighting
• Level 4: You can use OMC or drive-test-based interference matrices
• Level 5: You can use any combination of levels 2, 3, and 4.
• "Calculating a Simple Interference Matrix" on page 360
• "Calculating Interference Matrices for Large Networks" on page 362
• "Calculating an Interference Matrix Based on Clutter Weighting" on page 364
• "Interference Matrices Based on OMC Statistics" on page 364
• "Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices" on page 365
• "Defining Type-Dependant Quality Indicators on Interference Matrices" on page 366
• "Analysing Interference Matrices" on page 368
• "Generating Reports on Interference Matrices" on page 370
• "Selecting Interference Matrices for the Frequency Allocation Process" on page 371.
6.4.3.1.1 Calculating a Simple Interference Matrix

You can use simple interference matrices as an effective background constraint system. They can be calculated on a nation-
wide scale.
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To calculate an interference matrix:

2. Right-click the Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New from the context menu. The Interference Calculation dialog box appears.
4. In the Interference Calculation dialog box, set the following options under Service area:
• Server: Select "HCS Servers" in order to correctly consider HCS priorities for service zone selection. Selecting "All"
is not recommended because the results are not significantly better under most circumstances and the calculation
consumes a great deal of resources. or with "best idle mode reselection criterion (C2)", (only for packet switched
IM). For more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496.
• With a margin: Enter a handover margin in the With a margin text box. The default value is "4 dB."
• If you select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability
(see "Reliability Recommendations" on page 361). Using shadowing is recommended.
5. Under Traffic spreading, you can select whether you want to calculate interference on the percentage of interfered
traffic or on the percentage of interfered area:
• Based on the maps used in the default traffic capture: If you choose this option, Atoll will calculate interference
on the interfered traffic for each pair of subcells (interfered-interferer).
• Uniform (probability expressed in % of interfered area): If you choose this option, Atoll will calculate interference
on the interfered areas for each pair of subcells (interfered-interferer). This method cannot accurately consider
local concentration of traffic, but is faster than calculating interference based on maps.
6. Click OK to start the calculation.
The results of the calculation can be found in a new item in the Interferences Matrices folder in the Network explorer.
By default, the new interference matrix is active.
Changing certain transmitter or subcell properties, such as power reduction, reception

threshold, transmitter power, or EIRP, will make interference matrices invalid. If you
change transmitter or subcell properties, you will have to recalculate the interference
matrices.
Reliability Recommendations
Occasionally, the constraints you have set for the AFP are not strong enough. If the constraints are not strong enough:
• The unlocked part of the AFP cost will be 0 and, because of this, the AFP will stops.
• Frequencies will be reused in too close proximity to each other in the resulting frequency plan.
• The distribution of frequency use will not be even and some frequencies will seldom be used.
To correct an unacceptable distribution of frequencies, you will have to create a more reliable interference matrix, thereby
putting more constraints on the AFP.
The best way to create a more reliable interference matrix is to increase the cell edge coverage probability and recalculate
the interference matrices. When the reliability requirement is raised, the part of the standard deviation is reduced from the
signal ("C") when calculating the C/I distribution for each IM entry. This gives a lower C/I for each given "reuse" and therefore
a lower probability of meeting the required C/I target and, consequently, more interference. Raising the interference in the
interference matrix increases the constraints placed on the AFP.
You should also verify that the standard deviation's default value is properly defined and that it is properly defined in all clutter
classes. This step is particularly important for Atoll documents converted from older versions or connected to a database.
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Figure 6.51: Model standard deviation: default value
• Mean power control gains are not taken into account when calculating interfer-
ence matrices. They are only applied when the interference matrices are used in
calculations (IFP, AFP, etc.). The same is the case with the power offset.
• When you calculate an interference matrix, you would expect to have full interfer-
ence for all transmitters over which the AFP will perform a cost calculation. The
interference matrix scope is therefore defined by the AFP scope which is described
in "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383.
6.4.3.1.2 Calculating Interference Matrices for Large Networks

Calculating interference matrices is very resource intensive. If you have a very large network, calculating an interference
matrix that covers the entire network can require more computer resources than are available. It is more efficient to create
a low resolution interference matrix on a nation-wide scale, possibly splitting the network into partial interference matrices
if necessary. Once you have a low resolution interference matrix that covers the entire network, you can add high resolution
interference matrices that cover the cities. Merging IMs does not affect the efficiency of the Atoll AFP. If necessary, in order
to properly optimise the frequency plan, you can then add clutter-weighted interference matrices calculated over the difficult
areas so that they are correctly modelled. Last but not least, you can add idle-mode IMs to model the behaviour of packet-
switched data.
All active IMs are merged by the AFP and loaded into memory only when needed.
To reduce resource consumption:
1. Modify the default resolution and/or the minimum interferer reception threshold. These global parameters have a
strong influence on the IM calculation process. When setting the path loss resolution and size appropriate for the
interference matrices, for example, use a resolution that is the double of path loss data:
• To modify the default resolution:
i. Select the Network explorer.
ii. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Properties from the context menu.
iv. On the Predictions tab, set the Default resolution. 
The default resolution is used during the IM integration calculation and is saved with the IM.
• To modify the minimum interferer reception threshold:
i. Select the Parameters explorer.
ii. Right-click the Network Settings folder. The context menu appears.
iii. Select Properties from the context menu.
iv. On the Calculation Parameters tab, set the Min. interferer reception threshold.
This threshold defines the level from which all interferers are ignored. If you increase it to -115 dB or -110 dB,
you will lose very little interference information, but calculations will be much faster.
2. Define a large handover margin, for example, 2 to 4 dB:
• Select the Network explorer.
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3. Save IMs and coverage predictions, etc., externally, if possible:

• To save IMs externally, see "Storing Interference Matrices Externally" on page 366.
• To save coverage predictions externally, see "External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on
page 233.
4. Delete coverage predictions that are no longer needed:
b. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions folder.
c. Right-click the coverage prediction you want to delete. The context menu appears.
d. Select Delete from the context menu.
If you have multiband transmitters, keep in mind that the multiband path loss option (see
"Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 512) creates a lot of overhead
when the interference matrix is calculated. For more information, see the Administrator
Guide. For more information on reducing resource consumption, see "Performance and
Memory Issues in Big Projects" in the Administrator Guide.
If you have more than 20,000 transmitters in your network, you might need to calculate several smaller interference matrices.
Under most circumstances, including 1,000 to 2,000 transmitters in each interference matrix is the most efficient.
To calculate interference matrices for a large network:
1. Create a computation zone that covers part of the network. For information on creating a computation zone, see
"Creating a Computation Zone" on page 272. In Figure 6.52, the computation zone is indicated by the red outline.
Figure 6.52: The first computation zone
2. Calculate an interference matrix for the area covered by the computation zone as explained in "Calculating a Simple
Interference Matrix" on page 360.
3. Create a new computation zone that partly overlaps the area covered by the first computation zone. In Figure 6.53,
the area covered by the first computation zone is indicated by the black outline.
Figure 6.53: The second computation zone
4. Calculate an interference matrix for the area covered by the computation zone.
5. Repeat step 1. to step 4. until have created interference matrices for the entire network, as shown in the following
figures.
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The computation zones do not need to overlap because the AFP scope extends beyond the
computation zone. For more information, see "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the
Interference Matrix" on page 383.
6.4.3.1.3 Calculating an Interference Matrix Based on Clutter Weighting

Calculating an interference matrix based on clutter weighting delivers a large increase in quality. However, you should be
aware that this process is relatively time-consuming and therefore not suited for nation-wide calculations. It is better suited
to local frequency allocations where frequency allocation is difficult. By default, Atoll gives a higher priority to this type of
interference matrix when combining interference matrices, so an interference matrix based on clutter weighting can be used
with other interference matrices that are less precise.
To create an interference matrix based on clutter weighting:
1. Create a traffic model.
a. Create a user profile for an active user with voice service, with calls lasting a total of 3,600 seconds per hour (i.e.,
1 Erlang). For information on creating a user profile, see "Modelling User Profiles" on page 322.
b. Create an environment using this user profile with a density of 1 and pedestrian mobility type. For information on
creating an environment, see "Modelling Environments" on page 322.
c. Assign appropriate clutter weighting to the environment.
d. In the Geo explorer, create a new User Profile Traffic Map based on User Profile Environments.
i. From the Environment Map Editor toolbar, select the environment created in step 2.
ii. Click the Draw Polygon button ( ) and draw the polygon encompassing the computation zone. This raster
map now appears in the Traffic folder.
iii. Name the map "Temporary IM map."
For information on creating a user profile traffic map, see "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on
page 325.
2. Create a traffic capture using the temporary traffic map.
• Set this traffic capture to be the default traffic capture.
For information on creating a traffic capture, see "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture" on page 329.
3. Calculate the interference matrix.
• When calculating the interference matrix, select the option Traffic spreading based on the maps used in the
default traffic capture in the IM calculation dialog box.
6.4.3.1.4 Interference Matrices Based on OMC Statistics

An OMC interference matrix is an interference matrix created using a statistical analysis of the RXLEV measurements
performed by the mobiles in the network. The Atoll AFP can fully employ this type of interference matrix.
The main advantage of an interference matrix based on OMC statistics is that, in many cases, the OMC database is the only
reliable source of network information. However, an OMC-based IM also has a certain number of inherent weaknesses.
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OMC IMs can be based on reselection mobile measurements or upon HO mobile measurements. In most cases, the HO mobile
measurements are used to create the interference matrix. The main weakness of this approach is that HO mobile measure-
ments are limited to the list of neighbours, and that this list is limited in size.
To overcome this considerable limitation, the OMC can temporarily apply neighbours. However, when this is done, the statis-
tical analysis must take into account the partial time over which each temporary neighbour is tested.
An other limitation which applies to all OMC statistic-based interference matrices is the fact that the BSIC-BCCH pair is the
means used to identify a transmitter. The BSIC-BCCH pairs are sufficient for identifying a server or a potential strong neighbour
for HO candidate, but they are not sufficient to identify an interferer.
The final limitation is the simple fact that the BCCH plan has an effect on the IM when the IM is calculated: if two transmitters
interfere but have the same BCCH, their interference will not be present in the OMC interference matrix.
This limitation can be avoided by adding the BCCH plan to the IM scope. This allows the Atoll AFP to ensure that certain inter-
ference entries, (or more precisely no interference entries) have 0 likelihood, and will supplement the information with prop-
agation interference information.
6.4.3.1.5 Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices

You can import interference matrices from and export them to the following formats:
• IM0: One matrix per line
• IM1: One C⁄I threshold and probability pair per line for each interfered/interfering subcell pair.
• IM2: Only co-channel and adjacent channel interference values.
• CLC: One value per line. The accompanying dictionary (DCT) file gives the correspondence between the transmitter
identifiers and the transmitter names.
• Other: Forsk provides import macros for other IM formats. For information on these or other IM formats, contact your
Forsk representative.
For more information on the interference matrix file formats, see the Technical Reference Guide.
• "Importing Interference Matrices" on page 365
• "Storing Interference Matrices Externally" on page 366
• "Exporting Interference Matrices" on page 366.
Importing Interference Matrices
Atoll supports IM0, IM1, IM2, and CLC interference matrix files. Atoll also supports a simplified format that gives the inter-
fered subcell, the interfering subcell, the co-channel interference probability, and the adjacent channel probability. For more
information on the simplified format, see the Technical Reference Guide.
When you import several interference matrices that describe the same interfered-interferer pairs, Atoll only takes the first
description of the pair. When descriptions of the same interfered-interferer pair are found in subsequent files, the description
is ignored.
Atoll does not perform a validity check on the imported interference file; you must therefore ensure that the imported infor-
mation is consistent with the current configuration. Furthermore, Atoll only imports interference matrices for active trans-
mitters.
To import interference matrices:
2. Right-click the GSM Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select the file type from the Files of Type list.
If you are importing a CLC file, Atoll looks for the associated DCT file in the same directory. When this file is unavaila-
ble, Atoll assumes that the transmitter identifiers in the CLC file are the same as the transmitter names.
6. Click Open. A message appears asking whether Atoll should merge the imported interference matrix into the GSM/
GPRS/EDGE document:
• Click Yes to save the imported interference matrix in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
When you save an imported interference matrix in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document, you can still choose to save
it to an external file linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document. For information, see "Storing Interference Matrices
Externally" on page 366.
• Click No to store the interference matrix externally, but linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
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7. The interference matrices are imported into the current Atoll document and appear as new items in the GSM Inter-
ference Matrices folder.
You can also extract interference matrices from real network data. Using drive test data
paths in which the signal strengths of several transmitters have been measured at each
point, Atoll can generate interference matrix files containing probabilities of C⁄I per trans-
mitter-subcell pair (see "Generating Interference Matrices from a Drive Test Data Path" on
page 494).
Storing Interference Matrices Externally
You can save interference matrices to external files that are linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document. Linking interference
matrices to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document can reduce file size when the Atoll document is extremely large.
Because the interference matrices are stored externally in ASCI format, reading and writing to file can be time consuming.
When Atoll reads an externally stored IM, it remains in memory. Therefore, to improve AFP performance, it is recommended
to embed interference matrices. You should only save interference matrices externally when the project file is getting large
(for example, when the project file exceeds 2 Gb). To store an interference matrix externally:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Interference Matrices folder.
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to store externally. The context menu appears.
5. On the General tab, under Interference Matrices Storage, click the Externalise button. A confirmation message
appears.
6. Click Yes to confirm. The Save As dialog box appears.
7. Select the file type from the Save as Type list.
8. Enter the File name and click Save. The interference matrix is stored externally but remains linked to the GSM/GPRS/
EDGE document.
Exporting Interference Matrices
Atoll supports IM0, IM1, IM2, and CLC interference matrix files.
To export interference matrices:
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to export. The context menu appears.
4. Select Export from the context menu. The Save As dialog box appears.
5. Select the file type from the Save as Type list.
6. Enter the File name and click Save. The interference matrix is exported.
6.4.3.1.6 Defining Type-Dependant Quality Indicators on Interference Matrices

As explained in "Interference Matrices" on page 360, you can calculate several individual interference matrices for large
networks with the intention of recombining them as unique C/I probabilities. In the same way, you can combine several inter-
ference matrices of different types according to their quality indicators and the strategy defined by the AFP module used. For
more information on how the optional Atoll AFP module combines the data from more than one interference matrix, see "The
Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
You can create or import 9 different types of interference matrices:
1. Interference matrices based on path loss (propagation data) matrices
Their reliability depends on the accuracy and correctness of network and geo data.
2. Interference matrices based on reselection statistics from the OMC
Their reliability is usually low due to the difference between the locations where mobiles are switched on and where
they are actually used to access the network.
3. Interference matrices based on handover statistics from the OMC
Their reliability is usually low due to the fact that interference is measured only among existing neighbours (which
might not be correctly assigned). This type of interference matrix is highly correlated with the neighbour relations. It
can be used to remove excessive neighbour constraints. However, it can not be used to complete any missing neigh-
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bour information. Another reason for low reliability is that interference information is collected from handover
regions only, instead of from the service area.
4. Interference matrices based on RXLEV statistics from the OMC (neighbours as well as temporary neighbours)
They can be a very good source of interference information if they are statistically stable because they are not sensi-
tive to data errors. On the other hand, they have many disadvantages, such as:
• Transmitters with the same BSIC and BCCH can not be differentiated.
• Transmitters having the same BCCH will never have an interference entry.
• Information is lost when more than 6 interferers exist at any location.
• If many interferers share the same BCCH, they increase each other’s interference levels.
• HCS layers can cause problems because there are more servers at any point, macro layer servers are stronger, or
a correction margin might be introduced for some equipment, etc.
This type of interference matrix can be created using an extended neighbours list.
5. Interference matrices based on drive test data
Reliability can be low because usually the drive test data sampling zone and the traffic model are not related.
Secondly, the measurements are carried out for existing neighbours.
6. Interference matrices based on CW measurements
Their reliability can be low because the measurements usually do not reflect the traffic model. However, this source
of information can be very reliable for a subset of transmitters that were properly scanned. Carrying out CW meas-
urements is expensive which means that the collected information is often partial or out of date.
7. Interference matrices based on scan data drive tests
They are highly reliable and an excellent source of information, but are not useful in a radio planning tool because no
information is available to map transmitters to the received signals at any pixel.
8. Upper bound interference matrix
The source of this type of interference matrix is not defined. It can be based on user experience. The information
contained in this interference matrix is used as an upper limit, i.e., if this interference matrix indicates a certain level
of interference, it should not be exceeded because other interference matrices show higher interference. If an upper
bound interference matrix does not contain information about an entry, it is ignored.
9. Lower bound interference matrix
The source of this type of interference matrix is not defined. It can be based on user experience. The information
contained in this interference matrix is used as a lower limit. This type of interference matrix can be very useful
because you can edit entries in this interference matrix, and be certain that the interference will be at least as high as
the value you entered. This approach can be used when user experience shows a certain level of interference which
the radio network planning tool is unable to calculate.
To define the interference matrix type:
3. Right-click the interference matrix for which you want to define the type. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Properties dialog box appears.
5. On the Advanced tab, select the Interference Matrix Type from the list.
Depending on the matrix type, the quality indicators available in the Advanced tab include:
• For matrices based on path loss (propagation data) matrices:
• The standard deviation
• The resolution
• Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
Matrices based on propagation can store additional information, such as server selection
or the HO margin value, if shadowing has been taken into account for their calculation and,
if so, the cell edge coverage probability. This information can then be used by the AFP for
some calculations. For more information, see "The Cost Tab" on page 411 and "The
Advanced Tab" on page 421.
• For matrices based on reselection statistics from the OMC:

• The statistic duration
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• For matrices based on handover statistics from the OMC:

• The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
• The average number of points collected at each matrix calculation point
• The volume of information
• For matrices based on RXLEV statistics from the OMC:
• For matrices based on drive test data:
• The average number of points collected at each matrix calculation point.
• For matrices based on CW measurements:
• For matrices based on scan data drive tests:
The context in which an interference matrix was created is not part of the interference matrix files. You must therefore set up
the type and quality indicators of the interference matrix manually.
6.4.3.1.7 Analysing Interference Matrices

The Atoll AFP enables you to analyse interference matrices for different transmitters and their TRXs. For any selected trans-
mitter and its TRX, you can use the AFP module to display lists of interfering and interfered transmitters, their TRXs, and the
corresponding costs. The AFP module also displays the interference relations between transmitters in the map window. Co-
channel and adjacent channel interferences are treated separately. You can display all or strongly interfered and interfering
transmitters, and interfered and interfering neighbour transmitters.
To analyse interference matrices:
1. Select Tools > IFP. The IFP window appears.
2. Select the Interference Matrix Analysis from the list at the top of the IFP window.
3. Select a transmitter from the Transmitter list.
You can also select a transmitter by clicking its symbol in the map window.
4. Select the TRX type from the Subcells list.

5. Select an AFP module from the AFP Module list.
6. If you want to modify parameters that will influence frequency planning before running the tool, select one of the fol-
lowing from the Parameters list:
• AFP Module Properties: For information on the options, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
• AFP Parameters: In the AFP Launching Parameters dialog box, you can set the following parameters:
i. Under Traffic loads, indicate whether the AFP should take traffic loads From the subcells table or use loads
Based on the default traffic capture results.
ii. If you want the AFP to consider discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it in calculating the
interference, select the DTX check box and enter the Voice activity factor.
iii. Select the Load all the subcells involved in separation constraints check box if you want all subcells potential-
ly involved to be loaded.
iv. Select the Load all the potential interferers check box if you want all potential interferers to be loaded. If this
check box is not selected, the cost function will consist only of the separation violation cost.
• Separation Rules: For information on the options, see "Channel Separations" on page 371.
• Exceptional Pairs: For information on the options, see "Channel Separations" on page 371.
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• Intra-Technology Neighbours: For information on the options, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on
page 301.
7. Click Calculate. The interference probability values are displayed in the right-most column of the Interference Matrix
Analysis tab.
The tool calculates and displays interference probabilities using the active interference matrices available in the GSM
Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. If the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices
folder are inactive or if interference matrices are not available, the analysis tool only calculates and displays the inter-
ference from a transmitter and its TRXs on itself.
In the map window, arrows from the studied transmitter to each interfered or interfering transmitter are displayed.
The colour of the arrow is the same as the colour of the studied transmitter. The probabilities of interference are
displayed as captions for the arrows. The thickness of the arrows are indicate the interference probability.
8. Select the interference information to display in the rightmost column:
• Under the Status column, you can display the interference matrix information with the studied transmitter as the
Victim or the Interferer.
• Under the Frequency Reuse column, you can display Co-channel or Adjacent Channel interference information
for the studied transmitter.
• Under the Filtering column, you can display the Strongly Interfered, All Interfered, or the Neighbour Violations
of the studied transmitter. You can choose more than one of these options by pressing and holding CTRL and
clicking each option.
The following figures illustrate the display of interference information.
Figure 6.54: Displaying interference information
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Figure 6.54: Displaying interference information
6.4.3.1.8 Generating Reports on Interference Matrices

You can generate reports on one or all of the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices folder.
• "Generating a Report on a Single Interference Matrix" on page 370
• "Generating a Report on All Interference Matrices" on page 371.
Generating a Report on a Single Interference Matrix
To generate a report on a single interference matrix:

3. Right-click the interference matrix on which you want to generate a report. The context menu appears.
4. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Scope dialog box appears with the report
details:
• A table with the number of times the listed transmitter has been interfered
• The total number of entries in the selected interference matrix
• The number of transmitters covered by the interference matrix
• The average number of interferers per interfered subcell in the interference matrix.
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Generating a Report on All Interference Matrices
In order to generate a report on all the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices folder:
2. Right-click the GSM Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Scope dialog box appears with the report
details:
• A table with the number of times the listed transmitter has been interfered
• The total number of entries in the selected interference matrices
• The number of transmitters covered by the interference matrices
• The average number of interferers per interfered subcell in the interference matrices.
6.4.3.1.9 Selecting Interference Matrices for the Frequency Allocation Process

When you allocate frequencies automatically or interactively using the AFP in GSM/GPRS/EDGE, the allocation process uses
interference matrices. You can select which interference matrices the automatic or interactive frequency allocation process
will be based on. When you use more than one interference matrix, the AFP combines the data. For more information on how
the optional Atoll AFP module combines the data from more than one interference matrix, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on
page 400.
To activate an interference matrix to be used for an automatic frequency allocation:
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to use in an automatic frequency allocation. The context menu appears.
4. Select Activate from the context menu. The selected interference matrix is now active and will be used the next time
you use an AFP.
You can deactivate the interference matrix by right-clicking it and selecting Deactivate from the context menu.
When you have several active interference matrices in a project, only those intersecting
the AFP scope will be loaded in order to avoid consuming more memory than necessary
during the AFP process. The "RAM Consumption" field in the interference matrix proper-
ties dialog box indicates how much memory the interference matrix will take. For embed-
ded matrices, the AFP loads them only during the AFP process, so the "RAM Consumption"
field will always be zero. For external matrices, the AFP reads them to check their scope
and then decides whether they are to be loaded into memory or not, so, the "RAM
Consumption" field will always be a non-zero value (after running the AFP). As a result, it
is recommended to embed interference matrices as long as the document file size is not
excessively large.
6.4.3.2 Channel Separations

Channel separations define how many channels should separate different TRXs under set circumstances. Channel separations
are necessary if you are using automatic frequency planning. Carefully defining channel separations will help you increase the
efficient use of channels in your network.
Defining channel separations is a three-step process in Atoll.
In step 1, you set general separation rules that define the channel separation that should exist between TRXs on the same
transmitter, same site, or between neighbours.
In step 2, you define separation rules for the TRXs of specific pairs of transmitters. During automatic frequency planning, the
separation rules can be overridden by the specific entries in the Exceptional Separation Constraints table. You can edit
constraints directly from the AFP output dialog box. The Exceptional Separation Constraints table is automatically updated
with any changes you make in the AFP output dialog box.
In step 3, you ensure that your neighbour relation constraints are correctly weighted by the neighbour importance.
In this section, creating separation rules and exceptional separation constraints is explained. As well, displaying and modifying
exceptional separation constraints on the map is explained:
• "Defining Separation Rules" on page 372
• "Importing Separation Rules" on page 372
• "Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 372
• "Displaying Exceptional Frequency Separations on the Map" on page 372
• "Adding or Removing Exceptional Frequency Separations Using the Mouse" on page 373.
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6.4.3.2.1 Defining Separation Rules

You can define separation rules that set the channel separation that should exist between pairs of TRXs on the same trans-
mitter, same site, or between neighbours after a frequency allocation.
To define separation rules:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Separation Rules from the context menu. The Separation Rules table appears.
4. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select the following parameters for each separation rule you want
to define:
• Type of Relation: Select the type of relation, co-transmitter, co-site, or neighbour, between the two TRXs.
• TRX Type: Select the first TRX type.
• TRX Type 2: Select the second TRX type.
• Default Min. Separation: Enter the minimum difference in channels that must exist between the two TRX types.
Entering "0" means that they can use the same channel.
6.4.3.2.2 Importing Separation Rules

If you have an existing set of separation rules, you can import them into your GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
To import separation rules:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Separation Rules from the context menu. The Separation Rules table appears.
6.4.3.2.3 Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations

The separation rules apply to the entire network. However, in a few cases, the separation rules might not apply to specific
pairs of TRXs. In this case, you can set exceptional frequency separations to define channel separations that apply to specific
pairs of TRXs. During automatic frequency planning, the separation rules are first considered, but they can be overridden by
specific entries in the Exceptional Separation Constraints table.
To define exceptional frequency separations:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu. The Exceptional Separation Constraints table
appears.
4. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select the following parameters for each separation rule you want
to define:
• Transmitter: Select the transmitter on which the TRX in TRX Type is located.
• TRX Type: Select the first TRX type.
• Transmitter 2: Select the transmitter on which the TRX in TRX Type 2 is located.
• TRX Type 2: Select the second TRX type.
• Separation: Enter the minimum difference in channels that must exist between the two TRX types. Entering "0"
means that they can use the same channel.
You can also define exceptional pairs from the AFP results. Subcells which do not respect
separation constraints can be defined as exceptional pairs in order to force the AFP to
modify its allocation priority and to avoid this violation. See "The Results of the Automatic
Frequency Allocation" on page 389 for more information.
6.4.3.2.4 Displaying Exceptional Frequency Separations on the Map

You can display the exceptional frequency separations defined in the Exceptional Separation Constraints table on the map.
To display the exceptional frequency separations:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Display Options from the context menu. The Separation Constraint Display dialog box
appears.
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4. Select the Transmitter 1 TRX Type and the Transmitter 2 TRX Type to display.
When you select "All" as either Transmitter 1 TRX Type or Transmitter 2 TRX Type, Atoll
does not display all TRX types. Rather it displays only exceptional frequency separations for
which the TRX type constraint is defined as "All."
appears.
6. Select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) from the context menu.
8. Click a transmitter on the map to display the exceptional frequency separations. If the selected transmitter has
defined exceptional frequency separations that fit the display options, Atoll displays the following information (see
Figure 6.55):
• The exceptional frequency separations of the selected transmitter are indicated by a heavy line in the same
colour as the other transmitter in the defined pair.
• The defined minimum channel separation is indicated beside the line linking the two transmitters.
Figure 6.55: Displaying exceptional frequency separations
9. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) again.
You can define exceptional pairs directly on the map. For information, see "Adding or
Removing Exceptional Frequency Separations Using the Mouse" on page 373.
6.4.3.2.5 Adding or Removing Exceptional Frequency Separations Using the Mouse

You can add and remove define exceptional frequency separations directly on the map.
To define an exceptional frequency separation on the map:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Display Options from the context menu. The Separation Constraint Display dialog box
appears.
4. In Transmitter 1 TRX Type list and Transmitter 2 TRX Type list, select the TRX type for which you want to define sep-
aration constraints.
appears.
6. Select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) from the context menu.
7. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).

8. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays the existing exceptional frequency separations for this trans-
mitter.
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You can do the following:

• To add an exceptional frequency separation: Press CTRL and click on the second transmitter. A dialog box appears
where you enter the minimum separation between the transmitters. When you click OK, the exceptional fre-
quency separation is created and indicated by a heavy line in the same colour as the second transmitter. The min-
imum separation is indicated next to the link. The exceptional separation constraint is automatically added to the
Exceptional Separation Constraints table.
• To remove an exceptional frequency separation: Press CTRL and click on the second transmitter of an existing
exceptional frequency separation. The exceptional frequency separation is removed from the map and from the
Exceptional Separation Constraints table.
9. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) again.
You can display the coverage areas of exceptional pairs in much the same way as you
would display the coverage of a transmitter’s neighbours, with the exception that you
select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) when you click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on
the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. For more information, see
"Displaying the Coverage of Each Neighbour of a Transmitter" on page 310.
6.4.3.2.6 Adjusting the Relative Importance of Neighbours

In many cases, neighbour relations are the strongest constraints on the AFP. The neighbour importance field of the Neigh-
bours table enables the AFP to partially ignore weak or distant neighbours and concentrate more on the more important
neighbours.
Neighbour importance can be either:
• calculated by Atoll
• imported, based on OMC statistics, or
• imported and completed by a calculation performed in Atoll
This section gives several examples of how you can adjust the relative importance of neighbours.
Review the neighbour allocation before running the AFP. Often poorly defined neighbour
relations are the cause of a poorly defined frequency plan.
Example 1: Automatic Neighbour Allocation
You can calculate neighbour importance by automatically allocating neighbours as explained in "Allocating Intra-technology
Neighbours Automatically" on page 303. Atoll’s default values when automatically allocating neighbours are:
• Coverage Factor: 1% to 30%
• Adjacency Factor: 30% to 60%
• Co-site Factor: 60% to 100%
If you are running an automatic neighbour allocation so that Atoll can use the calculated neighbour calculation in the AFP, you
should change the values:
• Coverage Factor: 1% to 81%
• Adjacency Factor: 20% to 90%
• Co-site Factor: 70% to 100%
Changing the default values changes the priority definitions of the neighbour allocation
algorithm. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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Figure 6.56: Automatic neighbour allocation
After you have run the automatic neighbour allocation, and the automatic neighbour allocation has calculated the neighbour
importance, you can commit the results and run the AFP.
Example 2: Importing Neighbour Importance
There are several possible external sources of neighbour importance. For example:
• OMC HO statistics
• Test mobile data measurements (providing the measurements ignore interference between non-neighbours).
As with any source of information, it is up to the user to prepare and import this external data. Neighbour importance is meas-
ured in terms of probabilities.
Example 3: Completing or Updating the Neighbour Importance Information
After adding new sites, or in order to resolve handover problems, you might need to run a new automatic neighbour alloca-
tion. However, when you run an automatic neighbour allocation, Atoll recalculates all existing neighbour relations and over-
writes existing neighbour importance values. If the changes to the network were only minimal, you can assume that the
existing neighbour relations and weights were accurate. You can also assume that the newly calculated neighbour relations
and importance values are less important, because they are only minor modifications to a working system.
You can preserve the existing neighbour relations and importance values while at the same time creating neighbour relations
for the new sites by first exporting the existing neighbour relations, running an automatic neighbour allocation to create
neighbour relations along with their weights, and then re-importing the original neighbour relations and weights. Atoll will
then replace the newly calculated neighbour relations and weights with the original values where they exist.
To extend an neighbour allocation while preserving existing neighbour relations:
1. Export the current intra-technology neighbour relations once to a file called AllCurrentNei.txt using the Export
command on the Neighbours table's context menu. For information on exporting a table, see "Exporting Tables to
Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
2. Export the intra-technology neighbour relations a second time to a file called AllCurrentNei_Importance.txt, this time
selecting the neighbour relations with a reliable neighbour importance.
3. Import the AllCurrentNei.txt file into the Exceptional Pairs of Intra-technology Neighbours table. This will set all
existing neighbour relations to forced, which is a pre-requisite to extending an existing neighbour allocation. For infor-
mation on importing the contents of a text file into a table, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
4. Set the importance weighting in the Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box in order to keep the values assigned
for importance below a certain value. For example, if you want all importance values to be under 50%, you can set the
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Max Importance values as indicated in Figure 6.57. For information on setting the importance weighting, see "Config-
uring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 302.
5. Run an automatic neighbour allocation to allocate neighbours to new sites and assign importance to neighbour rela-
tions that do not already have an importance assigned. For information on defining and running an automatic neigh-
bour allocation, see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 303.
Figure 6.57: Setting neighbour importance weighting
As you can see in Figure 6.57, the importance assigned to all new neighbour relations will be weak.
6. Commit the allocation.
7. Import the AllCurrentNei.txt file into the Neighbours table. When Atoll prompts you to delete existing neighbours,
click No.
In Figure 6.58, you can see that neighbour relations now include old neighbour relations with a higher importance and new
neighbour relations with a lower importance automatically calculated by Atoll.
Figure 6.58: Neighbours table
Example 4: Importing Partial Sources of Neighbour Importance
You can import partial sources of neighbour importance. The data, in the form of a probability from 0 to 1, are imported into
the Importance column of the Neighbours.
If your network statistics do not provide you with the importance of neighbours, you can calculate neighbour importance
using other statistics. You can then import this calculated importance into Atoll where it can be used by the AFP.
For example, if you have statistics on the number of handovers between two sectors, you can calculate the importance of the
different neighbours of each cell using these statistics. For example, if you have two sectors, A and B, and you use X to repre-
sent the "Average Activity of a Relationship" in the network, i.e., the sum of all handovers for all sectors divided by the number
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of neighbour relationships. If the number of handovers from sector B (neighbour of sector A) is Y, the importance of sector B
for sector A can be calculated using the following equation:
 1ifY  X

Impor tan ce =  Y
 ---- IfY  X
 X
This way, when a relationship has an above-average number of handovers, its importance will be the highest possible in Atoll,
i.e., 100%. Otherwise, its importance will be below average.
6.4.3.3 Modelling Traffic

When allocating frequencies, information from the interference matrix is often used along with AFP traffic. In Atoll, these two
records are not correlated. For more information on why interference matrices and AFP traffic are not correlated in Atoll, see
"AFP Guidelines" on page 438.
The AFP uses traffic to differentiate between heavily loaded TRXs (which would generate a high cost if they are interfered)
and TRXs with a low load (which can be interfered without generating a high cost). In other words, the AFP traffic model is
basically a weighting system. In more advanced AFP use, AFP traffic can be used, for example, to optimise the number of TRXs
and estimate blocking.
AFP traffic input will be described in this section. Traffic is one of the most important AFP inputs because:
• The AFP will try to assign the required number of TRXs. The number of required TRXs is an important part of the AFP
traffic information.
• The cost of interference is proportional to the traffic load.
• For frequency hopping, the interference caused by a given interferer usually increases when its traffic load increases.
• At its most advanced level, the Atoll AFP can optimise the trade-offs between interfered traffic and blocked traffic
(i.e., when the AFP is permitted to adapt the number of TRXs to the spectrum availability conditions).
There is more than one method of providing traffic information to the AFP. In this section, the methods of providing traffic
information are explained from the simplest to the most advanced.
Method 1: Setting All Traffic Loads to 1
When all traffic loads are set to "1," the amount of traffic is determined exclusively by the number of required TRXs. As a
result, all TRXs are considered equally. This method has to be used whenever the only information you have is the number of
required TRXs.
Method 2: Entering Traffic Loads Manually
In this method of providing traffic information to the AFP, the AFP traffic is determined by the manually entered traffic load
values, and by the manually entered number of required TRXs. The disadvantage of this method is that this information must
usually be calculated and entered manually; it is not easy to obtain automatically. If you have access to this information, you
can use this method.
Method 3: Importing Traffic Loads from OMC Data
This method is recommended for use with the Atoll AFP, however, it is not supported by all external AFP suppliers. Using this
method, the AFP considers the number of required TRXs as a recommendation only. The actual traffic demand is taken from
the Subcells table, where the data has been updated using traffic demands supplied by the OMC (see "Importing OMC Traffic
Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on page 318).
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To use the traffic information in the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:

1. On the Cost tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box, select the option Based on the traffic demand (from
subcell table or default traffic capture) (see Figure 6.59). For more information on the Atoll AFP Module Properties
dialog box, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
Figure 6.59: Setting the option on the Cost tab
2. On the Global Parameters tab of the AFP wizard dialog box, select the option From subcell table under Traffic (Subcell
load, demand and target rate of traffic overload) (see Figure 6.60). For more information on the Atoll AFP Module
Properties dialog box, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
Figure 6.60: Setting the option on the Global Parameters tab of the AFP dialog box
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3. On the AFP Model and Allocations tab of the first AFP dialog box, select the option Optimisation of the number of
TRXs under Strategies. For more information on the AFP Module Properties dialog box, see "The Atoll AFP Module"
on page 400.
Method 4: Extracting Traffic from Traffic Maps
In this method, you use traffic maps, but you rely on external dimensioning to determine the number of required TRXs.
This method also requires you to create a traffic capture before launching the AFP. The traffic capture will provide an analysis
of traffic at the transmitter level, thereby transforming the traffic maps into the load estimates that are required for the AFP.
The traffic model is a map and gives probabilistic traffic estimates per pixel. The AFP needs either traffic demands or loads. In
both case, it needs this information at the subcell or cell level. The traffic capture is responsible for this conversion.
Using a traffic model is an enhanced use of Atoll. You must be sure that your traffic modelling is correct and compatible with
the service zone modelling. You must also be aware of mobility compatibilities, service compatibilities, mobile compatibilities,
and layer definitions.
The inherent complexities of working with a traffic model discourage many users from working with a traffic model, even
though theoretically this is the best way of planning a GSM network.
It is even possible to restrict the use of a certain map (or set of maps) to a certain HCS layer. We highly recommend the usage
of this feature since it reduces this complexity (see "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 330).
In order to use this option, you must do the following:
• On the Global Parameters tab of the AFP dialog box, select Based on default traffic capture results under Traffic (see
Figure 6.61).
Figure 6.61: Selecting the default traffic capture results as the source of traffic
Method 5: Using a Traffic Model with Dimensioning
With this method you use a traffic model along with dimensioning (see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on
page 337).
Usually the number of required TRXs is an input. The number of required TRXs can be strict or lightly modified. If you decide
to use Atoll's dimensioning model to determine the number of required TRXs:
• Thoroughly test your traffic model and network.
• Carry out the dimensioning, verify the results, and commit it.
By committing the required number of TRXs you have already committed the load and the demand information to the cells
or subcells. You are now ready to use the AFP.
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6.4.3.4 AFP-Related Parameters in the Subcells Table

Many of the parameters used by the AFP are read directly from subcell settings made in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. You
can modify these parameters globally or for individual transmitters before running the AFP. Other parameters are calculated
when you dimension the GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.
Before you can use the AFP tool, you need to know the number of required TRXs. You can dimension the network to let Atoll
automatically calculate and update the required number of TRXs needed per subcell for each transmitter of the network, or
you can enter the information manually. For information on letting Atoll automatically calculate and update the required
number of TRXs needed per subcell, see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 335. For information on adding
TRXs manually, see "Creating or Modifying a TRX" on page 253.
When you dimension the network, Atoll also calculates the required number of shared, circuit, and packet timeslots required
for all TRXs of the subcell.
The other AFP-relevant parameters in the network concern the subcells and related TRXs. In Atoll, a subcell refers to the char-
acteristics of a group of TRXs on a transmitter sharing the same radio characteristics, the same quality (C/I) requirements, and
other settings.
The following subcell settings can be modified globally by modifying the cell type or for a specific transmitter by modifying the
parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. The parameters are displayed in three
different tables under Subcells: Standard Data, for the standard information defining a subcell, Traffic Data, for information
describing the traffic in the cell, and AFP indicators, for information resulting from running an AFP model. For information on
modifying cell types, see "Cell Types" on page 499. For information on modifying transmitter properties, see "Creating or
Modifying a Transmitter" on page 251.
The following are the most important AFP-relevant parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitter’s Properties
dialog box:
• Traffic Load: The Traffic Load indicates the usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the Traffic
Load column can be either user-defined or the result of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate interference and in
automatic frequency planning.
• Total Circuit Demand: The circuit demand indicates the amount of Erlangs necessary to absorb the circuit-switched
demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH). This value can be used by an advanced AFP model to opti-
mise the number of TRXs and maximise the amount of correctly served traffic. The Total Circuit Demand is found in
the Traffic Data table.
• Total Packet Demand: The packet demand indicates the amount of timeslots necessary to absorb the packet-switched
demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g. BCCH and TCH). This value can be used by an advanced AFP model to opti-
mise the number of TRXs and maximise the amount of correctly served traffic. The Total Packet Demand is found in
the Traffic Data table.
• C/I Threshold (dB): The minimum signal quality for the TRX Type, under which the subcell interface is taken into con-
sideration. The C/I Threshold is found in the Standard table.
• Reception Threshold (dBm): The minimum received signal for the TRX Type. The Reception Threshold is found in the
Standard table.
• Frequency Domain: (including excluded channels), from which the AFP tool can choose frequencies. The Frequency
Domain is found in the Standard table. The Relevant Frequency Band used by the model when assigning cell types to
transmitters is also visible on the TRXs tab, but is a parameter of the cell type and can not be changed here.
The other AFP-relevant parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box are:
• Allocation Strategy: The allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. The Allocation
Strategy is found in the Standard table. There are two available allocation strategies:
• Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
• Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to the same frequency group in the frequency domain can be
assigned. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when using
the AFP.
• Preferred Frequency Group: When the Group Constrained allocation strategy is selected, in any hopping mode
(including non-hopping), the AFP tries to assign frequencies from the preferred group during automatic allocation. The
preferred frequency group is a soft constraint used by the AFP to assign frequencies to TRXs. When the AFP is unable
to assign a frequency from the preferred group and allocates a frequency from outside the group, a corresponding
cost is taken into account. The preferred group can also be the result of allocation if the AFP model is able to allocate
patterns based on azimuth. The Preferred Frequency Group is found in the Standard table.
• Max. MAL Length: The maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum number of
channels allocated to the TRXs of the subcell during automatic frequency planning if the Hopping Mode is either SFH
(Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allocation Strategy is Free. The Max. MAL
Length is found in the Standard table.
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• Hopping Mode: The frequency hopping mode supported by the selected TRX type. The hopping mode can be either
"Base Band Hopping mode (BBH)" or "Synthesised Hopping mode (SFH)." If frequency hopping is not supported, select
"Non Hopping." The Hopping Mode is found in the Standard table.
If SFH is the frequency hopping mode, the settings in the AFP module must match the
settings in the subcell. For information on configuring the optional Atoll AFP module, see
"The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
• Synchronisation: The Synchronisation is used during frequency hopping; frequency hopping is synchronised among
all TRXs of subcells with the same string of characters in the Synchronisation column. By default, the name of the site
is used as the value in the Synchronisation column, synchronising frequency hopping for all TRXs on the same site.
The Synchronisation is found in the Standard table.
• DTX Supported: The DTX Supported check box is selected if the subcell supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission)
mode. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce interference they produce according to the defined voice activity factor.
DTX does not apply to the BCCH since it is assumed that the BCCH is always on air. The DTX Supported check box is
found in the Standard table.
• Lock required TRXs: This option can be used by an AFP model which has the capability to optimise (i.e., increase or
decrease) the number of required TRXs where the only goal is maximising the amount of correctly served traffic. In
other words, you might have fewer TRXs than required if they are not subject to any interference and the amount of
correctly served traffic will be larger. When you select this option, the number of required TRXs is blocked for that
subcell. The Lock required TRXs option is found in the Standard table.
Although you can manually set the values of the following required timeslot numbers, these values are calculated during the
dimensioning process. On the AFP tab of a transmitter’s Properties dialog box, under Parameters related to automatic plan-
ning, you can set the weight and reuse distance to be used for the selected transmitter during the AFP:
• Weight: Enter the AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell during auto-
matic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the higher the constraint
on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost function which has to be minimised by the AFP. The
Weight is found in the Standard table.
• Reuse distance: Enter a reuse distance. The reuse distance is taken into consideration when assigning frequencies or
BSIC. Using a minimum reuse distance can help compensate for inaccuracies in the interference matrices or other
input data.
If certain resources have already been allocated, on the AFP tab of a transmitter’s Properties dialog box you can choose to
lock the resources that have already been allocated to the selected transmitter. During automatic frequency planning, these
resources, which can be allocated as part of the process, will not be changed.
• Lock Channels and MAIO: When the Lock Channels and MAIO check box is selected, the transmitter’s currently
assigned channels and MAIO are kept when a new AFP session is started. On the TRXs tab, under TRXs, you can lock
the channels and MAIO for individual TRXs assigned to the transmitter.
• Lock HSN: When the Lock HSN check box is selected, the transmitter’s currently assigned HSN is kept when a new AFP
session is started. On the TRXs tab, under Subcell (TRX Groups) Settings, you can lock the HSN for individual subcells
assigned to the transmitter.
• Lock BSIC: When the Lock BSIC check box is selected, the transmitter’s currently assigned BSIC is kept when a new AFP
session is started.
Under Exceptional separation constraints with other transmitters, on the AFP tab of a transmitter’s Properties dialog box,
you can enter exceptional separation constraints with other transmitters. Exceptional separation constraints you enter here
also appear in the Exceptional Separation Constraints table. For information on creating exceptional separation constraints,
see "Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 372.
By adding two options in the Atoll.ini file, you can force the Atoll AFP model to restrict
channel allocation to a limited spectrum for each transmitter in the same way that it is
implemented on some equipment. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
6.4.3.5 Modelling Layers and Subcells

There are several different methods that you can use to correctly model layers and subcells. These methods offer different
levels of accuracy and can help you to increase the spectral efficiency of your network.
Method 1: The simplest method of modelling layers and subcells is to use only one HCS layer and only two TRX types (i.e.,
BCCH and TCH) for all transmitters.
Method 2: The second method involves modelling HCS layers in a more complete fashion.
HCS layers play several roles in Atoll. Their most important role is related to the way Atoll manages traffic maps. Different
layers have different priorities and mobility limitations. As well, you can manage traffic overflow by allowing traffic to flow
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from one layer to another. The objective of is to model the behaviour of a real network, where two potential servers that do
not belong to the same layer usually do not compete to be the best server.
When calculating an interference matrix, or when making an interference coverage prediction, HCS layers are used to create
service zone maps which are used as the basis of these calculations. If two transmitters belong to different layers, they can
both serve the same pixel even if the received signal of one is much stronger than the received signal of the other. For equal
HO margins, more HSC layers mean more overlapping in the network. As the overlapping increases, the constraint level in the
interference matrix and the amount of interference in an interference prediction also increase.
When using this method, you must study the priority mechanism in your network, both in the re-selection process and in the
handover process. Define the corresponding HCS layers once you know its working. When using a traffic map, you must ensure
that there are enough mobility types to model high speed and low speed mobilities.
Method 3: With this method, you study the settings of the TCH TRXs and how they manage radio resources. There might be
differences between the TRXs on at least one of the following items:
• Whether transmission power is maximum or average
• Whether reception is managed by reception level or by distance
• Scheduling priority
• Whether the subcell handles packet-switched or circuit-switched traffic
• Quality requirement for high bit-rate coding schemes.
• Spectral restrictions (often present with the GSM extended frequencies)
• Frequent use of high bit rate modulations
• Whether the BCCH is multi-band or single BCCH.
A customised definition of multi-subcell transmitters can permit the AFP to exploit these differences. This is often called the
underlay overlay layout, (or intelligent underlay overlay). For detailed information on the technical aspects of cell type defi-
nition, see "Cell Types" on page 499.
With this method, there is more than one way to improve the accuracy of the network model. The common point is the fact
that they all require multi-subcell transmitters. Theoretically, these combined methods should provide over 40% additional
spectrum efficiency (40% in the case of voice, for packet-switched services it can be much higher). However, you can assume
that the gains are lower when the HCS layers are intelligently defined. In other words, if you improve the efficient use of spec-
trum by accurately defining the HCS layers, you can not get an equivalent amount through the accurate definition of concen-
tric cells.
Concentric cells are necessary whenever some TRXs have a bigger interference area than others, or when some TRXs serve
traffic which is more widely spread than others, or when some TRXs are used for more robust services than others, (i.e., for
services which do not need as high a quality as others).
Each of these refinements, alone or combined, can reduce the constraint level, leading to a much better frequency plan.
Method 4: With this method, you’ll have to check the network as described in this section before starting the AFP:
1. Create a traffic map based on environments, using an appropriate clutter weighting. For information on creating an
environment-based traffic map, see "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 325.
2. Import the current frequency plan into your Atoll document. For information on importing a frequency plan into an
Atoll document, see "Importing a Frequency List" on page 356.
3. Create a traffic capture and calculate it. For information on creating a traffic capture, see "Calculating and Displaying
a Traffic Capture" on page 329.
4. Perform a KPI calculation and commit it. For information on KPI calculation, see "Calculating Key Performance Indica-
tors of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 477.
5. Adjust the traffic coefficient in the traffic capture so that the average level of traffic loads is correct.
6. Study the cases where traffic loads are either too low or too high. This can easily be managed by colouring transmitters
according to their traffic load. The reasons for this can be the following:
• A high priority cell is taking all the traffic from another cell. This means that the HCS parameters in Atoll do not
reflect reality.
• There exist a cell that is no longer used and, in fact, has been removed from the OMC but still exists in the Atoll.
This cell is absorbing the traffic and reduces to 0 the load of another cell.
• Other parameters are not correct: Height, power, tilt, etc.
6.4.4 Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP Module

There are several different ways, of differing levels of complexity, to automatically allocate resources. In "The Atoll AFP
Module" on page 400, these different methods of automatically allocating resources are explained. In this section, the basic
information necessary to automatic resource allocation, regardless of the level of optimisation, is explained.
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The Automatic Frequency Planning (AFP) tool is a designed to perform large-scale and small-scale resource allocation. It can
add or remove TRXs and assign frequencies or MAL lists as well as MAIOs. The AFP can also assign the HSN, the BSIC, various
KPIs, and preferred group names.
When the AFP assigns resources, it takes traffic demand, separation constraints, and interference limitations into considera-
tion. Atoll allows the use of third-party AFP tools.
The AFP attempts to create an optimal resource allocation, i.e., an allocation that minimises interference and complies with
a set of user-defined constraints. Most AFPs assign a cost to the various constraints and then use cost-based algorithms to
evaluate possible frequency plans and to find the frequency plan with the lowest costs. The cost function can be different from
one AFP to another. The cost function of the Atoll AFP module is described in "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
The quality of the final resource allocation depends on the level of preparation you make for the AFP. An advanced level
requires an understanding of the cost function, the algorithm, and the parameters specific to that module. Therefore, in this
section, only basic preparation is explained since it is common to all AFP modules that work with Atoll. Advanced use of the
Atoll AFP is explained in "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
Before using the AFP for automatic resource allocation, you should understand the following:
• The scope of the AFP (i.e., in other words, the area and parameters that will be affected by the AFP). For more infor-
mation, see "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383.
• The network validation process that takes place before the AFP starts. For more information, see "The Network Vali-
dation Process" on page 384.
• An understanding of the AFP dialog box. For more information, see "Running an Automatic Frequency Allocation" on
page 385
• The AFP results. Understanding the displayed AFP results enables you to assess the proposed frequency plan before
committing the frequency plan. For more information, see "The Results of the Automatic Frequency Allocation" on
page 389.
6.4.4.1 The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix
• "The Scope of the AFP" on page 383
• "The Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383.
6.4.4.1.1 The Scope of the AFP

You can think of the scope of the AFP as, first and foremost, the transmitters that are active and filtered and within the focus
zone and the computation zone. This is the area that the AFP will be affecting. The second part of the scope is the part which
will be taken into consideration by the AFP but will not be affected. This second part includes the neighbours of any transmit-
ters within the focus and computation zones, and any transmitter whose calculation radius intersects the calculation radius
of any transmitter that is already within the AFP scope.
For example, in a given project, there are three groups of transmitters:
• Active: The Active group includes all active transmitters that are filtered in the Transmitters folder and in the Sites
folder.
• Selected: The Selected group is a subgroup of the Active group and contains all the transmitters in the folder from
which the AFP was started and that are located inside the focus zone and the computation zone.
• Ring: Transmitters that are part of the Active group, but not part of the Selected group belong to the Ring group if
they affect transmitters in the Active group. For example, neighbours of transmitters in the Selected group would be
in the Ring group, as would the second transmitter of an exceptional pair. Additionally, if some transmitters are
defined as interferers only (see "Transmitter Description" on page 242), they are part of the AFP scope because they
might affect the transmitters to which frequencies will be allocated but their frequency plan cannot be modified.
Finally, if BSIC are being assigned, all second-order neighbours are in the Ring group as well. Finally, if interference is
taken into account during the AFP process (by selecting the Load all interferers propagating in the focus zone check
box), any transmitter whose calculation radius intersects the calculation radius of a transmitter in the Selected group,
is included in the Ring group. If a site has a large calculation radius (e.g. 20 km), a potentially large number of trans-
mitters can be loaded into the Ring group.
In this example, the Selected and Ring groups are both loaded into the network and form the AFP scope. However, the trans-
mitters in the Ring group are locked; the AFP-related parameters (BSIC, HSN, MAL, MAIO, and channels) can not be changed.
As for the transmitters in the Selected group, the AFP can assign any of the resources specified in the AFP dialog box, with the
following exceptions:
• You can lock individual transmitters for channel (and MAL), HSN or BSIC assignment.
• You can lock individual TRXs for channel (and MAL) assignment.
• You can lock individual subcells for HSN assignment.
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In Atoll's AFP, locked TRXs are reported as locked during cost calculation, however the AFP
can still modify the cost of locked TRXs under the following circumstances: if the locked
TRX has a bad neighbour relation (in terms of cost) with another TRX which is not locked,
Atoll's AFP reports to the user which part of the cost can be modified and which part can
not.
6.4.4.1.2 The Scope of the Interference Matrix

The scope of each individual interference matrix depends on how it was defined and created. If you generate a report on the
GSM Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer, the report will show a combined scope of all active interference
matrices in the folder. For more information on the definition of the interference matrix, see "Interference Matrices" on
page 360.
In terms of the AFP, the scope of the interference matrix is the same as that of the AFP, as described in "The Scope of the AFP"
on page 383. In other words, the scope of the interference matrix during an automatic resource allocation includes the trans-
mitters that are active and filtered and within the focus zone and the computation zone, as well the transmitters which will
be taken into consideration by the AFP but will not be affected.
Including the transmitters that are not affected by the AFP (but that affect other transmitters during the allocation of
resources) can be quite demanding on computer resources. By drawing a filtering zone around all of the transmitters to which
resources are to be allocated (the Selected group in the example given in "The Scope of the AFP" on page 383), you can cause
the AFP to ignore transmitters outside of the group of affected transmitters in the interference matrix zone.
6.4.4.2 The Network Validation Process

Before the AFP begins the automatic resource allocation process, it verifies the network and the data. By beginning with a
verification, the AFP can save time by finding potential problems before the allocation process actually starts. If the AFP finds
a problem, it displays a message with the warning or error in the Event Viewer (see Figure 6.62). It is highly recommended to
correct any problems indicated in these messages before you continue with the AFP process.
Figure 6.62: Warnings and errors during network validation phase
You can view the entire message by double-clicking it in the Event Viewer, Atoll then displays the message in a separate dialog
box (see Figure 6.63).
Figure 6.63: Message from Event Viewer
The following table contains a few examples of the range checks performed by the AFP:
Range Check Values Comments

Lowest and highest possible HSN 0 - 63
Limit on the number of different frequency Each exclusion of frequencies at a transmitter

10,000
domains might create a new domain
Lowest and highest BSIC 0 - 77
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Range Check Values Comments

Maximum required channels at a subcell 62
Lowest and highest value for AFP weight 0 - 100
Default value for AFP weight 1 Used if the AFP weight is out of domain
Lowest and highest value for “min C/I” 2 - 25
Default value for “min C/I” 12 Used if the parameter is out of range
Maximum power offset 25
Highest reception threshold -50
Lowest reception threshold -116
Default value for reception threshold -102 Used if the parameter is out of range
Limit on separation requirements Must be <= 7
Limit on the number of TRXs in a transmitter 50
6.4.4.3 Running an Automatic Frequency Allocation

You can perform automatic frequency planning on all transmitters or only on a defined group of transmitters. All the trans-
mitters targeted by the automatic frequency planning, including potential interferers and transmitters that are part of sepa-
ration constraints, are taken into account but resources are only allocated to the non-locked items (i.e., subcells or TRXs) of
the selected transmitters.
To run an AFP session:
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder or click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder and right-click a
group of transmitters. The context menu appears.
3. Select Frequency Plan > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The first page of the AFP dialog box appears
with the AFP Model and Allocations tab (see Figure 6.64).
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Figure 6.64: AFP dialog box (first page: "AFP Model and Allocations")
a. Select "Atoll AFP Module" from the AFP Module list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of
the selected AFP module.
When the AFP first starts, Atoll first ensures that the selected AFP module is correctly installed, following which
Atoll determines the capabilities of the AFP module. It is the capabilities of the AFP module which determine
which resources you can allocate using the AFP.
b. Under Resources to Allocate, select the check boxes of the resources you want to allocate. The selections you
make will depend on the hopping mode of your network:
• MAL: The MAL is used by subcells that have either the BBH or the SFH hopping mode. You must also allocate
MAIO, HSN, and channels.
• MAIO: The MAIO is used by subcells that have either the BBH or the SFH hopping mode. You must also allocate
MAL, HSN, and channels.
• Channels: All subcells must be allocated channels, independently of their hopping mode.
• HSN: The HSN is used by subcells that have either the BBH or the SFH hopping mode. You must also allocate
MAL, MAIO, and channels.
• BSIC: The BSIC is used by all transmitters, independently of the hopping mode.
Atoll will not create TRXs without channels. Therefore, if you do not allocate MAL and
MAIO, all the SFH subcells are considered locked and no TRXs will be created for them. By
the same token, if you allocate only MAL and MAIO, all NH and BBH subcells will be consid-
ered locked and no TRXs will be created.
c. Under Strategies, select the check boxes corresponding to the allocation strategies you want the AFP to use.
• Optimisation of the number of TRXs: When subcells have low traffic loads and are located in a zone of heavy
spectral congestion, reducing the number of TRXs to assign can present an advantage. On the other hand,
when some subcells have a high traffic demand, the AFP may increase the number of TRXs compared to what
is required in order to reduce the amount of blocked traffic.
• Azimuth-oriented allocation (Pattern 1/X): The azimuth-oriented allocation strategy consists of allocating
preferred frequency groups to group-constrained subcells according to the azimuth of the subcell. If the fre-
quency groups are correctly configured (i.e., if X comparably sized frequency groups for X azimuths), then the
pattern of allocation will be 1/X. If the geometry of the network is incompatible with an azimuth-oriented al-
location, the AFP will not attempt to allocate preferred frequency groups.
d. Under Indicators to allocate, select the check boxes corresponding to the indicators you want the Atoll AFP to
allocate.
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• TRX Rank: The AFP can calculate the TRX rank of each TRX. The higher the TRX rank, the higher the cost, in
terms of the risk of interference..
• Subcell Indicators: AFP cost, congestion, blocking and separation cost can be estimated by the AFP module
per pool of subcells (e.g., a BCCH pool or a TCH pool). These indicators are a way of precisely estimating the
allocation quality at the subcell level and provide some directions to improve the plan, if necessary.
e. Select the Load all interferers propagating in the focus zone check box if you want the AFP scope to be extended
to include all potential interferers. For more information on the AFP scope, see "The Scope of the AFP and the
Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383.
4. Click Next. The second page of the AFP dialog box appears with the Separations tab (see Figure 6.66). On this page,
you can modify the network's default separation requirements as well the exceptional pairs. For more information on
the separation requirements, see "Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 372. For more information
on the exceptional pairs, see "Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs" on page 302.
Figure 6.65:The AFP dialog box (second page: "Separations")
5. Click Next. The third page of the AFP dialog box appears with the Global Parameters tab (see Figure 6.65).
Figure 6.66: The AFP dialog box (third page: "Global Parameters")
6. Under Allocation of subcells of type, select the check boxes corresponding to the subcells for which resources will be
allocated to TRXs.
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Missing TRXs will not be created for any subcell not selected under Allocation of subcells
of type.
7. Under Locking of existing TRXs of type, select the check boxes corresponding to the subcells for which you want the
existing TRXs to be locked during allocation. The existing TRXs will not be affected.
You can lock the resources allocated to individual TRXs in either the Transmitters table, the
Standard Data Subcells table, the TRXs table, or the Properties dialog box of each trans-
mitter.
8. Under Traffic (Subcell load, demand and target rate of traffic overflow), select the source of the traffic information:
• From Subcells table: The traffic information in the Subcells table can come from one of three sources:
• The information could have been entered manually
• The information could have come from dimensioning
• The information could have come from a KPI calculation.
If the traffic information in the Subcells table is the result of a KPI calculation you must be
aware that, during a KPI calculation, Atoll divides the captured traffic by the timeslot
capacity of the existing number of TRXs, whereas the AFP requires the traffic to be divided
by the timeslot capacity of the required number of TRXs.
• Based on default traffic capture results.

9. If you want the AFP to consider discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it in calculating the interfer-
ence, select the DTX check box and enter the Voice activity factor.
10. If you want the AFP to consider reuse distance as a factor in interference, select the Reuse distance check box and, if
desired, change the Default value.
You can enter a reuse distance for each transmitter in the Reuse Distance column of the
Transmitters table.
11. Click OK. The AFP verifies the parameters you have defined. The AFP dialog box that appears (see Figure 6.68) gives a
summary of the verification process as well as the messages displayed in the Event Viewer.
Figure 6.67: The AFP dialog box (last page: "Validation")
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12. Under Convergence, adjust the slider to define whether you want AFP to provide quicker results (High speed), at the
expense of quality, or more accurate results (High quality), at the expense of speed. You can also position the slider
on an intermediate setting or enter a percentage in the field to the right of the slider.
In Atoll, convergence is one of the last parameters you set before running the AFP. In theory, an exhaustive explora-
tion of all cost-reduction possibilities by the AFP could last indefinitely; therefore, when you run the AFP, you must
define a convergence criterion. When convergence time has expired (or even before if you are satisfied with the cost
reduction at that point), you can stop the AFP. The quality of the final results is determined by the speed-to-quality
ratio you specified with the Convergence slider and by the size of the network.
13. If desired, enter a Random Generator Initialisation. If you set the random generator initialisation to "0", the calcula-
tions will be random. If you set the generator initialisation to any other value, the results will be deterministic, i.e.,
using the same value again will result in the same results with the same document.
All AFP calculations are deterministic at the start, even if the random generator initialisa-
tion is set to "0." The effect of the random seed can only be observed after a certain time.
If you want the automatic allocation process to show the effect of random allocation, you
must let the AFP calculate until computation time has elapsed.
14. Click Calculate. The AFP Progress dialog box appears (see Figure 6.68).
Read the messages in the Event Viewer carefully before clicking Calculate. There might
be issues that you need to address before you can successfully run an AFP.
Figure 6.68: The AFP Progress dialog box
For information on the AFP Progress dialog box and on the process of allocating frequencies and resources, see "The AFP
Progress dialog box" on page 389.
6.4.4.4 The AFP Progress dialog box

When running an AFP, the first step, explained in "Running an Automatic Frequency Allocation" on page 385, is defining the
parameters that the AFP will use. When you have finished defining the parameters and clicked Calculate on the final dialog
box, the AFP begins its calculations and the AFP Progress dialog box appears (see Figure 6.68).
The AFP Progress dialog box has three tabs:
• General: On the General tab, you will find information on the current status of the AFP, with the elapsed CPU time,
the remaining CPU time corresponding to the speed-to-quality ratio you specified with the Convergence slider, and
the number of solutions evaluated to that point.
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CPU time is based on one calculation thread. Since the AFP uses more than one thread in
most multi-core computers, the CPU time is actually about 2.5 times faster than real time.
• Quality Indicators: On the Quality Indicators tab, you will find a summary of the current Modifiable cost, Total cost,
and Total traffic, with details for each frequency plan currently retained by the AFP given in the form of a table. You
can select what information is displayed in the table by clicking the Display Options button. The following options are
available for each component of the cost (total, separation, intermodulation, blocking, additional, taxes, spectrum
modification, etc.):
• Summed Costs
• Modifiable Costs
• Locked Costs
• Histogram: On the Histogram tab, you can display histograms of the frequency cost and usage distribution for both
the initial plan and best plan. The histogram represents the channels as a function of the frequency of their use.
Moving the pointer over the histogram displays the cost or frequency of use of each channel. The results are high-
lighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the
Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the selected values.
You can pause or stop the AFP process at any time by clicking the Pause/Stop button. When you click the Pause/Stop button,
the Details dialog box appears. For information on the Details dialog box, see "The Results of the Automatic Frequency Allo-
cation" on page 389.
You can continue the AFP process, if you want, by clicking the Resume button in the Details dialog box.
6.4.4.5 The Results of the Automatic Frequency Allocation

When the AFP process has completed, or when you have stopped the process by clicking the Pause/Stop button, the
frequency plan proposed by the AFP is displayed in the Details dialog box (see Figure 6.69). Because the Details dialog box
opens in a separate window, you can return to your Atoll document while it is displayed. This allows you to verify your network
data while you resolve separation constraint violations and before you commit the automatic frequency allocation. Transmit-
ters located within the focus zone are listed in the Details dialog box. If the focus zone is not available, the results are displayed
for all the transmitters within the computation zone.
The Details dialog box is composed of the following tabs:
• "The Summary Tab" on page 390
• "The Allocation Tab" on page 390
• "The Subcells Tab" on page 395
• "The Histogram Tab" on page 396
6.4.4.5.1 The Summary Tab

The Summary tab (see Figure 6.69) shows the progress of the AFP plan and the improvements obtained by comparing the
initial plan (i.e., as it existed before running the AFP) and the best plan. In addition, you can verify all the cost components for
each solution which has improved the plan in the AFP Progress dialog box (see Figure 6.68).
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Figure 6.69: Summary tab of the AFP Details dialog box
AFP cost units are traffic units. In the Initial plan and Best plan frames (Figure 6.69), the Traffic correctly served is the total
traffic minus the Total Cost.
In Figure 6.69, the Traffic correctly served for the best plan is 7095.7, which corresponds to 7192.3 minus 96.6.
6.4.4.5.2 The Allocation Tab

The Allocation tab (see Figure 6.68) shows the results of the allocation and enables you to edit the frequency plan created by
the AFP. The results are displayed by transmitter, TRX type, and TRX and are colour-coded. There are two colour families:
In case of an important separation constraint violation:
• Red: The resource has been modified but there is an important separation constraint violation.
• Purple: The resource has been created but there is an important separation constraint violation.
By adding some options in the Atoll.ini file, you can set the threshold above which the
important separation constraint violations will be displayed in red.
Else:
• Light blue: The resource is locked and has not been modified.
• Green: The resource has been modified respecting separation constraints.
• Black: The resource has been not modified.
• Blue: The resource has been created respecting separation constraints.
• Brown: The resource has not been modified but there is a separation constraint violation.
Additionally, if the AFP has removed resources such as TRXs in order to obtain the lowest blocking cost, the initial resource
value is displayed but its corresponding line is dithered. In these circumstances, the resources (e.g., the TRXs) are deleted from
the TRXs table.
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Figure 6.70: Allocation tab of the AFP Details dialog box ("All violations" and "Important violations only")
When you move the pointer over a resource in the table, the corresponding tip text displays the reason for the status indicated
by the colour (see Figure 6.71).
Figure 6.71: Details in the tip text of an important violation
Under Display, for each combination of transmitter (Transmitter column), subcell (TRX Type column), and TRX (Index
column), Atoll displays the following columns, depending on the resources you selected to allocate (see "Running an Auto-
matic Frequency Allocation" on page 385):
• BSIC
• HSN
• Channels
The TRX Rank column indicates the quality of the TRX in that subcell. The higher the TRX rank, the higher the cost, in terms of
risk of interference. In other words, when you are trying to improve the solution proposed by the AFP, you must concentrate
on the TRXs with the highest TRX ranks. You can hide the TRX Rank column by clicking the Display Options button and dese-
lecting Display AFP Indicators.
Separation constraint violations, if any, are listed in the Separations violations column. To display the details of a separation
constraint violation:
1. Click the violation in the Separations violations column. A message box appears displaying details about the violation
(see Figure 6.72 on page 392).
2. Click Yes if you want to define the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair. Because separation constraints
between exceptional pairs have more weight than default separation constraints, you will be able to re-run the AFP
and force it to try to avoid this violation.
Or click No to close the message box without defining the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair.
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Figure 6.72: Separation Constraint Violation message box
The bottom of the Allocation tab displays the messages related to the last solution (which may not be the best solution) as
well as potentially related allocation problems.
Resolving All Important Separation Constraint Violations at Once
You can resolve all important separation constraint violations at once. When you do that, Atoll deletes all the TRXs causing
important separation constraint violations.
To resolve all important separation constraint violations at once:
1. Click the Actions button. The context menu appears.
2. Select Resolve Important Constraint Violations from the context menu.
Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Manually
In the Details dialog box, you can resolve the displayed separation constraint violations using the Channel Assignment column
on the Allocation tab. The Channel Assignment column indicates whether the assigned value is a new value or the initial
value. The Channel Assignment column enables you resolve separation constraint violations by choosing the Delete TRX
option.
When you select one of the options in the Channel Assignment column, Atoll updates not only the affected TRX, but also the
separation constraint violations of all other TRXs affected by the change.
As you modify the current frequency allocation plan, you can display the AFP plan as it appeared before modifications, or
before the initial frequency plan if there was one.
To change the displayed plan:
• Click the Display Options button and select one of the following:
• Display the Plan to be Committed: When you select this option, Atoll displays the frequency plan as it now stands,
in other words, Atoll displays the AFP plan with your modifications. You can only modify the entries in the Channel
Assignment column in the current plan.
• Display the Final AFP Plan: When you select this option, Atoll displays the AFP plan as it stood before you began
making modifications.
• Display the Initial Plan: When you select this option, Atoll displays the frequency plan before the AFP session.
You can cancel all the modifications you have made to the current AFP plan.
To cancel all the modifications you have to the current AFP plan:
• Click the Actions button and select Reset Channel Allocation.
You can automatically resolve separation constraint violations by clicking the Actions button and selecting Resolve Constraint
Violations. For more information, see "Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Automatically" on page 393.
Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Automatically
You can also resolve the separation constraint violations automatically. When you resolve separation constraint violations
automatically, Atoll deletes the TRXs that respond to set criteria and that are involved in the violations.
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To resolve separation constraint violations automatically:

2. Select Resolve Constraint Violations from the context menu. The Constraint Violations Resolution dialog box appears
(see Figure 6.73 on page 394).
3. Under TRXs to take into account, select one of the following:
• All the TRXs: Atoll will delete all TRXs that do not respect the separation constraints.
• Only the TRXs modified by the AFP: Atoll will delete only TRXs that were modified by the AFP that do not respect
the separation constraints.
4. Under Violation types to consider, select the check boxes corresponding to the separation constraint violations that
you want Atoll to take into consideration:
• Co-transmitter: TRXs on the same transmitter.
• Co-site: TRXs on the same site.
• Neighbours: TRXs on neighbouring transmitters.
• Exceptional pairs: TRXs on transmitters that are part of an exceptional pair.
5. Under Collision Probabilities, select the collision probability you want Atoll to take into consideration:
• All: Select this option if you want Atoll to consider all co-channel and adjacent channel collision probabilities.
• If the co-channel collision probability is >=: Select this option and enter a value if you want Atoll to consider co-
channel collision probabilities greater than or equal to the defined value.
• If the co- or adjacent channel collision probability is >=: Select this option and enter a value if you want Atoll to
consider co-channel and adjacent collision probabilities greater than or equal to the defined value.
6. Under TRX types, select the check boxes of the TRX types you want Atoll to take into consideration:
• Apply to control channel TRXs: If you select this option, control channel TRXs (i.e., BCCH TRXs) will be deleted.
• Apply to other TRXs: If you select this option, TRXs on non-control channel TRX types (i.e., TCH, TCH_EGPRS or
TCH_INNER) will be deleted.
7. Click OK. Atoll deletes the TRXs that are involved in the separation constraint violations and that respond to the
defined criteria.
Figure 6.73: Constraint Violations Resolution
Defining the Display of the Allocation Tab
You can sort the contents of the table on the Allocation tab by using the context menu or by selecting an option displayed by
clicking the Display Options button.
By default, the contents of the table under Display are sorted by the content of the Transmitters column. If desired, you can
sort the content of the table by any other column, such as, for example, the BSIC column.
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To sort the contents of the table:

1. Right-click the name of the column by which you want to sort the contents of the table. The context menu appears.
2. Select Sort Ascending or Sort Descending from the context menu.
Atoll enables you to filter the contents of the table to display only a selection of data.
To filter the contents of the table:
1. Right-click the cell in the table containing the data on which you want to filter the content of the table. The context
menu appears.
2. Select one of the following from the context menu:
• Filter by Selection: When you select this option, all records with the selected value or values are displayed.
• Filter Excluding Selection: When you this option, all records without the selected value or values are displayed.
• Advanced Filter: When you select this option, the Filter dialog box appears. Using the Filter dialog box, you can
use advanced data filtering to combine several criteria in different fields to create complex filters. For more infor-
mation on advanced data filtering, see "Advanced Data Filtering" on page 102.
If you have filtered information, you can remove the filter and display all the data again by right-clicking a cell in the table
under Display and selecting Remove Filter from the context menu.
You can also define how the contents on the Allocation tab are displayed by clicking the Display Options button and selecting
one of the options that appear:
• You can select the columns that will appear on the Allocation tab:
• Cells: select Cells to display the BSIC column.
• Subcells: select Subcells to display the TRX Type and HSN columns.
• TRXs: select TRXs to display the TRX Type column and the following columns:
• Index
• Channels
• MAIO
• Separation Violations: where you can click the hypertext, if any, to display a message box listing the violations
• TRX Rank
• Channel Assignment: where you can choose to keep the initial value, assign the new value, or delete the TRX
(see "Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Manually" on page 392).
• and the following columns when Display Options > Display Detailed Constraint Violations is selected:
- With the TRX: where you can click the hypertext, if any, to jump to the TRX causing the violation
- P(co-channel)
- P(adjacent)
• You can Display AFP Indicators if you calculated them during the AFP session.
• You can select one of the following plans to appear in the table:
• Display the Plan to Be Committed: The plan to be committed represents the results obtained from the AFP and
your possible modifications (deletion of allocated resources, rollback to initial values, etc.). Only this plan can be
committed to the network.
• Display the Final AFP Plan: The AFP plan shows the gross results of the AFP session, in other words, the final
results of the best plan. When this plan is displayed, the Commit button is not available. To make it available,
select the option Display the Plan to Be Committed.
• Display the Initial Plan: The initial plan shows the network frequency plan before the AFP session. This plan is the
one before you commit any AFP results, in other words, the current plan.
• You can Display Allocated Transmitters Only.
• You can Display Detailed Constraint Violations. In this mode, the hyperlinks under Separation Violations are removed
(and the corresponding violations are listed in full) and three additional columns appear on the right:
• With the TRX: contains hyperlinks, each indicating which TRX of which transmitter is causing the violation. If you
click a hyperlink, you will jump directly to the cell containing the index of the TRX causing the violation.
• P(co-channel): probability of the violation being due a co-channel.
• P(adjacent): probability of the violation being due to an adjacent channel.
• You can Display Important Violations Only. This option can prove very useful when too many low importance viola-
tions are displayed on the Allocation tab. In this mode, you can choose to delete the faulty TRXs individually (see
"Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Manually" on page 392) or all at once (see "Resolving All Important Sep-
aration Constraint Violations at Once" on page 392).
By adding options in the Atoll.ini file, you can specify the thresholds above which impor-
tant violations will be highlighted.
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• You can select one of the following plans to appear in the table:
• Co-transmitter Violations: Select this option to show/hide co-transmitter separation constraint violations.
• Co-Site Violations: Select this option to show/hide co-site separation constraint violations.
• Neighbour Violations: Select this option to show/hide neighbour separation constraint violations.
• Exceptional Pair Violations: Select this option to show/hide exceptional pair separation constraint violations.
6.4.4.5.3 The Subcells Tab

The Subcells tab (see Figure 6.74) shows the subcell indicators, the variation of the number of required TRXs (and correspond-
ing traffic loads), and the allocated preferred frequency groups estimated by the AFP model, if you selected these options
when starting the AFP. For each parameter, the table gives the initial and final results. When committing them, they are
assigned to the corresponding subcells.
If the AFP has been run with the azimuth-oriented allocation strategy, the Subcells tab will also display the preferred groups.
If the geometry of the network was incompatible with an azimuth-oriented allocation, the AFP will not attempt to allocate
frequency groups.
Figure 6.74: Subcells tab of the AFP Details dialog box
6.4.4.5.4 The Histogram Tab

On the Histogram tab (see Figure 6.75), you can display histograms of the frequency cost and usage distribution for both the
initial plan and best plan. The histogram represents the channels as a function of the frequency of their use. Moving the
pointer over the histogram displays the cost or frequency of use of each channel. The results are highlighted simultaneously
in the Zoom on selected values list. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list.
Atoll will zoom in on the selected values.
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Details
Figure 6.75: The Histogram tab of the dialog box
6.4.4.6 Committing and Exporting the Frequency Plan

Once you have made the necessary modifications to the frequency plan created by the AFP, you can commit the frequency
plan to the network or export the frequency plan to a file.
• "Committing an Automatic Frequency Plan" on page 397
• "Exporting an Automatic Frequency Plan" on page 397.
6.4.4.6.1 Committing an Automatic Frequency Plan

To commit the currently displayed frequency plan:
1. Select the Allocation tab.
2. Ensure that the currently displayed frequency plan is the one you want to commit by clicking the Display Options
button and selecting the desired frequency plan:
• Display the Initial Plan: When you select this option, Atoll displays the frequency plan before the AFP session.
3. Click Commit.
6.4.4.6.2 Exporting an Automatic Frequency Plan

To export the currently displayed frequency plan:
1. Select the Allocation tab.
2. Ensure that the currently displayed frequency plan is the one you want to export by clicking the Display Options
button and selecting the desired frequency plan:
• Display the Initial Plan: When you select this option, Atoll displays the frequency plan as it was after the AFP
stopped, in other words, Atoll displays the AFP plan without your modifications.
3. Click the Actions button and select Export Results. The Export dialog box appears.
4. Export the frequency plan as explained in "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
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If you are not satisfied with the current frequency plan, you can click the Resume button
to restart the AFP process from the last proposed solution in order to try to improve it.
6.4.4.7 Allocating Frequencies Interactively

The Atoll Interactive Frequency Planning (IFP) tool enables you to verify the frequency allocation of transmitters one by one,
and improve an existing frequency plan by letting you select the most appropriate channels to assign to TRXs. The IFP tool
uses an AFP module to calculate the costs associated with the current and modified frequency plans. For more information
on the optional Atoll AFP module, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
Whereas an automatic frequency planning module (AFP) provides a complete solution in terms of allocated channels, i.e., the
best frequency allocation that provides the lowest overall cost, the IFP lets you use your knowledge of the network to improve
the frequency plan proposed by the AFP.
In Figure 6.76, you can see that the TCH frequency 36 is interfered by a TCH TRX belonging to BRU078_G3 and BRU079_G1.
In Figure 6.77, you can see that the candidate replacement channel 19 is better, even if it is also interfered by BRU079_G2.
The best candidate is therefore channel 21.
Figure 6.76: TCH channel 36 interfered by TCHs of BRU078_G3 and BRU079_G1
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Figure 6.77: Candidate replacement channel 35
To allocate frequencies interactively using the IFP:

1. Select Tools > IFP. The IFP window appears.
2. Select the Channel Allocation and Analysis view from the top of the IFP window.
3. Select a transmitter from the Transmitter list or by clicking its symbol in the map window.
4. Select the TRX type from the TRXs list.
5. Select an AFP module from the AFP Module list.
6. If you want to modify parameters that will influence frequency planning before running the tool, click General Param-
eters button and select one of the following options from the menu:
• AFP Module Properties: For information on the options, see "The Atoll AFP Module" on page 400.
• AFP Parameters:
In the AFP Launching Parameters dialog box,
i. Under Traffic Loads, indicate whether the AFP should take traffic loads From the Subcells Table or use loads
Based on the default traffic capture results.
ii. If you want the AFP to consider discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it in calculating the
interference, select the DTX check box and enter the Voice Activity Factor.
iii. Select Display best candidates only if you want to limit the number of solutions to be calculated and displayed.
Selecting this option might reduce calculation time for large networks.
iv. Select the Load all the subcells involved in separation constraints check box if you want all subcells potential-
ly involved to be loaded.
v. Select the Load all interferers propagating in the focus zone check box if you want all potential interferers to
be loaded. If this check box is not selected, the cost function will consist only of the separation violation cost.
• Separation Rules: For information on the options, see "Channel Separations" on page 371.
• Exceptional Pairs: For information on the options, see "Channel Separations" on page 371.
• Intra-technology Neighbours: For information on the options, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on
page 301.
7. Click Calculate. The IFP calculates and displays the cost of the current channel allocation for the selected transmitter.
The tool calculates and displays interference probabilities using the active interference matrices available in the GSM
Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. If the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices
folder are not active or if interference matrices are not available, the analysis tool only calculates and displays the
interference from a transmitter and its TRXs on itself.
In the map window, arrows are displayed from the selected transmitter to each interfered or interfering transmitter.
The colour of the arrow is the same as the colour of the studied transmitter. The probabilities of interference are
displayed as captions for the arrows. The thickness of the lines indicates the interference probability.
399
Different information and options are available depending on the hopping mode of the selected transmitter’s TRXs:
• Non-hopping mode:
The first column displays the number of existing and required TRXs and lists the existing TRXs of the selected type
for the transmitter being studied along with the frequency assigned to them and the cost of the allocation.
The second column displays the number of candidate channels available, and lists these channels along with the
costs for the channels if they were allocated to the selected transmitter.
The Filtering column lets you select the interference information to be displayed in the fourth column, the Cost
Components and Indicators column. You can display the Major Separation Violations, Separation Violations, In-
terference Violations, or the Neighbour Violations of the selected transmitter. You can choose more than one of
these options by pressing and holding CTRL and clicking each option.
The Last column displays the various details about the way the cost is evaluated (traffic load, cost components).
In addition, it displays the interference probabilities between the TRX of the selected transmitter and the interfer-
ing TRXs using the selected options in the Filtering column.
• Base band hopping mode:
The first column displays the number of existing and required TRXs and lists the existing TRXs of the selected type
for the transmitter being studied along with the frequency and MAL assigned to them, and the cost of the alloca-
tion.
The second column displays the number of candidate channels available, and lists these channels along with the
MALs and costs if they were allocated to the selected transmitter.
The Filter column lets you select the interference information to be displayed in the fourth column, the Probabil-
ity column. You can display the High Separation Violations, Separation Violations, Interference Violations, or the
Neighbour Violations of the selected transmitter. You can choose more than one of these options by pressing and
holding CTRL and clicking each option.
• Synthesised hopping mode:
The first column lists the existing TRXs of the selected transmitter, the frequencies used by these TRXs in SFH
mode, the MAIO assigned to each TRX, and the cost of the allocation.
The Filter column lets you select the interference information to be displayed in the fourth column, the Probabil-
ity column. You can display the High Separation Violations, Separation Violations, Interference Violations, or the
Neighbour Violations of the selected transmitter. You can choose more than one of these options by pressing and
holding CTRL and clicking each option.
You can obtain more information on any selected item of any column by double-clicking on it. As an example, you can double-
click on a cost value in order to display details as shown below:
Figure 6.78: IFP Detailed Information Window
400
Using the IFP, you can create a new TRX and assign a channel to it, delete an existing TRX, and replace the current channel
assigned to an existing TRX.
To create a new TRX and assign a channel to it:
1. Select New TRX from the list of TRXs in the first column.
2. Select a channel from the list of candidate channels in the second column.
3. Click Create. A new TRX is created in the selected transmitter with the channel you selected.
To delete an existing TRX:
1. Select the TRX that you want to delete from the list of TRXs in the first column.
2. Click Delete. The selected TRX is deleted from the transmitter.
To replace the current channel assigned to an existing TRX:
1. Select the TRX to which you want to assign a different channel from the list of TRXs in the first column.
2. Select a channel from the list of candidate channels in the second column.
3. Click Replace. The candidate channel will be assigned to the existing TRX.
The changes that you make are taken into account immediately and updated results are displayed.
6.5 The Atoll AFP Module

The main role of the Atoll Automatic Frequency Planner (AFP) is assigning frequencies (i.e., channels) to the network in such
a way that overall network quality is optimised. As GSM has evolved, many improvements have been integrated into the tech-
nology; improvements such as the implementation of baseband and synthesised frequency hopping, discontinuous transmis-
sion, and network synchronisation. These improvements have led to a more complicated frequency planning process and,
therefore, to the need for an AFP that is advanced enough to help the frequency planner through the entire frequency plan-
ning process.
The Atoll AFP is an advanced AFP that can take a large number of constraints and directives into consideration when allocating
resources. Some of the constraints it can work with are ARFCN separation requirements between transmitters, interference
relations, HSN assignment methods, frequency domain constraints, a given fractional load to maintain, etc. The AFP depends
on a variety of input data, such as the interference matrix, neighbour relations, traffic information, etc.
The Atoll AFP module is implemented using simulated annealing, taboo search, graph heuristics, and machine learning. It
manages its time resources to match the convergence defined by the user. If the corresponding computation time is high, the
module will use part of this time to "learn" the network. During the learning phase, the module adjusts its internal parameters.
After the learning phase, the AFP will switch to a randomised combinatorial search phase.
The Atoll AFP module performs network learning by executing many fast and deterministic instances of the AFP. The instance
that results in the best performance can be saved both in the document and in the database. If this experience is conserved,
the next time that an AFP is executed, it will start where the learning process ended: it will use the parameter profile of the
best solution stored in the AFP model.
The most important part of network learning are the parameters controlling trade-offs between the various parts of the algo-
rithm. For example, you can base candidate selection on interference only by choosing frequencies that do not interfere and
are not interfered. Or you can base candidate selection only on availability reduction by choosing frequencies that do not
reduce the availability of non-interfered frequencies in the surrounding TRXs.
In Atoll's AFP the two criteria are combined and their relative weight is part of the AFP experience. The advantage of the Atoll
AFP is that it simplifies the decision for the user by combining the input records and presenting the user with a simple result,
such as traffic load or total cost, on which to base his decisions.
Before continuing, ensure that you are familiar with the prerequisite information explained in "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs,
HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
In the previous sections, the basic records of the AFP usage were presented. In this section, the more advanced aspects, as
well as what is specific to Atoll's AFP module are presented.
The content is presented according to level of complexity.
Therefore this section is organised according to the level of complexity:
• "Using the Atoll AFP at a Basic Level" on page 401
• "Using the Atoll AFP" on page 402
• "Advanced AFP usage" on page 425.
401
6.5.1 Using the Atoll AFP at a Basic Level

In this section, you will find the information necessary to run the Atoll AFP to solve a simple problem, or to evaluate a hypo-
thetical "What if" scenario.
If you are unfamiliar the AFP cost function or how its parameters are set, you can use the Atoll AFP with its default values. If
you are new to the Atoll AFP, you should follow the recommendations in this section. As a new user of the Atoll AFP, the only
parameter you should alter is the cost of modifying a TRX and the intermodulation tax. The other settings of the AFP model
should be left as is.
When you use the AFP at the most basic level, you should not worry too much about the cost function. The only thing that is
important is that the actual cost is reduced. If the actual cost does not go down, or if you want to reduce the cost even more,
see "An Overview of the AFP Cost Function" on page 403 for more information about the cost function.
Normally, the first step in using the Atoll AFP, is to configure the parameters of the Atoll AFP module. When you use the AFP
at the most basic level, you only need to set the basic, most important parameters.
To set the basic parameters of the Atoll AFP module:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the AFP Modules folder.
4. Right-click the Atoll AFP Module. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box appears.
6. Select the Cost tab (see Figure 6.79).
Figure 6.79: The Cost tab of the AFP Module Properties dialog box
7. Select the Modified TRX check box to restrict the number of modifications to the existing plan.
8. Select the Intermodulation Tax check box in order to try avoiding these products.
9. Click OK to save your changes to the AFP module and close the AFP Module Properties dialog box.
All the other AFP settings should be left with their default values.
To run a simple AFP process:
402
3. Select Frequency Plan > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The AFP dialog box appears with the AFP
Model and Allocations tab displayed.
4. On the AFP Model and Allocations tab, click Next without modifying any of the options. The Separations tab appears.
5. On the Separations tab, click Next without modifying any of the separation rules and without defining any exceptional
pairs. The Global Parameters tab appears.
6. On the Global Parameters tab, select From subcells table under Traffic (load and demand). In the third page of the
AFP wizard, extract the traffic data from the subcells table.
7. Clear all the check boxes under Locking of existing TRXs of type and clear the DTX check box.
8. Click OK. The final AFP dialog box appears.
9. Set the Convergence to a relatively short period, i.e. move the corresponding slider closer to Speed than to Quality.
For more information on running an automatic frequency allocation, see "Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP
Module" on page 382.
6.5.2 Using the Atoll AFP

Most users of the AFP use the Atoll AFP at a relatively sophisticated level, assigning frequencies, optimising TRXs, and taking
into account all of the constraints on frequency use in a GSM network. This section explains the basic concepts necessary to
successfully working with the AFP and explains the parameters of the Atoll AFP module.
• "An Overview of the AFP Cost Function" on page 403
• "Setting the Parameters of the Atoll AFP Module" on page 411
• "Frequency Hopping Overview" on page 422
• "Azimuth Oriented Assignments (Pattern Allocation, 1/1 1/3 1/x …)" on page 424
• "BSIC Allocation" on page 425.
6.5.2.1 An Overview of the AFP Cost Function

The Atoll AFP cost function maps two frequency plans (the initial and the final frequencies plans) to a single number: the AFP
cost. Atoll's AFP cost function has the advantage of being TRX-based. It is calculated for each TRX and then added up. It corre-
sponds to the served traffic of each TRXs.
• "The Cost Function as a Combination of Separation Violation and Interference Probabilities" on page 403
• "Counting Bad TRXs (Nodes) Instead of Bad Relations (Edges)" on page 403
• "The Cost of Each TRX" on page 404
• "Cost of Each Subcell" on page 404
• "An Example of Separation Violation Cost with Frequency Hopping" on page 404
• "Interference Cost" on page 405
• "Probabilistic Cost Combination" on page 406
• "The Cost of Missing and Corrupted TRXs" on page 406
• "Cost of Out-of-domain Frequency Assignment" on page 407
• "Preferred Group Cost" on page 407
• "Intermodulation Cost" on page 407
• "Quality Target" on page 410
• "Quality Target" on page 410
• "AFP Shadowing" on page 410.
6.5.2.1.1 The Cost Function as a Combination of Separation Violation and Interference Probabilities
The cost function of the Atoll AFP has two main components: the cost for violations of separation constraints and the cost of
creating interference.
The Atoll AFP gives each separation violation the cost equivalent to a certain amount of interference, making it possible to
add both costs and minimise their total. For example, you can decide that a separation violation of 1 costs the same as x% of
interfered traffic. This is weighted by the type of violation (for example, co-transmitter separation violations have a higher
impact than neighbour separation violations). By defining equivalence between these dissimilar measurements, you can add
separation violation and interference costs using their common unit, i.e., the percentage of interfered traffic.
Following this principle, all other cost components are calculated in the same way:
• The cost component due to allocation changes
• The cost component of allocating TRXs that belong (or not) to a preferred frequency group (if such a group is defined)
• The cost component of missing or extra TRXs compared to the number of required TRXs
• The cost component of corrupted TRXs
403
• The cost component of assigned frequencies that are not in the assigned domain
• The cost component of blocked traffic (calculated only when you set the AFP to optimise the number of required TRXs)
• The cost component of intermodulation.
6.5.2.1.2 Counting Bad TRXs (Nodes) Instead of Bad Relations (Edges)

In the following example, each separation violation represents an edge and each TRX a node. The two frequency plans
proposed in this example do not respect all separation requirements for all TRXs, meaning that they all have bad nodes and
bad edges. They demonstrate the difference between minimizing the number of bad edges or the number of bad nodes.
The network in this example consists of 6 TRXs, all having a separation constraint of 1 with each other (i.e., 6 nodes, 15 edges):
Case 1 Case 2
F1 is used 4 times; F2 and F3 are used F1, F2, and F3 are used two times
one time each. each.
Number of separation violations is 6 Number of separation violations is 3

(6 bad edges) (3 bad edges)
Two TRXs have good assignments No TRX has a good assignment
The spectrum is not equally used The spectrum is equally used
This example shows the particularity of the node-oriented cost approach. AtollAFP is node oriented by default. You can set
Atoll's AFP to be edge oriented. The three main advantages of the node-oriented approach are:
• The cost function has units which are easy to understand: interfered traffic.
• It has a greater capacity to optimise the number of TRXs.
• It has the ability to respect a TRX-based quality target, i.e., to disregard interference at a TRX below a certain value.
The node-oriented approach provides a better correspondence between the AFP cost and the network quality.
6.5.2.1.3 The Cost of Each TRX

The AFP cost is added up for each TRX according to the following logic:
• If TRX  is corrupted, the cost of being corrupted is added to the total cost, and multiplied by T(  ), where T(  ) is an
estimate of the traffic time slots for TRX  weighted by the AFP weight for this TRX.
• If TRX  is missing (i.e., if the required number of TRXs and the actual number of TRXs is different), the cost of the
missing TRX is added to the total cost, and multiplied by T(  ).
• If TRX  has frequencies assigned to it that do not belong to its domain, the cost is added to the total cost, and mul-
tiplied by T(  ).
• Otherwise, the separation cost, the interference cost, the changing load, and the preferred group respect ratio of this
TRX are added together (probabilistically) and added to the total cost, and multiplied by T(  ).
• If this amount is very small, it is discarded (for more information, see "Quality Target" on page 410).
You can control the AFP cost target by determining the value of the cost function parameters. Some of these parameters are
part of the data model, e.g., "Maximum MAL Length" and "Minimum C/I", while others belong to the AFP.
6.5.2.1.4 Cost of Each Subcell

When you use the AFP to optimise the number of required TRXs, the cost function is adapted: the traffic load becomes
dependent on the number of TRXs. Moreover, a blocked cost component is used. For the purposes of this section, you can
assume that the cost of each subcell corresponds to all cases where the allocation strategy does not include the optimisation
of the number of TRXs.
The AFP cost is the cost of the entire loaded network, not only the cost of the selected or
non-locked TRXs. In many cases, the AFP is authorised to change only a part of the
network. Therefore, the part of the cost corresponding to the non-locked part of the
network and the part of the cost corresponding to the locked part of the network are indi-
cated.
6.5.2.1.5 An Example of Separation Violation Cost with Frequency Hopping

In this example, the interference cost is ignored in order to make the separation violation cost easier to understand. The exam-
ple uses a TRX with only one separation.
In this example, Sij represents the required separation between two transmitters. If f1 is assigned at i and f2 at j such that
, the separation constraint is not satisfied. A separation constraint violation can be strong or weak. For exam-
404
ple, the pair of frequencies 1 and 2 violates a separation requirement of 3. The pair of frequencies 1 and 3 violate this require-
ment as well but is still a better solution than 1 and 2 and, therefore, should have a lower cost.
Frequencies that are part of a MAL with a low fractional load and that violate a separation constraint should not be weighted
the same as for non-hopping separation violations. In fact, the separation component is weighted by the burst collision prob-
ability, which is the multiplication of the victim's fractional load and the interferer's fractional load.
Figure 6.80: The Separation tab of the AFP Module Properties dialog box
In this example, there is a network with two TRXs on the same cell. The first, TRXi, has a MAL referred to as MALi. It is interfered
by TRXk with MALk. TRXi and TRXk have a separation requirement of 2. Their MAL lengths are 5 and 4, respectively. Unfortu-
nately, one of their frequencies is the same (i.e., the separation is 0), while all other frequencies are correct. For a co-channel
violation when the required separation is 2, the cost of the separation violation is 90%, as indicated in Figure 6.80 on page 405.
Because only one channel of each TRX causes interference, and the length of MALi is 5 and the length of MALi is 4, the collision
probability is 1/20. Therefore, the cost to consider is divided by 20: 90/20 or 4.5% for each TRX.
Because this example uses frequency hopping, there is an additional hopping gain which provides a slight cost reduction. The
exact gain is obtained from the Frequency diversity gain table on the Advanced tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog
box. The gain values are given in dB, and because the two TRXs have different MAL lengths, they have different diversity gains:
a gain of 1.4 for a MAL length of 5 and a gain of 1.2 for a MAL length of 4 (assuming the default values were not changed).
 1,4
--------
The diversity gain of 1.4 dB is applied to the separation cost using the following equation:  10  . For TRXi, this result-
10  1,38
ing gain is 4.5%⁄1.38, or 3.25%.
1 90
For TRXk, the cost will be ------  ------------------------ = 3,41% . The cost will be a little larger because the gain is smaller.
20 10  1,2  10 
In order to calculate the exact contribution to the separation cost component, these values are multiplied by the traffic load
(Erlangs/timeslot) and by the number of traffic carrier timeslots for each TRX. Assuming the traffic load is 1 and that each TRX
has 8 traffic carrier timeslots, the result is (8 x 3.25 + 8 x 3.41), or about 0.5 Erlangs for the two TRXs combined.
In this example, the AFP weight was assumed to be 1, the traffic loads were assumed to be
1, no DTX was used, no other interference or separation violation was combined with the
given cost, the global separation cost was set to 1, and the co-transmitter separation
weight was set to 1 as well.
405
6.5.2.1.6 Interference Cost

Traffic on a TRX is interfered if and only if interfering transmitters use the same channel or an adjacent channel. Each case of
reuse reduces the amount of good traffic and increases the interference cost. The reuse is weighted by the global interference
weighting factor, and takes into account the burst collision probability.
This example explains how a single interference cost component is calculated. In this example, the network contains only two
TRXs belonging to [TX1, BCCH] and [TX2, BCCH]. The interference matrix entry between these two subcells is given in the form
of a CDF, a cumulative density function, displayed in Figure 6.81.
Figure 6.81: The interference matrix entry between [TX1, BCCH] and [TX2, BCCH]
You can see that the probability of C/I (BCCH of TX2 affecting the BCCH of TX1) being greater than 0 is 100%. The probability
of having a C/I at least equal to 31 dB is 31.1%. In the Subcells table, the Min C/I field of the TX1's BCCH subcell of is 12. There-
fore, for a C/I level of 12 dB, the probability of interference is 6.5% (because this requirement has a probability of 93.5% of
being fulfilled).
In order to be converted into cost, the probability of interference 6.5% must be multiplied by the number of time slots, their
loads, and the AFP weight.
6.5.2.1.7 Probabilistic Cost Combination

In this example, TRX  is subject to a separation violation causing a cost of 30% of T(  ) (where T(  ) is an estimate of the
traffic time slots for TRX  weighted by the AFP weight for this TRX) and in addition, a co/adjacent-channel reuse causing this
TRX to be 40% interfered. These costs are combined using a probabilistic approach.
In this example, the probability of these costs occurring are p(Violation) with a value of 0.3 and p(Interference) with a value
of 0.4. The cost of the two together is given by:
1 –  1 – p  violation     1 – p  Interference   = 0,58 or 58%
P1, P2, ….Pn are the costs of the probability of a violation of a TRX (one for each of "n" violations).
Pn+1, Pn+2, ….Pm are the costs of the probability of interference of a TRX (one for each of "m-n" interferences).
Pm+1 is the changing TRX cost described below:
n
 
The cost of separation for this TRX is therefore:  1 –   1 – P i 
 i=1 
m+1 n
   
The additional cost of this TRX is:  1 –   1 – P i  –  1 –
    1 – P i 

 i=1   i=1 
The interference cost uses the "min C/I" value, defined at the subcell level, for which it might have precise interference infor-
mation. It can apply various gains to this C/I quality target due to frequency hopping and/or DTX.
406
6.5.2.1.8 The Cost of Missing and Corrupted TRXs

It is easy to have a 0-cost solution if the criterion of the required number of TRXs is not fulfilled (for example, by removing all
TRXs). This is the main purpose of the missing TRX cost. By default, the exact traffic that a missing TRX was supposed to carry
will be counted as a cost. However, you can increase this cost (by 200% for example) if necessary.
Corrupted TRXs are TRXs where the assignment is unusable by the AFP. A few examples of corrupted TRXs would be:
• TRXs with an empty channel list
• A TRX with a MAL without HSN or without a MAIO for synthesised hopping.
• A TRX assigned an invalid frequency.
• A non-hopping or base-band hopping TRX with a MAL that has more than one frequency.
By default, 100% of the traffic that a corrupted TRX is supposed to carry is considered impaired.
In some cases, correcting the assignment of resources for a group of corrupted TRXs will not only result in these TRXs being
considered corrupted but many other TRXs that, otherwise, would have correctly assigned resources, will also be considered
corrupted.
When you enable the optimisation of the number of TRXs, the costs for missing TRXs and
corrupted TRXs change to a fixed value. For missing TRXs, this value multiplies the absolute
difference between the number of assigned TRXs and the number of required TRXs.
If you do not enable the optimisation of the number of TRXs, the weights for missing and
corrupted TRXs are multiplied by the traffic (time slots, load, and AFP weight).
6.5.2.1.9 Cost of Out-of-domain Frequency Assignment

If a TRX is assigned out-of-domain frequencies (channels) but has correct ARFCNs, it will have a double influence on the cost:
• The usual cost of interference, separation, or modification, and
• An additional cost of having out-of-domain channels, multiplied by the number of frequencies out of domain and
divided by the MAL length.
6.5.2.1.10 Preferred Group Cost

If a subcell's allocation strategy is group constrained, or if its hopping mode is synthesised hopping, the cost could be influ-
enced by a preferred frequency group in the following ways:
• When a preferred frequency group is assigned in the subcell table, all frequencies not belonging to this group are con-
sidered as interfered if assigned to TRXs of this subcell.
• If an azimuth-oriented pattern is required by the AFP, then the AFP itself will choose the preferred frequency groups.
The AFP will correlate its choice with the azimuth direction.
The group constraint weight is meant to be kept very low. Otherwise it becomes equivalent to a domain constraint.
The group constraint weight in converted into a cost as follows: each use of an out-of-group frequency is equivalent to a small
amount of interference. This interference is then combined with the other sources of interference and multiplied by the traffic
(time slots, load, and AFP weight).
6.5.2.1.11 Intermodulation Cost

The purpose of this cost component is to avoid cases where intermodulation can cause problems. It is therefore defined
slightly more strictly than in real cases where intermodulation effects occur.
The intermodulation violations are summarised as a tax, since they always have relatively low interference probabilities.
This tax is applied when the combination of allocated frequencies generates a frequency already allocated within the same
site. The weight of the tax depends on the type of combination (order, harmonics, or various amplification spreading viola-
tion), on whether the combination of DL frequencies affects UL frequencies, or whether the intermodulation takes place
within a same site, transmitter or equipment.
Each physical frequency used in a site could be subject to a Nth order (N = 2/3/5 and optionally 7/9) or a VASP (Various Ampli-
fication Spreading Violation) intermodulation separation violation.
If there are 2 frequencies, X and Y where X < Y, the following table describes the separation constraint:
Constraint Order Condition Constraint Applied To
Second order (Harmonics) Y=2X X and Y
VASP Y < X + (3x200 kHz) in GSM X and Y
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If there are 3 frequencies, f, f1, and f2, the following table describes the separation constraint:
Constraint Order Condition Constraint Applied To
Second order f=f1+f2 f, f1 and f2
f=2f1-f2
Third order f, f1 and f2
f=2f2-f1
f=3f1-2f2
Fifth order f, f1 and f2
f=3f2-f1
The preceding tables summarise five types of violations. Each type has a default weight:
Constraint Type Weight
Second Order 0.01
Harmonics 0.005
Third order 0.004
Fifth order 0.0028
VASP 0.0002
The costs detailed up to this point are added together and weighted with the inter-modulation weight W, the UL/DL compo-
nent weight, and the equipment sharing weight.
In each intermodulation violation there is an interfering frequency (or frequencies) and an interfered frequency. In all the
preceding equations except the VASP, the generator frequency is on the right side of the equations while the interfered
frequency is on the left site. The VASP case corresponds to two violations: in the first, the lower frequency is the generator,
and the higher frequency is the interfered.
It is assumed that the generator frequencies are either all on the uplink or all on the downlink, otherwise, no violation is
considered. The interfered frequency can be a downlink or uplink frequency as well. Therefore, there are 4 cases for which 4
weights will multiply the violation cost.
Generator Interfered
Weight Description
Frequencies Frequencies
High power amplification pollution interferes with the RX, causing

DL UL 5
an important noise rise
High power received signals generate an inter-modulation

UL UL 1
product on a weakly received interfered frequency
Downlink power control is active over the interfered frequency

DL DL 1 but is not active over the generators, which generate high noise
on the interfered signal
UL DL 0 This type of interaction can be ignored
The final weight concerns the equipment sharing. This aspect has a crucial effect on the importance of intermodulation. In
Atoll, it is assumed that sharing a site implies sharing a transmitter and that sharing a feeder and antenna implies co-cell
cohabitation.
For co-cell intermodulation (generator frequencies as well as IM belong to the same cell), the intermodulation cost is multi-
plied by 5.
GSM/TETRAPOL/iMED networks: with 3 frequencies, you can force AFP to avoid allocating
frequencies that generate intermodulation products up to the 9th order by setting the
HighestOrderToCheck_with3frequencies option in the [gAFP] section of the Atoll.ini file.
TETRAPOL/iMED networks only: with 4 frequencies, you can force AFP to avoid allocating
frequencies that generate intermodulation products up to the 9th order by setting the
HighestOrderToCheck_with4frequencies option in the [gAFP] section of the Atoll.ini file
For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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To display the Intermodulation Cost column on the Summary tab of the AFP Details window (see Figure 6.82), you must select
Component Details from the Display Options drop-down menu:
Figure 6.82: Displaying the Intermodulation Cost column the Summary tab of the AFP Details window
To identify on the map the sites with the highest intermodulation costs, first add the "CF_AFP_INTERMOD_AFP" field (of type
Single) to the Sites table then go to the Display tab of the Sites Properties dialog box and set Display Type to "Value Intervals"
and choose the relevant Field setting (e.g. "Intermodulation Cost per Site"):
Figure 6.83: Display Settings for Intermodulation Costs per Site
To display a report for the intermodulation products generated by the frequencies on a given site, open the IFP tool, select a
transmitter belonging to that site, and click Calculate. When the results are displayed in the IFP window, double-click the line
Site Intermodulations: cost under Cost Components and Indicators
Figure 6.84: Site Intermodulations Cost Component in the IFP window
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Figure 6.85: Site Intermodulations Report
6.5.2.1.12 Quality Target

It is often necessary to deal with small and large amounts of interference differently. For example, an operator might prefer
to have 10 transmitters with 2% interfered traffic on each, rather than to have 2 transmitters with 10% interfered traffic on
each.
On the Cost tab of the Atoll AFP Properties dialog box, you can choose to ignore the interference and separation costs that
do not add up to the value of the Accepted Interference Percentage set in the Subcells table for each subcell by clearing the
Summed cost of all TRXs check box. TRXs that have a lower percentage of interference than the Accepted Interference
Percentage are considered to have no interference and are excluded from the total cost. In other words, the AFP dismisses
any TRX whose quality is better than the quality target, enabling it to concentrate the optimisation on the TRXs that really
need improvement.
6.5.2.1.13 Minimum Reuse Distance

The Atoll AFP can take into consideration a minimum reuse distance when assigning frequencies or BSIC. Using a minimum
reuse distance can help compensate for inaccuracies in the interference matrices or other input data. The reuse distance is
considered as a soft constraint. Because the reuse distance is an estimation of possible interference, it is added to the inter-
ference probability.
The minimum reuse distance is combined as a tax with the interference probability as follows:
1 – 1 – i  1 – d
where i is the interference probability and d is the minimum reuse distance.

In the following example, the interference probability is 0.12 and the reuse distance 0.023:
1 –  1 – 0,12    1 – 0,023  = 0,14024
The tax on reuse distance is defined on the Protection tab of the Atoll AFP Properties dialog box. The tax applied on reuse
distance is associated with any additional protection against adjacent channel reuse. The greater the additional protection
against adjacent channel reuse defined on the Protection tab, the greater the distance tax.
The number of relations based on distance taken into consideration for each transmitter is limited for performance reasons.
You can define the maximum number of relations by setting the "GlobalDistanceMatrixDegreeUB" option in the Atoll.ini file.
For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
6.5.2.1.14 AFP Shadowing

Shadowing is important for the AFP. Within the context of the AFP, shadowing is implemented by setting the definition of
interference as Flexible on the Protection tab of the Atoll AFP Properties dialog box. Shadowing is so important that in some
cases it is enabled automatically, for example, if the interference matrices themselves were not calculated with shadowing.
AFP shadowing is applied in relation to the quality threshold. When enabled, traffic having C/I conditions slightly worse than
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the required threshold is not considered 100% interfered. At the same time, traffic having C/I conditions that are only slightly
better than the threshold is not considered as 100% good.
This shadowing is performed by repeatedly accessing the CDF function as explained in "Interference Cost" on page 405.
6.5.2.2 Setting the Parameters of the Atoll AFP Module

You can define the Atoll AFP-specific parameters used when calculating the cost and set some guidelines for the Atoll AFP
module by using the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box.
To open the Atoll AFP module Properties dialog box:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the AFP Modules folder.
4. Right-click the Atoll AFP Module folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box appears.
The Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box consists of 10 tabs: General, Cost, Separation Weights, Interference Matrices,
HSN, MAL, Execution, Spacing, Protections, and Advanced. The Cost, Separation Weights, Interference Matrices, Protec-
tions, and Advanced tabs include parameters that are taken into account when estimating the cost. The Finalisation tab
provides options on how the AFP runs. The other tabs are used to define the allocation strategies for HSN, MAL, MAIO, and
BSICs assigned by the AFP.
You can make copies of the Atoll AFP module and set different parameters for each copy. All copies will be available in each
AFP session. In other words, you will be able to choose from the list of all Atoll AFP modules, each with its own defined param-
eters.
The settings of each Atoll AFP module are saved in the Atoll document but they can also be archived in the database so that
all users connected to the same centralised database can use them. For more information on archiving Atoll AFP module
settings, see the Administrator Manual.
For information on setting the parameters on each of the tabs of the Atoll AFP module, see the following:
• "The General Tab" on page 411
• "The Cost Tab" on page 411
• "The Separations tab" on page 413
• "The Interference Matrices Tab" on page 414
• "The HSN Tab" on page 415
• "The MAL Tab" on page 416
• "The Finalisation tab" on page 418
• "The Reuse tab" on page 419
• "The Protection Tab" on page 419
• "The Advanced Tab" on page 421
6.5.2.2.1 The General Tab

The General tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to change the name of the Atoll AFP module. For
example, if you have created a copy of the Atoll AFP and modified some parameters in order to customise the copy for a
specific situation, you can give the copy a descriptive name.
To display the General tab of the Atoll AFP module Properties dialog box:
1. Open the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box as explained in "Setting the Parameters of the Atoll AFP Module"
on page 411.
3. Change the name of the Atoll AFP module.
6.5.2.2.2 The Cost Tab

The Cost tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define the different components that make up the
global cost. A component will be taken into consideration by the AFP if it is selected. If its cost or weight is "0," it will not be
taken into consideration.
The most important parameters on this tab are the interference and separation weights. These are used as multiplicative
factors for each incidence of interference or violation. In other words, these parameters can reduce cost. If these two param-
eters have low values (for example, 0.1 for interference and 0.035 for separation), the AFP will be forced to work using an
edge-oriented strategy, which is not the best approach. By default, interference costs are less important than separation viola-
tion costs.
The second most important parameter is the cost of modifying a TRX. This parameter should be set if the non-locked part of
the network is to be changed as little as possible. The example in the following table shows how this parameter can affect
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total costs. In this example, there is a network with a total of 90 transmitters. 15 of these transmitters are locked. Out of a
total of 257 required TRXs, only 193 good TRXs have already been allocated. This leaves 64 TRXs that will have to be created
and allocated affecting the other 193 as little as possible:
Cost Effect
For a cost of changing a TRX = 1 AFP changed only 98 TRXS
For a cost of changing a TRX = 0.3 AFP changed only 129 TRXS
For a cost of changing a TRX = 0.1 AFP changed only 139 TRXS
For a cost of changing a TRX = 0 AFP changed 162 TRXS
Selecting the Summed cost of all TRXs check box makes the AFP take the cost of all TRXs into account, whether or not they
exceed this quality target. If you clear this check box, the AFP will only take into account the costs of TRXs which do not fulfil
the quality thresholds defined in their corresponding subcells. In other words, the AFP dismisses any TRX whose quality is
better than the quality target, enabling it to concentrate the optimisation on the TRXs that really need improvement.
To display the Cost tab of the Atoll AFP module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Cost tab (see Figure 6.86).
Figure 6.86: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Cost tab
3. Under Tax per TRX, set the following parameters:

• For each missing or extra TRX: If desired, select the check box to make it active and set the cost for each missing
or unnecessary TRX.
• For each corrupted TRX: If desired, select the check box to make it active and set the cost for each corrupted TRX.
• For each out-of-domain TRX : If desired, select the check box to make it active and set the cost for each TRX that
has frequencies allocated to it that do not belong to its domain.
4. If desired, select the Intermodulation Cost check box to make it active and set the cost each applied to the total cost
each time intermodulation might occur because of the allocated frequencies.
5. Under Component per TRX, set the following parameters:
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• Interference: Set the cost for interference for each TRX. For more information on the AFP and interference, see
"Interference Cost" on page 405.
• Separation: Set the cost for separation violation for each TRX. For more information on the AFP and separation
violation, see "An Example of Separation Violation Cost with Frequency Hopping" on page 404.
• Modified TRX: If desired, select the check box to make it active and set the cost of modifying a TRX. For more infor-
mation on the cost of modifying a TRX, see "The Cost of Missing and Corrupted TRXs" on page 406.
• Outside preferred group: If desired, select the check box to make it active and set the cost of an allocated fre-
quency being outside of the preferred group. For more information on the cost of using a frequency outside of the
preferred group, see "Preferred Group Cost" on page 407.
6. If desired, select the Sum of the costs of all TRXs check box to make it active. The AFP will take into account the sum
of th costs of all TRXs, including those that fulfil the quality thresholds defined in their corresponding subcells.
7. Under Traffic, select the traffic source the AFP will use during optimisation:
• Based on the traffic demand (from the Subcells table or default traffic capture): If you choose to use the traffic
demand, the AFP will use either the traffic demand defined in the Subcells table or the default traffic capture
(depending on what you select when you run the AFP optimisation).
• Based on the traffic demand calculated from traffic load, number of required TRXs, blocking probability, and
Erlang B formula: If you choose to use this option, the AFP will calculate the traffic demand from the traffic load,
the number of required TRXs, the blocking probability, and the Erlang B formula.
6.5.2.2.3 The Separations tab

The Separations tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define a weight for each type of separation
constraint violation or partial violation.
You can assign a weight between 0 and 1 for the following types of separation constraint violations:
• Co-cell separation violations
• Co-site separation violations
• Neighbourhood separation violations
• Exceptional pair separation violations
The Partial separation constraint violations section enables you to define the cost of the actual separation ("k") when a differ-
ent separation ("s") is required. You can define the percentage of traffic of each TRX to be considered infor a partial separation
constraint violation. You can also add and remove partial separation constraints using the Add Separation and Remove Sepa-
ration buttons at the bottom of the tab.
To display the Separations tab of the Atoll AFP module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Separations tab (see Figure 6.87).
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Figure 6.87: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Separations tab
Under Partial separation constraint violations, you can edit the conditions defining a partial separation constraint.
You can have up to 7 separations.
To edit the separation conditions:
a. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of the separation.
b. Click the entry in the Value column and enter a percentage corresponding to the amount of traffic.
To remove a separation:
• Click the Remove separation button. Atoll removes the last separation.
To add a separation:
• Click the Add separation button. Atoll adds a separation entry to the end of the list under Properties and fills in
default values for each "k" value.
3. If desired, modify the weight for each of the following:
• Co-transmitter violations
• Co-site violations
• Violations between neighbours
• Violations between exceptional pairs
6.5.2.2.4 The Interference Matrices Tab

The Interference Matrices tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define weights that are used to
define how interference matrices are combined.
The Atoll AFP combines interference matrices by first loading the part of active interference matrices that intersects the scope
of the AFP. The AFP then combines the information by performing a weighted average of all entries for each pixel. The
weighted average is calculated by multiplying the following three components present on the Interference Matrices tab:
• Whether the interference matrix is within the scope of the AFP
• The type of interference matrix
• The interference matrix quality indicators
For more information on how Atoll combines interference matrices, see the Administrator Manual.
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To display the Interference Matrices tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Interference Matrices tab (see Figure 6.88).
Figure 6.88: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Interference Matrices tab
The first component in combining interference matrices is whether a given interference matrix entry is within the
scope of the AFP.
3. Under The type of interference matrix, define the parameters for each section:
• Overlapping area based on path loss matrices
• Ratio of overlapping surface
• Ratio of overlapping traffic
• OMC statistics
• Signal level measurements (RXLEV), neighbours only
• Signal level measurements (RXLEV), neighbours and extended neighbours
• Based on reselection
• Measurement analysis
• Based on drive test data
• Based on CW measurements
• Based on scan measurements
• Under Component depending on the interference matrix quality indicators, the Active check box is selected and
cannot be cleared. The Atoll AFP always includes the quality matrix specific to each type of interference matrix when
combining interference matrices.
6.5.2.2.5 The HSN Tab

The HSN tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define how the HSN will be allocated when
synchronised frequency or base-band hopping is used.
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To display the HSN tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the HSN tab (see Figure 6.89).
Figure 6.89: AFP Module Properties dialog box - HSN tab
3. Under Allocation, select how the HSN will be allocated:

• By Subcell
• By Transmitter
• By Site
• Free.
6.5.2.2.6 The MAL Tab

The MAL tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define Mobile Allocation List patterns and length
priorities when synchronised frequency or base-band hopping is used.
The MAL tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to enable or disable general automatic adjustment
for Mobile Allocation List patterns and length priorities when synchronised frequency or base-band hopping is used.
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To display the MAL tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
1. Click the MAL tab. The General automatic adjustment (Recommended) check box is selected by default, therefore
hiding the remaining content of the MAL tab.
1. Clear the General automatic adjustment (Recommended) check box to display the MAL settings (see Figure 6.90).
Figure 6.90: AFP Module Properties dialog box - MAL tab
2. Under MAL allocation type, select how the MAL will be allocated for groups of synchronised subcells.
• Same MAL for all the subcells of a synchronised set, or
• Different MALs within a synchronised set.
3. Under MAL length, set the constraints that the Atoll AFP will follow to define the MAL length:
a. The first constraint concerns group-constrained subcells: the choice of MAL length for group-constrained subcells
is limited. Only the group lengths of each subcell frequency domain can be chosen.
b. Select either Max MAL length or Adjust MAL lengths. If you select Max MAL length, you do not need to set any
other constraints.
If you select Max MAL Length, it is not necessary to set any other constraints.
c. If you selected Adjust MAL lengths, set the following parameters to define how the Atoll AFP will set MAL lengths:
i. Define the value that MAL length/Domain size must not be equal to or greater than.
ii. If you selected Different MALs within a synchronised set as the MAL allocation type in step 6.5.2.2.7, you can
select a Long or Short MAL Strategy (with the option of keeping MAL long enough to allow a certain pattern).
417
iii. Define a Target fractional load and select the Automatic adjustment check box if you want to give the AFP
the possibility of modifying this value automatically. The fractional load is the ratio of the number of TRXs with
a given MAL over the number of frequencies in the same MAL.
It is recommended that you let the AFP automatically adjust the target fractional load.
6.5.2.2.7 The Finalisation tab

The Finalisation tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define the behaviour of the Atoll AFP
module when it reaches the end of the calculation time.
To display the Finalisation tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Finalisation tab (see Figure 6.91).
Figure 6.91 AFP Module Properties dialog box - Finalisation tab
3. Under Target CPU time, select how the AFP uses the computation time corresponding to the Convergence criterion
defined in the AFP dialog box:
• Fixed duration: If you select Fixed Duration, the AFP stops when this time has elapsed. If a stable solution has
been found prior to this limit, the allocation stops. Fixed duration corresponds to the minimum amount of time
you reserve for the AFP to find the best solution.
• Directive duration: This is the Atoll AFP's default. If you select Directive duration, the Convergence criterion you
set in the AFP dialog box is used by the AFP to estimate the methods which will be used to find the best solution.
• If the corresponding CPU time is long enough, the AFP will attempt to modify its internal calibration to better
match the network on which frequencies and resources are being allocated.
• If the corresponding CPU time is shorter, the AFP will select a smaller number of methods and will not calibrate
its internal parameters.
• If the AFP finds a stable solution before the end of the corresponding CPU time, the AFP will stop. On the other
hand, if convergence has not been reached by the end of the corresponding CPU time, the AFP will continue.
4. Under Result Assignment, select how the AFP assigns the results once the automatic allocation has stopped:
• Manual Assignment: You can analyse the best plan before committing it to the document.
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• Automatic Assignment: The AFP automatically assigns the best plan to the document. This approach is recom-
mended if Auto Backup is enabled.
6.5.2.2.8 The Reuse tab

The Reuse tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define an allocation strategy if the selected allo-
cation strategy is "free."
To display the Reuse tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Reuse tab (see Figure 6.92).
Figure 6.92: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Reuse tab
3. Under Pattern, define the pattern to be used to assign frequency groups to sectors. The assigned pattern is defined
by "1/n," where "n" is the number of larger frequency groups in the domain. If the frequency domain has fewer than
"n" groups, the pattern is ignored.
4. Under BSIC, define the diversity of BSIC use for frequency hopping:
• Min.: The AFP chooses the most compact scheme permitted by the constraints.
• Max.: The AFP attempts to distribute the BSICs homogeneously.
5. Under Channels, define the spacing between channels to be used between channels during allocation:
• Automatic: The AFP optimises channel spacing to minimise the cost.
• Max.: The AFP uses the entire spectrum. This option is recommended with the modelling is not accurate.
• Min.: This option is recommended when a part of the spectrum is to be saved for future use.
6. Under MAIO, define the MAIO allocation strategy for frequency hopping:
• Staggered: The MAIOs assigned to TRXs of a subcell are evenly spaced.
• Free: The AFP module freely assigns MAIOs.
6.5.2.2.9 The Protection Tab

The Protection tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box enables you to define additional strategies to evaluate inter-
ference.
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To display the Protection tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box:
on page 411.
2. Click the Protection tab (see Figure 6.92).
Figure 6.93: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Protections tab
3. Under Additional protection against adjacent channel reuse, select the level of additional protection you want the
AFP to use against adjacent channel reuse:
• None: no additional protection is added.
• Weak: 1.5 dB is applied to the initial protection.
• Strong: 2.5 dB is applied to the initial protection.
For more information about protection against adjacent channel reuse, see "Adjacency Suppression" on page 421.
4. Under Interference definition with respect to the required quality threshold, set a C/I weighting margin around the
required quality threshold in order for the AFP to consider the traffic having close-to-threshold C/I conditions as nei-
ther 100% satisfactory nor 100% corrupted. For more information, "Interference Cost" on page 405.
• Rigid: If you select Rigid, the AFP will evaluate interference only at the defined quality threshold.
• Intermediate: If you select Intermediate, the AFP will evaluate interference at 3 reference points: the defined
quality threshold, and at +/- 2 dB of the quality threshold.
• Flexible: If you select Flexible, the AFP will evaluate interference at 5 reference points: the defined quality
threshold, at +/- 2 dB of the quality threshold, and at +/- 4 dB of the quality threshold. Selecting Flexible has the
same effect as shadowing.
For interference matrices based on propagation, Atoll can determine whether they have
been calculated with shadowing. If shadowing has not been taken into account, the AFP
can adapt its settings to more realistically model the network. In other words, if you do not
take shadowing into consideration when calculating the interference matrix, Atoll can
automatically change its definition of interference from rigid to intermediate, or even to
flexible.
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Adjacency Suppression
Adjacency suppression is defined as the difference between the required C/I and the required C/A (C/A being the "Carrier to
Adjacent Intensity ratio"). By default this is set to 18 dB following the GSM specification. You can change this value in the Prop-
erties dialog box of the Network Settings folder.
When the value of this parameter is used in the AFP (to extract the interference caused by an adjacent channel) you can apply
a small safety margin, temporarily reducing the 18 dB to 16.5, or even to 15.5. This safety margin is applied only in the AFP;
Atoll's predictions continue to apply the full adjacency suppression.
For interference matrices based on propagation, Atoll can determine whether they have
been calculated with a handover margin. If the margin has not been used, the AFP can
adapt its settings to more realistically model the network. In other words, if you do not
take the handover margin into consideration when calculating the interference matrix,
Atoll can automatically change the adjacent channel additional protection from none to
weak or to strong.
6.5.2.2.10 The Advanced Tab

In the next section, we saw how the fractional load is taken into account: If only one frequency in a MAL is interfered or has
a separation violation and the MAL length is 5, then the TRX cost effect will be 1/5 (i.e., 20%) interfered. This means the cost
will be 5 times smaller than if the entire MAL was composed of frequencies which are interfered or have a separation violation.
In the AFP, the fractional load directly affects the cost. For example, if the MAL length is n, and one of the frequencies has a
cost of X, then for the entire MAL the cost will be X/n. If this same MAL is repeated in m TRXs of the transmitter, then the cost
will be X*m/n.
Although you could create very long MAL in order to reduce the size of m/n, this is an inappropriate solution.
Because of the fact that the more n is big, the more we have cost effects:
• We have more frequencies over which the cost effects are counted.
• It is harder to find clean frequencies since all frequencies are used all over.
The more the MALs are long, the less we have the benefice of FDM principle which is the main source of the GSM spectral
efficiency.
It is therefore easy to prove and to demonstrate that the fractional load cost all alone will privilege non hopping and base band
hopping plans, where the fractional load is 1. (m = n)
This corresponds to the case where all gains are 0 in the advanced property page below:
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Figure 6.94: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Advanced tab
The tables in this page enable you to define the Interference and Frequency diversity gains in the case of frequency hopping,
which are supplementary gains.
These gains model the non-linear effects of the C/I diversity on the quality (FER, BLER). Due to fast fading, and channel burst
interleaving.
When setting non-0 gains in these tables (as by default), both the Interference diversity gain and the frequency diversity gain
are combined in order to reduce the interference probability. On the other hand, when it comes to separation calculation,
only the Interference diversity gains are considered.
The other options in this page were grouped into it because they share only one characteristic: They are all administrator
parameters. If you wish to change something in this page, please read the manual until the end of this chapter.
6.5.2.3 Frequency Hopping Overview

AFP is capable of performing both free MAL assignment (sometimes called ad hoc), as well as predefined MAL assignment.
The instruction indicating the assignment mode to be used is at subcell level: i.e. different subcell can each indicate a different
assignment mode. In free assignment mode, the AFP is free to assign any MAL (assuming of course that it belongs to the
domain, and not too long). The length of MAL, the HSNs and the MAIOs are assigned in compliance with the user's directives.
If the assignment mode is group constrained, the AFP can only assign one of the predefined groups in the domain.
6.5.2.3.1 The Case of Synthesised Hopping + Group Constrained

If you are working on a group constrained assignment mode, the success of your assignment will strongly depends on the defi-
nition of the groups in the domain. We recommend you work as following:
Step 1: decide what will be the MAL length(s) that your domain will permit.
Choosing a single MAL length is a current option. Choosing multiple MAL lengths is often called MPR: Multiple pattern Reuse.
The more MAL lengths you have the more optimised will be your allocation. We recommend MPR.
Step 2: For each length you have chosen, create as many groups as possible having the specific length and if possible, covering
the entire domain.
Example, For a domain of 60 frequencies, create:
3 groups of 20 frequencies each (mainly reserved for the preferred group allocation of an azimuth oriented allocation)
10 groups with 12 frequencies each + 12 groups of 10 frequencies each (will be used in heavy traffic cases or in "HSN by site"
cases). We are giving an example where there are so many groups that some of them must overlap. In addition we could
define 20 groups with 6 frequencies each, 24 groups of 4 frequencies each, and even 30 groups with 4 frequencies each.
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By thus each frequency will belong to an average of 11 groups. Do not hesitate to create groups, the AFP likes groups. When
many groups are defined, the quality is almost as good as with free assignment.
• Currently, the AFP always assigns the same MAL to all TRXs within a subcell.
• The "group constrained" assignment mode is applicable for SFH only. In NH and
BBH, the group constrained mode will only concern the respect of the preferred
group. Which is a different issue.
• There is no contradiction between proffered group respect and the pre defined
MAL assignment in SFH. When both are relevant, each of the predefined MALs can
be more or less included in the preferred group and therefore more or less "pre-
ferred".
• When azimuth oriented pattern allocation is performed at the same time as pre-
defined MAL allocation, only the biggest groups in the domain will be used for the
pattern, while the small ones will be used for MAL assignment.
6.5.2.3.2 An Atom = A Perfectly Synchronised Set of Equi HSN SFH Subcells

An atom is a set of synchronised subcells that share the same HSN, the same frequency domain and have the same length
MAL. The MAIO assignment of an atom manages the frequency collisions between the MALs of the atom. If an atom contains
more than one subcell, the AFP may assign to it partially different MALs (depending on a user-definable option) but it will
always consider the fact that the subcells are synchronised. Atoms can be determined by the user or by the AFP via the HSN
allocation. Some restrictions on this definition exist due to some extreme cases:
• If two subcells have different domains, they cannot belong to the same atom.
• If two subcells have different limitations on "Max MAL Length", they cannot belong to the same atom.
A warning is generated when HSN assignment directives contradict with these restrictions.
You can force the AFP to always assign the same MAL among the subcells of the Atom.
When calculating the cost of a TRX in an Atom:
It is possible that none of the co-Atom TRXs interfere with the given TRX. This is the most common case, and it is due to the
fact that the "on air" frequencies are never the same. However, it is possible that intra-Atom interference exists. In that case,
the burst collision which is calculated conform to the MAIO definitions, multiplies the interference probability.
6.5.2.3.3 Synchronous Networks

Through working at atom level, and consulting a user defined synchronisation reference given in the subcell table, the AFP
can fully exploit the benefits of synchronisation in a GSM network. It is capable of extending Atoms beyond the limit of a site
and, by doing so, using the MAIO assignment to further resolve violations or interference. (For this you must choose the free
HSN assignment option, and enable the HSN assignment).
6.5.2.3.4 Optimising Hopping Gains

If the AFP was given a degree of freedom when choosing MAL lengths, it may opt for longer MAL lengths. In this way, it can
profit more from the hopping gains. On the other hand, it might be increasingly hard to find frequencies for these MALs The
advanced page, the MAL page, and the HSN page in the AFP property pages provides the capacity to control this convergence.
For more details, see the advanced page description.
In interference limited network, the default hopping gain values are not sufficiently strong to cause the AFP to converge
toward long MALs.
6.5.2.3.5 Fractional Load

The Atoll AFP uses the user-defined fractional load as a guide when assigning the HSN and determining the MAL length. A
fractional load of X is obtained if the number of TRXs using a certain MAL is only X times the length of the MAL. In Atoll, frac-
tional load does not take the traffic load into consideration.
Because the fractional load cannot always be met, this parameter is considered a guide rather than a constraint. When it can
be met, the AFP chooses either a MAL length 1/X times longer than the number of TRXs in the biggest subcell of the atom or
a MAL length 1/X times longer than the sum of all TRXs in the atom. These are called "the short MAL strategy" and "the long
MAL strategy" respectively. You can choose between the two in the MAL tab of the properties dialog box. The value of the
fractional load parameter can also be edited and, furthermore, it can even be automatically calibrated by the AFP.
• Fractional load is 1 for Baseband hopping.

• The MAL length has an upper limit defined in the "Max MAL length" parameter of
the subcell table. The user can instruct the AFP to strictly use this value (see the
MAL page in the AFP property pages).
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6.5.2.3.6 Domain Use Ratio

Both HSN assignment and MAL length determination processes are tuned to avoid exceeding a user defined Domain Use
Ratio. Domain Use Ratio is the MAL length divided by the total number of frequencies in the domain. For example, a 1/1 reuse
pattern has a frequency reuse ratio of 1. A 4/12 reuse pattern can have a reuse ratio between 1/4 and 1/12, depending on
whether all TRXs in a site have the same MAL (and HSN) or not.
6.5.2.3.7 HSN Allocation

The AFP assigns HSNs at subcell level. It chooses different HSNs for interfering and non-synchronous subcells. For synchronous
subcells (usually within a site), the AFP can opt to assign the same HSN and different MAIOs within the set of same-HSN
subcells.
According to the adapted convention on HSNs for BBH TRXs, the AFP allocates different HSNs to the BCCH TRX and TCH TRXs.
The 1st HSN corresponds to timeslots 1 through 7 of the BCCH and TCH TRXs, and the second HSN corresponds to the timeslot
0 of the TCH TRXs only. The second HSN is used in predictions.
The user can control the HSN allocation so that it performs one of the following:
• Assigns the same HSN to all subcells of a site
• Assigns the same HSN to all subcells of a transmitter
• Assigns pair-wise different HSNs if a pair of subcells have mutual interference.
• Optimise HSN assignment so that the frequency assignment is better (free HSN).
6.5.2.3.8 MAIO Allocation

The AFP assigns MAIOs to TRXs so that the same MAL can be reused within a subcell, within a transmitter or even within a
site. The separation requirements must be satisfied for frequencies that are on air, at all frame numbers. The cost function
averages the cost upon all frame numbers in the synchronised case and upon all collision probabilities in the non-synchronised
case.
6.5.2.4 Azimuth Oriented Assignments (Pattern Allocation, 1/1 1/3 1/x …)

In order to understand what a pattern allocation in the Atoll AFP is, you must first read the previous chapters, since the
pattern allocation in Atoll is performed as following:
1. The AFP first assigns preferred groups to all demanding subcells
2. The AFP assigns what ever needs to be assigned, trying to respect these preferred groups, as explained in the cost
description.
The conditions for getting a preferred group from the AFP are the following:
• The subcells must be or in synthesised hopping mode, or must have a group constrained allocation directive. This con-
dition is also the condition that determines weather a user defined preferred group can impact the cost.
• The pattern directive in the AFP property pages defines if we are doing 1/1, 1/3 or 1/5 pattern allocation. By default
it is set to 1/3. We will now refer to its value as X.
• The AFP group weight must not be 0.
• Only the X biggest groups in the domain will be considered as candidates for the proffered group allocation.
• Only transmitters in the AFP scope will get a preferred group.
• The AFP assigned preferred group will overwrite whatever used defined preferred group.
• Only transmitters that are not lonely in their site will be entitled to a preferred group:
• Not lonely means that other transmitters of the same band, and layer, (and also active), exist in the site.
• The pattern allocation associates the X main direction axes with the X biggest groups in the domains
• It assumes these groups are disjoint.
• It finds the main axis azimuth as the most commune azimuth, and then it spans the other directions so that all the
X axes are equi spread.
• It matches each directional axis to a group.
• The AFP will only allocate a preferred group if the transmitters azimuth is clearly aligned with one of the directional
axes.
• Even if only 50% of the subcells receive a preferred group, the allocation can be very strongly impacted because of
second order influence.
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We recommend using this because it regulates the assignments, and helps the AFP to exist local minima. Be sure to always
have 3 big and disjoint groups in your domain.
(If the majority of your sites are X-sectorial, X should replace 3).
We recommend not imposing the pattern very strongly on your network. It should be kept as a guideline.
6.5.2.5 BSIC Allocation

The BSIC allocation algorithm of the AFP includes both hard and soft constraints. The hard constraint is easier to satisfy but
must not be violated. A hard-constraint violation is equivalent to an error, and corresponds to handover failures in the
network. The soft constraint is more difficult to fully satisfy, and violations of the soft constraint can exist in an operating
network. A soft-constraint violation is equivalent to a warning.
The hard and soft constraints can be defined as follows:
• Hard Constraint: The same BSIC must not be allocated to two transmitters that:
• have the same BCCH frequency
and
• have first- or second-order neighbour relations.
It is only based on first and second order neighbour relations and BCCH co-channel reuse.
• Soft Constraint: The same BSIC should not be allocated to two transmitters that:
• have the same or adjacent BCCH frequencies
and
• have first- or second-order neighbour relations, or interfere each other.
It is based on first- and second-order neighbour relations, interference matrices, and co- and adjacent channel BCCH
reuse. This means that the soft constraint is more demanding than the hard constraint, and has a higher probability
of not being satisfied.
If the AFP is unable to satisfy the soft constraints, the BSIC allocation algorithm assigns the "least interfering" BSIC to
transmitters depending on the interference and separation relations. This leads to increasing the same BSIC+BCCH
reuse distance as much as possible.
In the preceding definitions, all neighbour relations between transmitters are considered, independently of the direction, as
shown in Figure 6.95 on page 425.
Figure 6.95Neighbour Relations
The same applies for the interference relation; i.e., two transmitters are considered to interfere each other whether the first
interferes the second, the second interferes the first, or both interfere mutually.
During the allocation, the AFP counts the number of times it was unable to allocate a BSIC due to a constraint that was not
satisfied.
The AFP respects the BSIC domains defined for transmitters and takes into account the BSIC spacing strategy selected on the
Reuse tab of the AFP properties dialog box:
• Min.: The AFP assigns the minimum possible number of BSICs that satisfies the constraints.
• Max.: The AFP assigns as many BSICs as possible while keeping them evenly distributed.
6.5.3 Advanced AFP usage

Whenever a network becomes spectrum-wise limited, frequency planning becomes the most cost efficient way to optimise
its performance.
The AFP usage in these cases must evolve in order to include the more advanced capacities of the AFP.
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6.5.3.1 Optimising the Number of Required TRXs

One of the two new allocation styles is the one in which the AFP is permitted to optimise the number of required TRXs. When
this option is selected, the AFP may reduce the number of TRXs compared to the number of required TRXs in order to maxim-
ise the amount of correctly served traffic, and consequently, reduce the level of interferences. In the same way, for highly
traffic-loaded subcells, the AFP may increase the number of TRXs compared to what is required in order to reduce the blocked
traffic.
The circuit and packet demand are the two main inputs used for estimating the blocking rates. They can be either directly
extracted from the subcell table, or come from the default traffic capture, or be re-estimated by the Atoll AFP Module. It will
perform do it using the old traffic load, and the number of required TRXs as input.
Whatever the method is, when the traffic demand is known, the Atoll AFP Module may vary the number of TRXs in subcells
and for each it will calculates:
• The blocking probability
• The served circuit and packet traffic
• The resulting traffic loads.
The goal of the AFP is to determine the best trade-off between the blocking due to interferences (also called soft blocking)
and the blocking due to traffic (also called hard blocking) by the optimisation of the number of TRXs.
In order to control the process of optimising the number of TRxs, you can modify the following parameters:
• Increasing the missing TRX tax influences the Atoll AFP Module to respect the number of required TRXs.
• Increasing the interference weight influences the creation of a small number of TRXs
• In the case of high values of traffic loads (which forces the Atoll AFP Module to create extra TRXs), reducing the max-
imum blocking rate limits the number of extra TRXs.
This strategy may also affect the initial subcell loads and KPIs would have to be recalculated after the automatic frequency
planning process.
In this chapter, we will explain the entire process, so that you fully understand this optimization capacity and by thus under-
stand how to control it.
6.5.3.1.1 Soft Blocking Versus Hard Blocking

In Performance Enhancements in a Frequency Hopping GSM Network, the authors suggest (as have many others) that network
quality is a trade-off between soft blocking and hard blocking.1 Soft blocking is due to interference-related effects (such as
dropped calls), which is addressed by frequency planning, while hard blocking is due to circuit shortage during the busiest peri-
ods which is addressed by dimensioning.
One cost component of the AFP models hard blocking (dimensioning), based on the Erlang B theory. The AFP is therefore capa-
ble of finding the optimal trade-off point between soft and hard blocking. The trade-off point is not a global one, but rather
is specific to each TRX.
The issue of dimensioning during the AFP process is discussed in the following sections:
• "The Advantage of Combining Dimensioning and Frequency Planning" on page 426
• "The AFP and Local Frequency Availability" on page 427.
The Advantage of Combining Dimensioning and Frequency Planning
Given the difficulty inherent in combining dimensioning and frequency planning, it is often tempting to do each separately.
However, by combing dimensioning and frequency planning, as done by the Atoll AFP, you can exploit local variations of soft
versus hard blocking measure and thereby better enhance of network capacity. The advantage of adjusting the number of
TRXs while making an automatic frequency allocation is demonstrated in "Example of Combining Dimensioning and Frequency
Planning" on page 429.
The basic advantage of combining the two is that you can avoid the need to manually find a target blocking rate.
When evaluating the resulting frequency plan, it is important to keep in mind how this frequency plan was created: it was
created to maximise the correctly served traffic instead of trying to simply minimise the interfered traffic. For example, if
1. Thomas Toftegaard Nielsen and Jeroen Wigard, Performance Enhancements in a Frequency Hopping GSM
Network(Springer, 2000), 68.
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plan A has more TRXs than plan B, it is possible that an interference prediction for plan A will display more interference, even
if plan A is the best plan. It consists on the positive attitude: trying to maximise the correctly served traffic instead of trying to
minimise the interfered traffic.
The AFP and Local Frequency Availability
Combining both soft and hard blocking, the AFP optimises the amount of correctly served traffic for each individual transmit-
ter using frequencies available to it. In this example, there is a transmitter with two subcells: TCH and BCCH. The two subcells
absorb the traffic demand together. Let us assume that the traffic demand consists of 25 Erlangs of circuit-switched traffic,
and 5 timeslots of packet-switched traffic. Let us also assume that the required number of TCH TRXs is 2 with 1 BCCH TRX.
The AFP could just assign 3 TRXs in this cell, exactly as required, or it could study a few additional possibilities:
• Assign only 2 TRXs, thereby reducing interference.
• Assign 4 TRXs (one additional TRX), thereby reducing the blocking rate.
The AFP calculates the best option as follows:
1. It calculates the available number of circuits (depending on the HR — half-rate — ratio).
2. Then it calculates the blocking rate using the Erlang B equation and the circuit-switched demand.
3. Once the AFP has calculated how much traffic is served, it can calculate the traffic load (from 0 to 1, with "1" corre-
sponding to a full load).
4. With the traffic load calculated, the AFP can calculate the interference cost as well as the hard blocking cost.
The cost representing the interference depends on which frequencies were assigned. The more TRXs there are, the harder it
is to find frequencies that are free from interference.
In this example, the locally available frequencies are as follows:
Only 2 frequencies (f1 and f2) have low interference (i.e., probability of interference = 10%). One frequency (f3) has a medium
level of interference (20%). One frequency (f4) has a high level of interference (30%). All the other available frequencies are
even more heavily interfered.
The entire process is summarised in the table below:
Blocked Traffic Interfered traffic Interfered Interfered

Frequency Number
TRXs Traffic load on f1 and f2 traffic on f3 traffic on f4
Plan of circuits
(Timeslots) (%) (Timeslots) (Timeslots) (Timeslots)
Frequency 2 TRXs: using 21 7.4 100% 1.5 0: Since it is 0: Since it is
plan 1: f1 and f2. not used not used
Frequency 3 TRXs: using 32.2 0.55 97.7% 1.46 1.56 0: Since it is
plan 2: f1, f2 and f3. not used
Frequency 4 TRXs: using 43.4 0: No 74% 1.1 1.18 1.77
plan 3: f1, f2, f3, and blocking
f4. with 4 TRXs.
The best plan depends on the locally available frequencies: if there was less interference, the AFP would have chosen
frequency plan 3. If f3 and f4 where heavily interfered, the AFP would have chosen frequency plan 1. Because the AFP tries to
minimise what is in bold in the table above (i.e., the blocked and interfered traffic), it chooses frequency plan 2 (in which the
figures in bold add up to 3.57 timeslots).
6.5.3.1.2 The Sources of Traffic Demand Used by the AFP

The Atoll AFP one of several sources for traffic demand: traffic demand can be taken from traffic captures, as is the case with
traffic loads, or traffic demand can be entered into the Subcells table using data from the OMC, or the AFP can use traffic loads
to calculate traffic demand (if maintaining compatibility with older documents is a concern).
• "Traffic Captures as a Source of Traffic Demand" on page 427
• "OMC Data as a Source of Traffic Demand" on page 428
• "Traffic Loads as a Source of Traffic Demand" on page 428
Traffic Captures as a Source of Traffic Demand
If you choose to use traffic maps, a traffic capture can supply the traffic demand. Then, by performing dimensioning or a KPI
calculation, this information is committed into the Subcells table. Afterwards, when running an automatic frequency alloca-
tion, you can then choose to have the AFP use the traffic information from the default traffic capture or from the Subcells
table.
427
OMC Data as a Source of Traffic Demand
The traffic demand can come from the OMC and be imported into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data table. For more information
on importing OMC traffic into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data table, see "Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table:
Traffic Data" on page 318.
The Subcells Table: Traffic Data table sA specific table is defined in order to absorb OMC traffic readings. To open it:
3. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Traffic Data from the context menu. The Traffic data part of the Subcells table
appears.
By importing Subcells Table: Traffic Data table into the fields for the BCCH and TCH subcells (which share the same field as
they are assumed to share the same traffic management unit) and into the TCH_INNER subcells field, where they exist, you
supply the AFP with your OMC traffic.
Traffic Loads as a Source of Traffic Demand
The AFP can use traffic loads to calculate the traffic demand (if maintaining compatibility with older documents is a concern).
Previously, the AFP used the field "traffic load" and the number of required TRXs as its traffic source. When the required
number of TRXs is adjusted, the cost function will continue to be the same. When the adjustment is requested, the AFP can
base its demand on the traffic load, in a way that permits the user to maintain compatibility with the old traffic model.
6.5.3.1.3 How to control the optimization so that it allocates more or less TRXs?
There are several mechanisms by which you can set the AFP to allocate more or fewer TRXs: you can modify the traffic demand
to have more or fewer TRXs allocated, you can modify the weights for the interference and separation violation costs, or you
can modify the tax for missing (or superfluous) TRXs.
Increasing the Traffic Demand to Increase TRX Allocation
The more demand exists, the higher will be the pressure on the AFP to allocate more transmitters. As said above, the demand
can come from the traffic model, from the subcell table, or from the traffic load values. If demand come from the traffic
capture, you can increase demand by recalculating the capture with a higher traffic coefficients. If demand comes from the
OMC, you can boost it by using a spreadsheet. If demand comes from traffic loads you can do the following:
In the AFP property pages, where you indicate that the demand should be regenerated from the traffic loads, you are also
requested to bound the actual blocking rate (actual with respect to the number of required transmitters). This is because of
the following reason:
If your served traffic load is 100%, theoretically, only an infinite circuit demand can generate such a load…
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Figure 6.96: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Cost tab
The 5% in this screen shot mean that the traffic demand can exceed the served traffic by no more than 5% .
By Increasing this measure we increase the difference between served traffic and traffic demand, yet only in the heavily
loaded transmitters. Because in this case where the served traffic is a constant information source, this means that demand
increases, which implies the need for more transmitters.
You can modify the cost penalty for interference and separation violation. High cost puts pressure on the AFP to allocate less
transmitters.
You can modify the tax for missing (or extra) transmitters. The tax is a simple cost penalty that softly limits the freedom of the
AFP in this new domain. The higher the tax, the more the original "number of required TRXs" is respected.
A dedicated locking flag at the subcell level allows you to shut down the new capacity planning when you already know the
exact number of transmitters that is required.
6.5.3.1.4 Example of Combining Dimensioning and Frequency Planning

The following example demonstrates the advantages of combining dimensioning and frequency planning:
• "Less Interference" on page 429
• "Re-adjusting the Number of TRXs to Match OMC Traffic" on page 431
• "Frequency Domain and Frequency Band Balancing" on page 431.
Less Interference
The example shows that interference can be greatly reduced. The following graphs show the effect of adjusting the number
of TRXs on the interfered and served traffic, compared to the initial dimensioning.
429
Figure 6.97: Effects of adjusting the number of TRXs on traffic
The preceding 4 frequency plans were all generated using exactly 50 frequencies. All other network parameters remained the
same.
430
In the plan "Dim - 76 TRXs" many TRXs were removed by the AFP (76 out of 820). Removing the TRXs reduced interference by
a considerable margin but had no impact on the amount of served traffic because reducing TRXs was only considered if the
transmitter's load was low.
Re-adjusting the Number of TRXs to Match OMC Traffic
In a real network, it is often necessary to re-adjust the number of TRXs to match evolution of the traffic.
A typical situation is the following snap shot; taken before any adaptation is made.
Figure 6.98: Number of required TRXs vs. Erlang Demand
It is normal that not all transmitters having the same number of TRXs have the same traffic demands, therefore the traffic
loads will often vary from one transmitter to another.
Once the AFP performs its optimisation, the traffic loads become more uniform, as can be observed in the following graph.
Figure 6.99: Load comparison before and after TRX adjustment
Frequency Domain and Frequency Band Balancing
A common practice is to split the frequency domains and reserve one frequency domain for BCCH, one for TCH, and one for
EGPRS (when used). As well, frequency bands and domains are reserved for the HCS layer. When the network is dimensioned
during an automatic frequency allocation, the number of TRXs is adapted without modifying the divisions.
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Figure 6.100: Frequency reuse balancing with or without TRX number adjustment
In this example, most TRXs that were removed were removed in the 900 band (In the first half of the graph, the red line is
almost always below the blue line.)
6.5.3.2 Combining Interference Matrices According to Maximum Likelihood

Estimation
In general, for a fixed set of data and underlying statistical model, the method of maximum likelihood selects values of the
model parameters that produce a distribution that gives the observed data the greatest probability (i.e., parameters that
maximise the likelihood function).
The AFP uses maximum-likelihood estimation to combine different interference matrices. Different types of interference
matrices have different weak points. When combining interference matrices, the most important aspect is differentiating
between no interference and unknown interference (i.e., between situations where it can be proven that there is no interfer-
ence and situations where it can not be known whether there is interference). Maximum likelihood estimation selects the
values from different interference matrices that would have the greatest probability of resulting in the observable data. Addi-
tional to the interference matrix itself, Atoll uses information about the type of interference matrix, its quality indicators, and
its scope.
The following sections explain the maximum likelihood combination performed by the Atoll AFP Module. Before describing
the combination process, the scope and context of interference matrices is explained.
6.5.3.2.1 Interference Matrix Context

The context of an interference matrix refers to the following properties associated with each matrix:
• The name of the interference matrix (and comments, if any)
• The external file name (if the matrix is an external file)
• Whether the interference matrix is active or not
• The type of the interference (for more information on the types of interference matrices, "Defining Type-Dependant
Quality Indicators on Interference Matrices" on page 366)
• The quality indicators (dependent on the type of interference matrix)
The context of an interference matrix is used mainly to indicate the statistical quality off the interference matrix so that the
AFP can weight the information read from the interference matrix accordingly.
Atoll supports a wide number of AFP tools. The interference matrix combination process, which is a part of the cost function,
can be different in different AFP tools. The concept of an interference matrix context permits a common representation and
significance of the parameters influencing the combination process. These parameters are, therefore, described as a set of
quality indicators, with meaningful units, such as the number of measurement days, standard deviation, calculation resolu-
tion, and whether the interference matrix is based on traffic or surface area.
The nine pre-defined types of interference matrices are divided into four groups with respect to their quality indicator repre-
sentation: OMC-based, drive-test-based, propagation-based, and others. The General tab of the Interference Matrix Proper-
ties dialog box gives you access to this information:
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Figure 6.101: Definition of Interference Matrix Types
Depending on the matrix type, the quality indicators available on the Advanced tab include:
• For matrices based on path loss (propagation data) matrices:
• The standard deviation
• The resolution
• For matrices based on reselection statistics from the OMC:
• For matrices based on handover statistics from the OMC:
- The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
- The average number of measurement points in the handover statistics that correspond to a single matrix calcula-
tion point
- The volume of information
- Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
• For matrices based on RXLEV statistics from the OMC:
- The statistic duration
• For matrices based on test mobile data
- The average number of measurement points in the test mobile data that correspond to a single matrix calculation
point.
• For matrices based on CW measurements:
- The average number of CW measurement points that correspond to a single matrix calculation point
• For matrices based on scan data drive tests:
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- The average number of measurement points in the scan data drive test data that correspond to a single matrix
calculation point
The context of an interference matrix is not systematically included in the interference matrix files. That is why Atoll asks the
user to set up the type and quality indicators of the interference matrix manually.
6.5.3.2.2 Interference Matrix Scope

The scope of an interference matrix is the correspondence between a transmitter ID and the following information:
• The name of the transmitter
• The BSIC (as it was when the IM statistics were gathered)
• The BCCH (as it was when the IM statistics were gathered)
• The percentage of coverage of the victim that is taken into consideration in the interference matrix
• The percentage of coverage of the interferer that is taken into consideration in the interference matrix
Figure 6.102: Interference matrix scope
The most important information of the scope is the percentage of victim coverage and the percentagle of interferer coverage.
In order to understand their significance as well as their use, you should bear in mind that interference matrices must provide
interference information between each pair of subcells in the network. A large amount of memory would be required for a
simple sequential representation of the interference matrix, which would make it impossible to work with such interference
matrices in large networks. Therefore, entries in an interference matrix only exist when there is interference between a given
pair of subcells.
If an entry (i, j) does not exist in the interference matrix, there are two possible explanations:
• Either j does not interfere with i (no interference),
• Or the interference information is missing in the interference matrix because at least one of the two was out of the
scope of the interference matrix (unknown interference).
In other words, the lack of information can be interpreted as either no interference or as unknown interference.
If there is only one interference matrix (i.e., only one source of interference information) then no interference is the same as
unknown interference.
If there is more than one interference matrix, the information missing in one matrix might be available in another. Therefore,
it becomes very important to distinguish between the two cases in order to intelligently combine different interference matri-
ces.
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For example, if you have three interference matrices and, for a given pair of subcells, you have 60% interference in one,
unknown interference in the second, and unknown interference in the third, the resulting interference when the three matri-
ces are combined will be 60%. However, if for the same pair of subcells, you have 60% interference in one, no interference in
the second, and no interference in the third, the resulting interference when the three matrices are combined will be only
20%.
The ideal method for differentiating between no interference and unknown interference would be to keep a matrix of values
in memory, which would indicate the reliability of each matrix entry, and thereby indicate the entries for which the interfer-
ence is "Unknown" as unreliable entries. Unfortunately, this would be completely impractical because this matrix of values
would be too large to work with.
Therefore, Atoll implements a slightly restricted approach for storing the scope of interference matrices. Interference matri-
ces contain two reliability indicators at transmitter level, i.e., the reliability when a transmitter is the victim, and the reliability
when it is the interferer. This information is stored in the columns % of Victim Coverage and % of Interferer Coverage.
The reliability of an entry (i, j) is calculated as follows:
VictimCoverage(Transmitter(i)) * InterfererCoverage(Transmitter(j))
This implementation is simple and sufficient for the most interference matrices.
Creation of the Interference Matrix Scope
The scope of an interference matrix is created by the tool that creates the interference matrix. If the interference matrix is
created by Atoll, the AFP scope will be set to the initial set of victims, corresponding to SEL + RING (see "The Scope of the AFP
and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383). This means that even when only one transmitter is present inside the
computation zone, many other transmitters might be taken into account. Atoll adds all potential interferers to this set, and
calculates the interference matrix entries between all pairs of this set. This set becomes the scope of the interference matrix,
with 100% at both victim and interferer coverage.
Other software can be used to edit the interference matrix scope using the general API features, or by saving the interference
matrix as a CLC file and editing it. The CLC file format can store all the interference matrix information (see the Technical Refer-
ence Guide for more information).
• The scopes of the interference matrices are automatically created when old CLC,
IM0, IM1, or IM2 files are imported. The scope is created using the current BSIC
and BCCH allocation, and finding the set of all victims and the set of all interferers.
• The interference matrix scope internally manages the transmitter IDs. When
exchanging information with a CLC file, these ID's are visible to the user. They are
arbitrary numbers used to index the interference matrix entries. Even if an addin
is used to create the interference matrix, the association of transmitter names to
IDs is carried out by Atoll. The addin will associate the interference information to
pairs of transmitter ID's.
• The CLC and DCT files have the same mapping of transmitter names to transmitter
IDs. There are no restrictions on transmitter IDs as long as they are unique integers
under 231.
Two possibilities (examples) for editing the interference matrix information could be:
• An addin that imports an interference matrix should know its scope. For example, if it is an OMC addin, and the OMC
covers 50 transmitters, the scope will contain 50 transmitters. Their indexes will be supplied by Atoll once added to
the scope. The percentage of victim and interferer coverage should be 100%.
• When generating an interference matrix from CW measurements, there might be a few transmitters which were cor-
rectly scanned and others that were not. In this case, the correctly scanned transmitters would have good percentage
of victim and interferer coverage, while the others would not.
Use of the BSIC and BCCH in the Scope
The BSIC and BCCH fields in the scope are used for the cases where the BSIC and BCCH allocation, during the period when the
interference matrix information was gathered, was different from the current BSIC and BCCH allocation.
6.5.3.2.3 Keeping the Interference matrix Up to Date

An interference matrix is no longer valid once the network has changed. However, currently this fact is left under the user
responsibility. Atoll will try to perform some matrix maintenance in order to reduce overhead, yet this help is not guaranteed.
start here
When a CLC file (and its corresponding DCT) are imported, the transmitter indexes in the files can be arbitrary. In order to
improve access time, Atoll changes these indexes to the ADO record ID as index.
When you rename or delete a transmitter, or when the ADO index is changed, the interference matrix is automatically
updated, and saved when the Atoll document is saved.
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Instead of updating the interference matrix every time a transmitter is renamed or deleted, Atoll stores the events in memory,
and updates the interference matrix only when it is used. It checks the ADO record ID's and, if they have been changed, the
changes are taken into account.
When an Interference matrix is externalised, Atoll does not always manage to keep it updated as described above.
Calculate your Interference Matrices as often as you calculate your path loss matrices.
6.5.3.2.4 Interference Matrix Combination in Atoll AFP Module

Interference matrices are combined in a manner that follows these two important guidelines:
• The cost function definition does not change. If earlier, interference values were read from a single interference
matrix. Now, they are read from more than one interference matrix.
• When the interference matrices are correctly managed in Atoll, no further parameterisation (weighting) is required.
The Interference Matrices tab (see "The Interference Matrices Tab" on page 414) available in the Atoll AFP Module properties
dialog box displays and lets to modify the weights that control the interference matrix combination.
The interference matrix combination is carried out as follows:
1. The Atoll AFP Module asks Atoll to load a subset of the active interference matrices of the document. This subset is
determined by comparing each interference matrix scope with the AFP scope. Only the interference matrices whose
scope intersects the AFP scope are loaded.
2. The Atoll AFP Module then reads the scope and context information of each loaded interference matrix.
The interference, p(i, v, x), of subcell i (interferer) on subcell v (victim) for a given C/I level x, can be read from more
than one interference matrix.
3. The Atoll AFP Module combines all the values of p(i, v, x) by performing a weighted average. Therefore, it calculates
as many weights as the number of p(i, v, x) entries for a pixel. These "reliability weights" are calculated by multiplying
the following three components:
a. Component quantifying the membership to the AFP scope:
VictimCoverage(Transmitter(v)) x InterfererCoverage(Transmitter(i))
For interference matrices based on OMC statistics, if the scope indicates that both i and v had the same BCCH, the
component will be 0.
b. Component depending on the interference matrix type.
c. Component depending on the interference matrix quality indicators: The "Reliability Calculation". The equations
are different for the different classes of types since the quality indicators are different as well:
i. Interference matrix based on propagation:
75 7,5
Component C = ---------------  --------
r + 25 
Where  is the standard deviation of the propagation model, and r is the calculation resolution. A resolution
of 50 m and a standard deviation of 7.5 dB gives a weight of 1.
ii. Interference matrix based on measurements from the OMC performed during n days:
1+n
Component C = ----------------
-
3
Which gives a weight of 1 for 8 days of measurements.

iii. Interference matrix based on drive test analysis:
0,4
Component C = ---------------------------------------------
1 + n  r + 1
-
4   + 1
3 parameters determine the weight:
i.The standard deviation  , which is assumed to be lower than the one of a propagation model.
ii.The number of measurements considered at each calculation point, r

iii.The number of calculation points per transmitter, n
iv. Interference matrices of other types do not participate in the weighting, since they are or Upper bound IMs
or Lower bounds IMs.
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6.5.3.3 The Storage of a Frequency Plan in Atoll

Atoll stores a single frequency plan. It is stored in its TRX table records, and also in its subcell and transmitter tables. Some
AFP Quality indicators can even be stored in the Site table.
In this chapter we will depict the various issues concerning this storage.
The TRX table enables support of the following items:
• An external ID space of the TRXs of a transmitter (important for import and export utilities).
• MAL/channel at TRX level.
• MAIO at TRX level.
• Fine locking: The user can lock specific TRXs in an unlocked transmitter.
The TRX table does not contain an "active" field. Therefore, all TRXs in it should contain a valid frequency or MAL and are all
considered to be on air. It is better to remove a TRX record than removing only the frequency or MAL from its channels list.
There are certain factors which affect the AFP directives that can be set at different levels in the GSM project:
• During an AFP optimisation, the channels and MAIO currently assigned to a TRX will not be changed if the TRX is locked
in the TRXs table or if the transmitter is locked in the Transmitters table.
• The AFP weighing can be set at the transmitter level and at the subcell level. The final AFP weight will be the product
of both weights (i.e., the transmitter AFP weight multiplied by the subcell AFP weight).
• The domain definition can be modified at the subcell level by defining excluded channels.
Some AFP-relevant entries can be found in the TRXs, Subcells, and Transmitters tables, creating a certain level of redundancy:
• The channel list in the Transmitters table is a combination of all channels appearing in the TRXs of a transmitter
(depending on the hopping modes used and the number of subcells).
• The hopping mode of a transmitter is the hopping mode of its default traffic carrier (the TCH TRX Type).
• The frequency band of the transmitter (the one used by the propagation model), is read from the domain of the BCCH
subcell of the transmitter.
Atoll considers the lowest level of information as the accurate source. For example:
• Atoll automatically updates the TRXs table if the channel list of a transmitter in the Transmitters table is modified.
• The frequency band of a transmitter cannot be edited.
In cases where the data management is perfectly controlled (for example, when several users are working on the same
project), it can happen that issues of consistency can occur. In that case, you might want to run a subcell audit as explained in
"Checking Consistency in Subcells" on page 473 to verify where consistency has been lost and how to correct it.
6.5.3.3.1 AFP Performance Indicators (AFP PI's)

The AFP can be used to generate different AFP performance indicators (AFP PI's). The AFP PIs are visible in the AFP results
window, and once commit is applied, they can be seen in Atoll's TRXs, subcells, transmitters and sites tables. The most impor-
tant AFP PIs are found in the subcell table, and are now visible in a dedicated read only table view.
The TRX Rank PI and Its Use
The AFP TRX Rank provides a ranking of the TRXs in a subcell. If a TRX rank is high, it implies that the frequency (channel) corre-
sponding to this TRX has bad usage conditions. TRX ranks indicate the best and worst quality TRXs in each subcell. The best
TRX might be a candidate for extensive GPRS or EDGE usage. The worst TRX will be the TRX that is potentially removable. The
OMC might use rank (or preference) information for better RRM (first charge the good TRXs, only after charge the bad ones …).
• Rank = 1 is the best rank.

• TRX Rank is the corresponding field in the TRX table.
As it is during an AFP process that frequencies and MALs/MAIOs for different TRXs of a subcell are chosen, the AFP tool stores
and manipulates the information about TRXs in good and in bad conditions.
If you choose AFP Rank indicator to be allocated when starting an AFP session, each cost improving solution will go through a
TRX rank assignment. If no improving plan is found, TRX rank will be assigned for the initial plan (like BSIC). TRX ranking within
a subcell is performed on the basis of TRX costs.
A TRX will be considered locked for TRX Rank assignment if and only if it is not selected for AFP allocation or if it has been
locked.
The Theory of "Scheduling" in Frequency Planning
TRX rank is Atoll's AFP implementation of "Scheduling", which can help increase performance in certain particular cases.
Example: imagine the case where a cell and its neighbour are not loaded with traffic at the same time (for example, a stadium
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and its parking lot). In such cases, it is possible to decrease call blocking by adding one or two dirty TRXs to the concerned cells.
(assuming clean TRXs do not exist for spectral reasons). What you will need to do is the following:
1. You need an OMC that can be informed about the TRX ranking, and that knows not to use the bad TRXs when load is
normal or low. They get into use only when the load is high.
2. You need to relax the interference matrix entries and the separation relation constraints between the two oppositely
correlated cells.
3. You need to run the AFP with TRX rank.
The spectral efficiency of scheduling can not be fully acquired by real time RRM, since the latest is of a caustic nature. You can
be sure to obtain a bigger gain if the scheduling order is pre-defined.
6.5.3.3.2 The AFP Cost Performance Indicators

Total cost and separation violation cost component at the TRX, subcell, transmitter, and site levels can be calculated and
displayed as AFP performance indicators. These are the cumulated total costs and the cumulated separation violation costs
of each TRX, subcell, transmitter and site.
In order to be able to compute and display these results, you must add AFP_COST and AFP_SEP_COST fields (of type SINGLE)
to the TRX, Transmitters and Sites tables. AFP_COST field and AFP_SEP_COST field correspond to the total cost and separation
cost component respectively. These AFP performance indicators are available in the list of AFP performance indicators to be
computed available when launching the AFP tool.
The AFP cost assignment to the TRXs, subcells, transmitters and sites is carried out at the same time as the TRX rank assign-
ment. Once a frequency plan is committed, the next instance of the AFP can concentrate more on the problematic TRX/
subcell/transmitter/site to improve results. As well, this can automatically limit the modification scope to the problematic
cells/sites. This can deliver a significant quality gain.
6.5.3.3.3 The AFP Subcell Performance Indicators

Four AFP performance indicators can be committed into 4 subcell fields. These fields are then displayed in a separate view of
the subcell table. And also in a separate page in the AFP output dialog box.
6.5.3.4 AFP Guidelines

In this section, there are a few methods that will help you use the AFP more efficiently.
• "Focusing the AFP on the Problematic Areas" on page 438
• "Learning the Network while Solving Hard Spots" on page 438
• "Better Understanding the Point Analysis Tool" on page 439
• "Why Aren't the Traffic Loads Incorporated in the Interference Matrix?" on page 440.
6.5.3.4.1 Focusing the AFP on the Problematic Areas

In this small paragraph we propose a simple strategy for obtaining improved frequency plans. Let us assume that we have X
hours of available computation time:
• First, we launch the AFP during X/2 hours, then; we stop it and commit the results (if good).
• Lock all TRXs in the network.
• Find the areas that generate problems. For example, some sites with separation violations.
• Unlock the worst 10 sites.
• For each such site, unlock 2 - 4 neighbouring transmitters.
• Run the AFP for an additional X * 30 minutes (the remaining half of the time).
A more simple way to detect the hard spots is by committing cell or site level KPIs to the corresponding tables. The principle
remains the same: Let the AFP work only on the small part where the interference is strongest.
6.5.3.4.2 Learning the Network while Solving Hard Spots

1. Apply this technique to networks having 12000 to 120000 Erlangs (2500 to 25000 TRXs). Make sure that the AFP is
configured to maintain its learned experience (execution page in the AFP property pages).
2. Run the AFP for at least 10 solutions, on the entire network, specifying a short time period, commit the plan knowing
it is of basic quality. If this quality satisfies you, you do not need to continue.
3. Find the areas that generate problems. For example, some sites with separation violations, high congestion, or high
interferences.
4. Create a calculation zone around these areas.
5. Create a filtering zone including the computation zone + the first ring of neighbours.
6. Make sure that this representative part of the network is not too big nor too small. For example: 100 to 200 transmit-
ters in the computation zone, plus an additional 50 to 100 of locked neighbours.
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7. Specify a long execution time (1500 to 4000 minutes) and let the AFP work on the core for this entire target time. The
target time should be long enough for the AFP to generate at least 800 solutions. The AFP should be run using a cost
for changing the TRX channel. (we want to minimise the number of changes).
8. Assuming that the long execution on a small area had improved the result, commit the plan.
9. If not, reduce the cost of changing a TRX, or reduce the number of locked transmitters, or both. Repeat the two pre-
vious steps until an improving long execution is achieved.
10. Now you can run the AFP on entire network. Keep the same cost for changing a TRX, so that the basic plan obtained
in the beginning is not too strongly modified.
If step N° 10 has provided a good plan then it might be worth while sharing your AFP experience with all the other users:
• Duplicate your AFP model.
• Give a meaningful name to the duplicated model.
• In its execution property page, switch off the experience learning option. (So that this model does not get altered by
other AFP users)
• Archive to database the new AFP model, yet not the old one. The new model can be used by the other AFP users. The
old model which you didn't archive is not affected by your modifications.
6.5.3.4.3 Better Understanding the Point Analysis Tool

It is often useful to know what exactly causes interference conditions at a point. This is one of the important roles of the point
analysis tool. Yet because of its complexity, some users are afraid to use it, which is a pity. The point analysis is complicated
only because it is a very rich tool. It provides the user with the information of how are the interferers of a TRX at a point, what
are the different gains (power offsets, burst collision probability, DTX, adjacency suppression), and how do the different
components combine to a "total interference" on a channel or on a mobile allocation.
Example 1: Combination of Interference Effects
This figure depicts the case where one co-channel and two adjacent channel interferers are combined to create total interfer-
ence (the gain value (the empty part - 18 dB) shows that they are adjacent). For each of the two adjacent interferers, C/I > 12
dB, while for their combination, the total interference, C/I < 12 dB. This example demonstrates the fact that geographic inter-
ference combination is more accurate than the interference cost of the AFP. Assuming the required quality to be 12 dB, this
specific point would not contribute to the AFP cost, while it would be considered as interfered in the interference coverage
prediction.
Figure 6.103: Combination of Interference Effects
Example 2: Counting Strong Interference Only Once
In this case, two strong interferences are combined to create an extra strong total interference. C/I is very weak for both inter-
ferers. Therefore, the point under analysis contributes to both IM entries, which are considered in the AFP cost. This example
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demonstrates the fact that geographic interference combination is more accurate than the interference cost of the AFP
because of counting this point only once as an interfered point (and not twice as in the AFP).
Figure 6.104: Counting Strong Interference Only Once
6.5.3.4.4 Why Aren't the Traffic Loads Incorporated in the Interference Matrix?
Atoll maintains the traffic load separate from the interference information. Before justifying this choice we must depict the
two alternatives:
• The mixed option: The interference information contains the traffic information as well. In this way, each IM entry will
contain the quantity of traffic interfered if a co-channel or adjacent channel reuse exists.
• The separated option: The AFP has separate access to traffic load information and to interference probabilities (As in
Atoll).
The main reasons for choosing the second implementation are the following:
• Option 2 is a superset that contains option 1. But option 1, being a subset, does not contain option 2 (i.e. once the
information are mixed they cannot be separated).
• It does not create any overhead (the size of the additional information is negligible compared to the size of the IM).
• It helps keeping the unit definitions simpler.
• It facilitates merging IMs with different traffic units.
• The traffic information can be used for weighting the separation violation component, as well as the interference com-
ponent.
• The traffic load can be used in deciding whether a TRX can be left uncreated.
• The gain introduced by the traffic load of the interferer depends on the hopping mode and the MAL length. Incorpo-
rating this gain in the IM (as a result of the mixed option) means that the IMs become hopping-mode and MAL-size
dependent. This is a bad idea since the AFP should be able to change the MAL. And the user should be able to change
the hopping mode without recalculating the IM. In addition, an IM calculated externally to Atoll, with a non-hopping
BCCH can be used for the hopping TCH.
6.5.3.5 The Role of the AFP Administrator

The AFP administrator is a corporate AFP expert. The AFP administrator evaluates the AFP and decides how it should be
configured. The AFP administrator has a very powerful control tool which is the centralised database where pre-defined and
pre-configured AFP models can be published.
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6.6 Analysing Network Quality

When you are working on a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, you can analyse the quality of the network using the coverage predic-
tions provided in Atoll.
For GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks, Atoll provides both circuit and packet-specific coverage predictions as well as quality indica-
tor predictions for both GSM and GPRS/EDGE.
• "Evaluating the Quality of a Frequency Plan" on page 441
• "Interference Coverage Predictions" on page 443
• "Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions" on page 455
• "Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Coverage Prediction" on page 464
• "Making a Service Area Prediction" on page 467
• "Studying Interference Between Transmitters" on page 469
• "Auditing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Frequency Plan" on page 470
• "Checking Consistency in Subcells" on page 473
• "Displaying the Frequency Allocation" on page 474
• "Calculating Key Performance Indicators of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 477
6.6.1 Evaluating the Quality of a Frequency Plan

Creating an AFP-compatible interference coverage prediction is the most precise and objective way of evaluating the quality
of the frequency plan. It is more precise than the AFP cost estimation because it is based on the calculated radio conditions
at each point and not on interference matrices. It is also more objective because it does not depend on the AFP module used
to create the frequency plan evaluated.
When you create an AFP-compatible interference coverage prediction, you must observe the following rules (for information
on defining and calculating an interfered zones coverage prediction, see "Studying Interference Areas" on page 449:
• Select Interfered Zones (DL) as the coverage prediction from the Prediction Types dialog box.
• Use the same service area model when calculating the interfered zones coverage prediction that you used when cal-
culating the interference matrices.
Figure 6.105: Generating interference matrices
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Figure 6.106: Condition settings for an interfered zones coverage prediction
For example, if you calculate the interference matrices on the HCS servers with a margin of 4 dB, shadowing, and a cell edge
coverage probability of 75% as shown in Figure 6.105, you should use the same settings when creating the interfered zones
coverage prediction (see Figure 6.106):
• Under Coverage Conditions, use the default settings for Subcell C threshold and Server.
• Under Interference Conditions, use the default settings for the Subcell C⁄I threshold.
• Under Interference Conditions, use the same DTX definition as you used when you ran the AFP.
• Under Interference Conditions, select "From subcell table" for the Traffic Load, and select the Detailed Results check
box.
After defining and calculating the coverage prediction as explained in "Studying Interference Areas" on page 449, generate a
report as explained in ""Generating a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 293. When the Columns to Be Displayed dialog
box appears, select the check boxes corresponding to the following columns (see Figure 6.106):
• Served load (timeslots weighted by the AFP weight)
• Served load (timeslots weighted by the half rate traffic ratio).
Figure 6.107: Defining the report on the interfered zones coverage prediction
The resulting report is shown in Figure 6.108.
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Figure 6.108: The report on the interfered zones coverage prediction
The report displays: the following:

• For each TRX, a given amount of traffic is spread uniformly over the TRX service zone.
• Part of this traffic is interfered because the C/I conditions are bad. The part that is interfered is added up in the report.
In Figure 6.108, the interfered traffic for channel 25 is outlined in red.
• The total amount of traffic per TRX is the sum of:
• Served load (timeslots weighted by the AFP weight): The traffic load is multiplied first by the AFP cost factor and
then multiplied by the number of timeslots.
• Served load (Erlangs weighted by the half rate traffic ratio): The traffic load is multiplied first by the number of
timeslots and then multiplied by 1/(1 - Half of the half-rate ratio)
The total amount of traffic per TRX is given in parentheses, and added. This way, you can see the ratio between interfered
traffic and the total amount of traffic. The final ratio is outlined in green in Figure 6.108.
Atoll's AFP cost function is given using the same units as those used to display the data in the column called Served load
(Timeslots weighted by the AFP weight)
The report displayed in Figure 6.108 is TRX-based and is therefore much more precise than worst case surface estimations
that are usually observed when you look at the results of a coverage prediction in the map window.
Figure 6.109: Considerations in frequency planning
6.6.2 Interference Coverage Predictions

The interference coverage predictions described in this section depend on the existence of a frequency plan. If you have not
yet allocated frequencies, you must do so before carrying out any of the coverage predictions described in this section. For
information on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
Each of the interference coverage predictions described in this section can be carried out based on a fixed noise value or based
on the settings for a particular terminal. For information on defining a terminal, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals"
on page 518.
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The following GSM-specific coverage predictions are explained in this section:

• "Making DL Quality Predic ons Based on C⁄I or C⁄(I+N)" on page 444
• "Making UL Quality Predic ons Based on C⁄(I+N)" on page 447
• "Studying Interference Areas" on page 449.
You can also study interference areas by using the Point Analysis window:
• "Analysing Interference Areas Using the Point Analysis Tool" on page 452
• "Example of Analysing Interference Using a Point Analysis" on page 453.
Atoll also enables you to model interference coming from an external project. For more information, see "Modelling Inter-
technology Interference" on page 522.
6.6.2.1 Making DL Quality Predictions Based on C⁄I or C⁄(I+N)

In Atoll, you can make DL quality predictions based on C⁄I or C⁄(I+N) levels once channels have been allocated. If you have not
yet allocated frequencies, you must do so before carrying out the coverage prediction described in this section. For informa-
tion on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
The coverage by DL C⁄I level prediction enables you to determine DL C⁄I levels for transmitters sharing either an identical chan-
nel or an adjacent channel with other transmitters as a function of the carrier-to-interference ratio. If desired, you can limit
the quality coverage prediction to a specific channel. You can calculate this DL coverage by C⁄I or by C⁄I + N. "N" is the receiver
total noise and is defined as the thermal noise (set to -121 dBm) + noise figure. When you calculate the coverage by DL C⁄I + N,
you can select whether the noise figure used is a fixed value or the noise value set for a selected terminal.
If Detailed Results is selected on the Conditions tab, the following results are displayed per pixel, depending on the hopping
mode set for the subcells covered by the coverage prediction:
• Non-hopping mode: A TRX channel of the selected TRX type (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER).
• Base-band hopping: The MAL of the subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER).
• Synthesised-frequency hopping: The MAL-MAIO of the subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER).
To make a coverage prediction by DL C⁄I levels:
4. Select Coverage by C/I Level (DL) and click OK.
for each pixel.
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Figure 6.110: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by DL C/I levels
7. Under Coverage Conditions, set the following parameters:

or specifically for each transmitter. When you select "HCS Servers" or "All," there might be areas where several
transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several DL C⁄I values are calculated. Therefore, on the Dis-
play tab, you select to display either the lowest DL C⁄I level or the highest DL C⁄I level (for more information, see
"Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496).
per clutter class) are applied only to the values for C.
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Condition, set the following parameters:
• You can select which TRX type to consider as potential victim by selecting it from the Interfered Subcells list.
• You can define a Channel for which Atoll will calculate interference in this quality coverage prediction. When you
define a channel, by default Atoll ignores all TRXs using baseband or synthesised hopping. If you clear the Non
Hopping Only check box, all TRXs using the defined channel are considered potential victims. If the Non Hopping
Only check box is cleared and the defined channel is in a MAL, interference will be calculated for the entire MAL.
When you define a channel, Atoll uses it to identify only victim TRXs; all TRXs are taken into
account as interferers.
• Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the C⁄I threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the lower end of the C⁄I range.
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the C⁄I range.
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• Select either "C⁄I" or "C⁄(I+N)".

tion) as the upper end of the C⁄I range.
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the C⁄I range.
The defined C⁄I values define the range of C⁄I values to be displayed. Values outside of this
range are not displayed.
You can not select Subcell C/I Threshold as both the lower and the upper end of the C⁄I
range to be considered.
• Select whether you want the defined DL C⁄I or C⁄I+N condition to be Satisfied By:
• At least one TRX: When you select the option At least one TRX, the defined interference condition must be
satisfied by at least one TRX on a given pixel for the results to be displayed on that pixel.
• The worst TRX: When you select the option The worst TRX, Atoll selects the worst results for each pixel. If the
worst results do not satisfy the defined interference condition, the results will not be displayed on that pixel.
These options are available only if a lower C/I Threshold is set.
• If you have selected "C/(I+N)", you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure
is added to the thermal noise value (defined by default at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the
following:
• Based on Terminal: Select Based on Terminal if you want to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and
select the terminal from the list.
• Fixed Value: Select Fixed Value if you want to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
9. If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calculation of
interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is
talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
• From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
11. From the Interference Sources list, select whether interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-chan-
nels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the adja-
cent channel protection level.
12. Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
• Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
• Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
• Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthesised
frequency hopping mode.
For a coverage prediction by DL C⁄I levels, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "C⁄I level (dB)" is
selected by default.
If you selected "HCS Servers" or "All" from the Server list on the Conditions tab, there can be areas where several
transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several C⁄I values are calculated. Therefore, you can base the
results displayed on either the Field "Min. C⁄I level (dB)" or "Max. C⁄I level (dB)" as well as the "C⁄I level (dB)" Field.
For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
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later:
6.6.2.2 Making UL Quality Predictions Based on C⁄(I+N)

In Atoll, you can make UL quality predictions based on C⁄(I+N) level assuming one can estimate the UL noise rise at each TRX.
This UL noise rise represents the UL effects of terminals over surrounding TRXs. This value can be populated manually but may
also be one of the simulation ouputs. As a consequence, the total interference over a TRX is the combination of its UL noise
rise and the receiver total noise. In the case of Base Band Hopping, a MAL average noise rise is used.
To make a coverage prediction by UL C⁄I levels:
4. Select Coverage by C/I Level (UL) and click OK.
for each pixel.
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Figure 6.111: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by UL C/I levels
7. Under DL Coverage Conditions, set the following parameters:

or specifically for each transmitter.
per clutter class) are applied only to the values for C.
clutter class.
• Select the terminal type to be considered on each pixel by selecting it from the Terminal list. The UL transmitted
power is based on the max power of the selected terminal, gains and losses.
For information on the Terminal Specifications dialog box, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on
page 518.
8. Under UL Interference Condition, set the following parameters:
tion) as the lower end of the C⁄(I+N) range.
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the C⁄(I+N) range. You
may also let this field blank in order not to consider any lower C⁄(I+N) boundary.
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the C⁄I range. You
may also let this field blank in order not to consider any upper C⁄(I+N) boundary.
The defined C⁄I values define the range of C⁄I values to be displayed. Values outside of this
range are not displayed.
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For a coverage prediction by UL C⁄I levels, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "C⁄I level (dB)" is
selected by default.
If you selected "HCS Servers" or "All" from the Server list on the Conditions tab, there can be areas where several
transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several C⁄I values are calculated. Therefore, you can base the
results displayed on either the Field "Min. C⁄I level (dB)" or "Max. C⁄I level (dB)" as well as the "C⁄I level (dB)" Field.
later:
6.6.2.3 Studying Interference Areas

In Atoll, you can study interference zones once channels have been allocated. If you have not yet allocated frequencies, you
must do so before carrying out the interfered zones coverage prediction. For information on creating a frequency plan, see
"Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
You can create an interfered zones coverage prediction to predict areas where transmitters suffer interference caused by
other transmitters using the same channel or an adjacent channel. Atoll calculates the C⁄I level on each pixel where reception
conditions are satisfied. Of these, Atoll calculates the coverage for pixels where the calculated C⁄I is lower than the defined
upper limit. The pixel is coloured according to the selected attribute of the interfered transmitter attribute.
To make a coverage prediction by interfered zones:
4. Select Interfered Zones (DL) and click OK.
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for each pixel.
Figure 6.112: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by interfered zones

page 496).
Shadowing margins (depending on the entered cell edge coverage probability and the C⁄I standard deviation per
clutter class) are applied only to the values for C. Shadowing margins are not taken into account in determining
the values for interference.
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Conditions, set the following parameters:
• You can define a Channel for which Atoll will calculate interference in this quality coverage prediction. When you
define a channel, by default Atoll ignores all TRXs using baseband or synthesised hopping. If you clear the Non-
Hopping Only check box, all TRXs using the defined channel are considered potential victims. If the Non-Hopping
Only check box is cleared and the defined channel is in a MAL, interference will be calculated for the entire MAL.
When you define a channel, Atoll uses it to identify only victim TRXs; all TRXs are taken into
account as interferers.
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tion) as the lower end of the C⁄I range.
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the C⁄I range.
• Select either "C⁄I" or "C⁄(I+N)".
• Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the C⁄I range.
• If you have selected "C/(I+N)", you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure
is added to the thermal noise value (defined at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the following:
• Based on Terminal: Select Based on Terminal if you want to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and
select the terminal from the list.
• Fixed Value: Select Fixed Value if you want to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
9. If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calculation of
interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is
talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
11. From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-
channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the
adjacent channel protection level.
For a coverage prediction by interfered zones, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. In the Network explorer, the coverage prediction results are arranged by interfered transmitter.
You can also define the display to display the quality received on each interfered area:
• The quality received on each interfered area: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "C/I Level (dB)" as
the Field. In the Network explorer, the coverage prediction results are first arranged by interfered transmitter and
then by C/I level.
later:
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• By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting dif-
ferent results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display
information other than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
• As explained in "Generating a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 293, you can
display a prediction report on the interfered predictions indicating the amount of
correctly served traffic out of the total traffic covered by the coverage prediction
by selecting the options Served load (Timeslots weighted either by the AFP
weight or by the Half rate traffic ratio) after having calculated the prediction
report.
The total served load (Timeslots weighted by the AFP weight) is obtained by the
product between the number of timeslots, the AFP weight and the traffic load.
The total served load (Timeslots weighted by the HR Ratio) is obtained by the prod-
uct between the number of timeslots, 1   1 – HR  2  and the traffic load.
The actual loads given by the report come from the ratio between the covered area
and the total service area.
6.6.2.4 Analysing Interference Areas Using the Point Analysis Tool

In Atoll, you can study the interferers of a transmitter using the Point Analysis. If you have not yet allocated frequencies, you
must do so before using the Point Analysis to study interferers. For information on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating
Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
To make a point analysis to study interference areas:
3. A line appears on the map connecting the selected transmitter and the current position. You can now do the following:
• Move the receiver to change the current position.
• Right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
• Center on a Site: Select a site in the Site Selection dialog box to place the receiver directly on a site.
4. Select the Interference view.
The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indi-
cating the total interference experienced by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each
interferer. The information displayed in the bar graph depends on the hopping mode of the subcell identified in the
left margin of the graph:
• In Non-Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific channel or on the most interfered
one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the selected transmitter.
• In Base Band Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific MAL or on the most inter-
fered one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the selected transmitter.
• In Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific MAL-MAIO pair
or on the most interfered one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the
selected transmitter.
Figure 6.113 on page 454 gives an example of the Interference view. The signal level of the transmitter, Site10_3, is
-95.61 dB and is indicated by a red bar. The black bar indicates the total interference experienced by the receiver
(-98.65 dB). The seven interferers are responsible for -102.69 dB (olive green), -103.06 dB (yellow), -107.31 dB
(purple), -111.56 dB (olive green), -115.38 dB (green), -115.50 dB (pink), and -117.13 dB (olive green). The bars indi-
cating the interference caused by Site17_1 and Site15_1 are only partially filled. The entire bar indicates the interfer-
ence that could potentially be caused by the transmitter whereas the filled part of the bar indicates the actual
interference caused. A transmitter’s actual interference can be lower than its potential interference:
• If it uses synthesised frequency hopping mode (reduction due to fractional load)
• If it uses adjacent channels (reduction due to adjacent channel protection)
• If the subcell it is modelling is a TRX_INNER subcell (reduction due to lower offset).
In the map window, arrows from the receiver to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The interference levels at the receiver from transmitters are displayed as captions for these arrows. If you
let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver
location will be displayed in the tip text along with information on the channel being interfered and the type of inter-
ference, i.e., co-channel or adjacent channel interference.
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5. You can change the following options at the top of the Interference view:
• Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. The transmitters in the list are sorted in the order of decreasing
signal level received at the pointer location.
• Subcell: Select the subcell type (or ALL) to be analysed.
• TRX: Select whether you want the interference to be studied on a specific item (channel, MAL or MAL-MAIO
according to the hopping mode) or the most interfered item.
• Interference: Select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-channels, or from
both.
• Interference Method: Select whether the interference is calculated by C⁄I or by C⁄(I+N).

6. Right-click the Interference view and select Properties to display the Analysis Properties dialog box. This dialog box
is available from the context menu on all tabs of the Point Analysis Tool window. You can change the following:
• Select Signal Level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result Type list.
clutter class.
7. Click the Details tab.
The Details tab displays the current position and height of the receiver, the clutter class it is situated on, and for each
transmitter, its signal level, the total level of interferences (I) over its subcells, the elementary level of DL interference
of each interferer, and the resulting total DL C/I (or C/I+N).
In the map window, arrows from the receiver to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The interference levels at the receiver from transmitters are displayed as captions for these arrows. A thick
black line from the pointer to its best server is also displayed in the map window. The best server of the pointer is the
transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the inter-
ference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver location will be displayed in the tip text
along with information on the channel being interfered and the type of interference, i.e., co-channel or adjacent chan-
nel.
8. You can change the following options at the top of the Details tab:
• HCS Layer: Select the HCS layer to be analysed.
• Interference: Select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-channels, or from
both.
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box allowing you to include or not such inter-
ference.
• Interference Method: Select whether the interference is calculated by C⁄I or by C⁄(I+N). Thermal noise is taken
into account in the second method only.
For each transmitter, you can display the interference on each subcell or on the most interfered one. You can click the
Expand button ( ) of each transmitter order to expand the list of all its interferers and their individual I and C/I levels.
6.6.2.5 Example of Analysing Interference Using a Point Analysis

When you use the Point Analysis to study the interferers of a transmitter, the Interference view displays, in the form of a bar
graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indicating the total interference experienced by the receiver,
and bars representing the signal levels from each interferer contributing to total interference. The bars representing the signal
level of the transmitter or of the interferers consist of two parts: a solid part which indicates the received signal or interfer-
ence, and an outlined part which indicates the amount of signal or interference reduction. The signal level of the transmitter
can be reduced due to subcell power reduction. For each interferer, interference can be reduced:
• If it uses synthesised frequency hopping mode (reduction due to fractional load)
• If it uses adjacent channels (reduction due to adjacent channel protection)
• If the subcell it is modelling is a TRX_INNER subcell (reduction due to lower offset).
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In this example, the studied transmitter is Site10_3. Potential interference from all interferers (both co-channel and adjacent
channel) received on all its TRXs is studied; in other words, the worst case is studied. The requested cell edge coverage prob-
ability is 75%. As with interfered zones coverage predictions and coverage predictions by C⁄I levels, Atoll analyses the most
interfered channel of the studied transmitter if it is using non-hopping model.
Figure 6.113: Point Analysis Tool - Interference view
The transmitters in this example are the following:

• BRU038_G2 has two subcells: one of TRX type BCCH and one of TRX type TCH. Neither has a power reduction defined.
Channel 17 is assigned to the TCH TRX.
Channel 16 is assigned to the BCCH TRX.
• Non-hopping mode is assigned to the all the subcells, whatever the TRX type is (BCCH or TCH).
The Point Analysis gives the following results:
• The signal level of the transmitter BRU038_G2 is -81.33 dBm and is indicated by a light green bar. It could have been
-75.94 dB, but was decreased by 5.39 dB due to the shadowing margin. Only the signal level (C) is reduced by the shad-
owing margin (as calculated by the cell edge coverage probability and the C⁄I standard deviation defined per clutter
class). The interference level (I) is not affected by the shadowing margin.
• The black bar indicates the total interference experienced by the receiver (-84.74 dB). Atoll calculates the interference
level by considering 100% of the voice activity factor and traffic load. Neither DTX, nor the traffic load of TRXs are taken
into account in evaluating the interference levels.
• The eight interferers are responsible for -86.56 dB (Dark Blue), -93.94 dB (Green), -95.13 dB (Cyan), -96.44 dB (Light
Green), -101.56 dB (Orange), -103.13 dB (Yellow), -107.06 dB (Yellow) and -109.19 dB (Green). The bars indicating the
interference caused by BRU005_G1, BRU065_G3 and BRU006_G3 are only partially filled. An entire bar indicates the
interference that could potentially be caused by the transmitter whereas a filled part of the bar indicates the actual
interference caused.
Intra-technology third order intermodulation interference can also be optionally displayed. This option requires acti-
vation through changes in the database. When available, the intra-technology third order intermodulation interfer-
ence level is displayed as a bar with the title format "Interferer Name: I3 (first channel, second channel)". For more
information on how to activate this option, contact support.
At the top of the Interference view, the name of the most interfered channel on BRU038_G2 is channel 17 and the C/I received
is 3.41 dB. An analysis of the interferers gives the following information:
• The bars representing BRU099_G1, BRU063_G1, BRU096_G3, BRU061_G3 and BRU094_G3 are full. On two out of five
transmitters, channel 17 is assigned to the TCH TRX of the transmitter. For the other three transmitters, channel 17 is
assigned to the BCCH TRX. They are, therefore, co-channel interferers. No power reduction is defined, therefore the
interference is not reduced.
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• The bars representing BRU065_G3, BRU006_G3 and BRU005_G1 are partly full. The bars are only partly full because
the interference is reduced: on these transmitters, channel 17 is not assigned; channel 16 is assigned to the BCCH TRX
of BRU005_G1 and to the TCH TRX of BRU006_G3. In addition, channel 18 is assigned to the TCH TRX of BRU065_G3.
They are, therefore, adjacent channel interferers and their interference is reduced by the adjacent channel protection
level of 18 dB (the default value defined in the GSM Network Settings properties). No power reduction is defined for
this subcell. If a power reduction of 3 dB had been defined for this subcell, the interference would have been reduced
by an additional 3 dB. A fractional load might be another reason for reduced interference.
6.6.3 Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions

The packet-specific coverage predictions described in this section can use an existing frequency plan. If you have not yet allo-
cated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out any of the coverage predictions described in this section. For information
on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
The coverage predictions described in this section can only be made on transmitters that are packet-capable, in other words,
GPRS or EDGE-capable transmitters. For information on defining packet capabilities on a transmitter, see "Creating or Modi-
fying a Transmitter" on page 251.
Each of the packet-specific coverage predictions described in this section can be carried out based on a fixed noise value or
based on the settings for a particular terminal as well as the settings for a particular mobility. For information on defining a
terminal, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518. For information on defining a mobility, see "Modelling
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types" on page 517.
The following packet-specific coverage predictions are explained in this section:
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes" on page 455
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Packet Throughput" on page 458
• "Making a BLER Coverage Prediction" on page 461
6.6.3.1 Making a Coverage Prediction by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes

In Atoll, you can make a coverage prediction of the GPRS/EDGE coding schemes, whether channels have been allocated or
not. If you have not yet allocated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out the coverage prediction described in this
section. For information on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on
page 348.
You can make a coverage prediction of the coding schemes for either GPRS, for EDGE, or for both. The choice of coding scheme
is based on the DL radio conditions (C, C and C/I, or C/N, C/N and C/(I+N)). Therefore, the better the values for C and C⁄I are,
the higher the throughput of the selected coding scheme will be.
As well, you can restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal or mobility or to a combination of terminal and mobil-
ity. When you restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I
graphs for the selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. As well, Atoll respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme
limit. When you select a mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters have the coding scheme configuration that can support
the selected mobility and the coding scheme threshold for that mobility. For information on defining a terminal, see "Model-
ling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518.
A coverage prediction by coding schemes enables you to determine the coding scheme assigned to transmitters sharing either
an identical channel or an adjacent channel with other transmitters. Coding schemes are assigned according to the DL radio
condition (i.e., C, C and C/I, with or without thermal noise) and optionally according to a specific hopping mode, frequency
band, mobility type and MAL (See "Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 508 for more information).
To make a coverage prediction by GPRS/EDGE coding schemes:
4. Select Coverage by GPRS/EDGE Coding Scheme (DL) and click OK.
455
on page 100.
for each pixel.
Figure 6.114: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by GPRS/EDGE coding scheme

page 496).
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Condition, you can define how Atoll will calculate interference for the GPRS/EDGE coding scheme
coverage prediction.
456
If, under GPRS/EDGE, you select C and not C⁄I for the coverage prediction, the only option
you need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs
list.
You can select the following parameters:

• If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account, select the DTX taken
into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is talking in the Voice Activity Factor
text box.
• Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
• From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels,
co-channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased
by the adjacent channel protection level.
• Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
• Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthe-
sised frequency hopping mode.
9. Under GPRS/EDGE, set the following parameters:
• From the Coding Schemes list, select the technology on which the coding scheme calculation will be based:
• All: If you select All, both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
• GPRS: If you select GPRS, only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
• EDGE: If you select EDGE, only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
configurations, EDGE coding schemes can be of the type EGPRS (Standard EDGE) or EGPRS2 (EDGE Evolution).
• Select whether you want to base the coverage prediction on C or C and C⁄I. If you select C, the only option you
need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list.
• If desired, select which Terminal you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction on. When you restrict
the coverage prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I graphs for the
selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. As well, Atoll respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme limit.
• If desired, select which Mobility you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction on. When you select a
mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters have the coding scheme configuration that can support the selected
mobility and relative threshold.
• Enter a Noise Figure. By default, a noise figure of 8 dB is used if no terminal is selected.
• Select the Thermal Noise Taken into Account check box if you want Atoll to consider thermal noise.
• Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput to
be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme according to signal level and quality.
For a coverage prediction by coding schemes, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Coding Schemes"
is selected by default. If desired, you can base the display in "Value Intervals" the Field "Best Coding Schemes," in
which case, Atoll displays the best coding scheme for each pixel.
pixel.
later:
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6.6.3.2 Making a Coverage Prediction by Packet Throughput

In Atoll, you can make a coverage prediction of the packet throughput or quality, whether channels have been allocated or
not. If you have not yet allocated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out the coverage prediction described in this
section. For information on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on
page 348.
You can calculate the following types of predictions using the Packet Quality and Throughput Analysis (DL) prediction:
• RLC throughput per timeslot: Based on the coding scheme determined on each pixel (see "Making a Coverage Predic-
tion by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes" on page 455) and the calculated quality, Atoll extracts the RLC throughput per
timeslot as defined in the coding scheme configuration assigned to transmitters.
• Application throughput per timeslot for a selected service: Using the RLC throughput per timeslot and the application
throughput parameters (scaling factor and offset) defined for the selected service (see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/
GPRS/EDGE Service" on page 516), Atoll evaluates the throughput per timeslot on the application layer.
• Effective RLC Throughput for a selected service-terminal pair: Using the RLC throughput per timeslot, Atoll can eval-
uate a maximum throughput for a selected terminal, assuming that the terminal uses several timeslots to transmit the
packet-switched data. The number of timeslots used by the terminal is given by the product of the number of DL
timeslots per carrier and the number of simultaneous carriers (for EDGE evolution terminals) as defined in the ter-
minal properties (see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on page 518). For example, for an EDGE
evolution terminal using 4 DL timeslots on a carrier and 2 simultaneous carriers, the maximum throughput will be 8
times the corresponding RLC throughput per timeslot. In addition, the number of timeslots per carrier defined in the
terminal can be limited by the maximum number of timeslots permitted for the considered service (see "Creating or
Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Service" on page 516).
• Application Throughput for a selected service-terminal pair: Using the application throughput per timeslot for a
selected service, Atoll can evaluate a maximum throughput for a selected terminal, assuming that the terminal uses
several timeslots to transmit the packet-switched data. The number of timeslots used by the terminal is given by the
product of the number of DL timeslots per carrier and the number of simultaneous carriers (for EDGE evolution ter-
minals) as defined in the terminal properties (see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on page 518).
For example, for an EDGE evolution terminal using 4 DL timeslots on a carrier and 2 simultaneous carriers, the max-
imum throughput will be 8 times the corresponding application throughput per timeslot. In addition, the number of
timeslots per carrier defined in the terminal can be limited by the maximum number of timeslots permitted for the
considered service (see "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Service" on page 516).
• Application throughput per User for a selected service-terminal pair and considering the reduction factor obtained
from a selected dimensioning model: Using the maximum throughput for a selected service terminal, Atoll can eval-
uate an end-user throughput by applying a reduction factor expressing the actual capacity of the serving transmitter
and its occupancy to the maximum throughput. The reduction factor is obtained from the dimensioning model graphs
(see "Defining a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dimensioning Model" on page 335) and is the function of the number of available
connections and the subcell traffic load. The number of connections is the ratio between the number of available
packet timeslots (the sum of dedicated packet-switched and shared timeslots) and the number of terminal timeslots
(as seen above).
You can make a throughput coverage prediction for either GPRS, for EDGE, or for both. As well, you can restrict the coverage
prediction to a selected terminal or mobility or to a combination of terminal and mobility. When you restrict the coverage
prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I graphs for the selected terminal. As
well, Atoll respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme limit. When you select a mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters
have the coding scheme configuration that can support the selected mobility. Atoll can use the noise figure defined for the
selected terminal or a user-defined noise figure if no terminal is selected or if the calculations are based on an interpolation
of the values for C⁄I and C⁄(I+N). For information on defining a terminal, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on
page 518.
To make a coverage prediction by packet throughput per timeslot:
4. Select Packet Quality and Throughput Analysis (DL) and click OK.
458
on page 100.
for each pixel.
Figure 6.115: Condition settings for a Packet Throughput coverage prediction

assuming the signal level on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level
page 496).
clutter class.
459
8. Under Interference Condition, you can define how Atoll will evaluate interference for the coding scheme and conse-
quently the throughputs.
If, under GPRS/EDGE, you select Based on C for the coverage prediction, the only option
list.

text box.

• From the Coding Schemes list, select the technology for which the packet throughput per timeslot calculation will
be calculated:
• All: If you select All both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
• GPRS: If you select GPRS only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
• EDGE: If you select EDGE only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
• Select Based on C if you want to base the coverage prediction on C. If you select Based on C, the only option you
need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list. Otherwise, select Based
on C⁄I.
• If desired, select which Terminal you want to base the coverage prediction on. When you restrict the coverage
prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I graphs for the selected ter-
minal. As well, Atoll respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme limit and noise figure. Selecting a terminal is
obligatory if you are making a maximum or user throughput coverage prediction because it is necessary to know
the number terminal timeslots.
mobility.
• Enter a Noise Figure. By default, the noise figure is 8 dB.
• If you want to display either an application throughput/timeslot coverage prediction, or a maximum or an end-
user throughput coverage prediction, select the service from which the application throughput parameters will be
extracted.
• Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput per
timeslot for a given C or C and C⁄I to be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme by considering
only the coding scheme admission threshold in terms of C and/or C⁄I.
10. Under Application Throughput per User, select the dimensioning model from which the load reduction factor can be
extracted in order to display an end-user throughput prediction.
For a coverage prediction by packet throughput, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Effective RLC
Throughput/Timeslot" is selected by default. If desired, you can change the values displayed by selecting one of the
following values from the Field list:
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• Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: Each layer shows the Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot that a transmitter
can carry on one timeslot per pixel.
• Max Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: The resulting coverage provides the maximal Effective RLC Throughput/
Timeslot on each pixel from the previous display.
• Average Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: Gives the average Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot that the trans-
mitter can carry on one timeslot averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs,
this coverage prediction will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these cov-
erage areas, whereas the other coverage predictions for Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot perform an intersec-
tion of these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of throughput per pixel.
• Application Throughput/Timeslot: Each layer shows the application throughput/timeslot that a transmitter can
carry on one timeslot for a particular service per pixel.
• Max Application Throughput/Timeslot: The resulting coverage provides the maximal application throughput/
timeslot on each pixel for a particular service provided by a specific terminal from the previous display.
• Average Application Throughput/Timeslot: The average application throughput/timeslot that the transmitter
can carry on one timeslot averaged on each pixel for a particular service. If there are different coverage areas for
different TRXs, this coverage prediction will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values
over these coverage areas, whereas the other coverage predictions for application throughput/timeslot perform
an intersection of these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of throughput per pixel.
• Effective RLC Throughput: Each layer shows the max RLC throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected
terminal per pixel.
• Max Effective RLC Throughput: The resulting coverage provides the maximal RLC throughput on each pixel from
the previous display.
• Average Effective RLC Throughput: Gives the average RLC throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected
terminal averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction
will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the
other coverage predictions for max RLC throughput perform an intersection of these coverage zones, keeping the
minimum value of throughput per pixel.
• Application Throughput: Each layer shows the throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected terminal
per pixel.
• Max Application Throughput: The resulting coverage gives the maximal throughput on each from the previous
display.
• Average Application Throughput: Gives the average throughput that the transmitter can provide to a selected ter-
minal averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction will
calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the
other coverage predictions for throughput perform an intersection over these coverage zones keeping the min-
imum value of throughput per pixel.
• Application Throughput per User: Each layer shows the throughput that a transmitter can provide to a user on a
pixel, considering load reduction factors.
• Max Application Throughput per User: The resulting coverage gives the maximal user application throughput on
each pixel from the previous display.
• Average Application Throughput per User: The average throughput that the transmitter can provide to a user
averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction will cal-
culate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the other
coverages for throughput perform an intersection over these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of
throughput per pixel.
later:
6.6.3.3 Making a BLER Coverage Prediction

In Atoll, you can make a coverage prediction of the block error rate (BLER) measured per transmitter, whether channels have
been allocated or not. If you have not yet allocated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out the coverage prediction
described in this section. For information on creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and
MAIOs" on page 348.
The BLER is determined after Atoll determines which coding scheme is to be selected for a given C or C and C⁄I. When the
coding scheme has been determined, 1 - BLER represents the efficiency factor applied to the maximum throughput of the
coding scheme to obtain the served throughput. The BLER can be determined for each pixel.
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You can make a BLER coverage prediction for either GPRS, for EDGE, or for both. As well, you can restrict the coverage predic-
tion to a selected terminal or mobility or to a combination of terminal and mobility. When you restrict the coverage prediction
to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I graphs for the selected terminal. As well, Atoll
respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme limit. When you select a mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters have the
coding scheme configuration that can support the selected mobility. Atoll can use the noise figure defined for the selected
terminal or a user-defined noise figure if no terminal is selected or if the calculations are based on an interpolation of the
values for C⁄I and C⁄(I+N). For information on defining a terminal, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518.
To make a BLER coverage prediction:
4. Select Packet Quality Throughput Analysis (DL) and click OK.
for each pixel.
Figure 6.116: Condition settings for a BLER coverage prediction
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page 496).
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Condition, you can define how Atoll will calculate C⁄I for the BLER coverage prediction.
If, under GPRS/EDGE, you select Based on C for the coverage prediction, the only option
list.

text box.

be calculated:
• All: If you select All both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
• GPRS: If you select GPRS only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
• EDGE: If you select EDGE only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
• Select Based on C if you want to base the coverage prediction on C. If you select Based on C, the only option you
need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list. Otherwise, select Based
on C⁄I.
prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and C⁄I graphs for the selected ter-
minal, as well as on its noise figure. As well, Atoll respects the terminal’s defined coding scheme limit.
mobility and relative threshold.
• Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput to
be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will chose the coding scheme according to signal level and quality.
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For a BLER coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. Select one of the following
values from the Field list:
• BLER (%): The coverage is coloured according to the block error rate measured per transmitter. If the throughput
per timeslot is greater than the maximum throughput per timeslot, the BLER is 0%.
• Max BLER: Gives the coverage according to the maximum block error rate per pixel for each transmitter.
later:
6.6.4 Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS)

Coverage Prediction
In Atoll, you can make a circuit quality indicator coverage prediction based on the bit error rate (BER), the frame erasure rate
(FER), or the mean opinion score (MOS). The circuit quality indicator coverage predictions refer to the codec configuration
assigned to a transmitter or, optionally, to a terminal. For information on using codec configuration in transmitters and termi-
nals, see "Using Codec Configurations in Transmitters and Terminals" on page 506.
The circuit quality indicator coverage prediction can use an existing frequency plan. If you have not yet allocated frequencies,
you can do so before carrying out any of the coverage predictions described in this section. For information on creating a
frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
Each of the circuit-specific predictions described in this section can be carried out based on a fixed noise value or based on
the settings for a particular terminal as well as the settings for a particular mobility. For information on defining a terminal,
see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518. For information on defining a mobility, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Mobility Types" on page 517.
The circuit quality indicator coverage prediction displays the areas where the selected circuit quality indicator (BER, FER, or
MOS) for the transmitter satisfies the user-defined criteria. The quality indicator is calculated using C⁄N or C⁄N and C⁄(I+N) and
the adaptation or quality thresholds defined for the codec configuration on each transmitter. Transmitters that have no codec
configuration defined are not taken into consideration in this coverage prediction. If a transmitter has a codec configuration,
Atoll proceeds as follows:
• If a terminal type is not defined or does not have codec configuration assigned, Atoll considers the codec configuration
assigned to the transmitter only.
• If the terminal and the transmitter have different codec configuration, Atoll determines the intersection of the codec
modes contained in the transmitter and terminal codec configuration. The codec mode is then selected according to
the calculated C⁄N or C⁄N and C⁄I + N on and optionally according to a specific hopping mode, frequency band,
mobility type and MAL (See "Creating or Modifying Codec Configuration" on page 504 for more information) each
pixel. For a given quality or a given codec mode, look-up tables defined in codec configuration provide the circuit
quality indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) displayed as a result.
The quality indicator used for ideal link adaptation is determined by the codec configuration assigned to the transmitters.
To make a circuit quality indicator coverage prediction:
4. Select Circuit Quality Indicator Analysis (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
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for each pixel.
Figure 6.117: Condition settings BLER coverage prediction

page 496).
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Condition, you can define how Atoll will calculate interference for the throughput per timeslot
coverage prediction.
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If, under Quality Indicators Calculation, you select Calculations Based on C⁄N for the
coverage prediction, the only option you need to select under Interference Condition is
the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list.

text box.
9. Under Quality Indicators Calculation, set the following parameters:

• Select Calculations Based on C⁄N if you want to base the coverage prediction on C⁄N. If you select Calculations
Based on C⁄N for the coverage prediction, the only option you need to select under Interference Condition is the
TRX type to consider from the TRXs list. The codec mode is selected only according to signal level.
• Select Calculations Based on C⁄(I+N) if you want to base the coverage prediction on C⁄N and C⁄(I+N).
prediction to a selected terminal and the terminal type and the transmitter have different codec configuration,
Atoll determines the intersection of the codec modes contained in the transmitter and terminal codec configura-
tion. The codec mode is then selected according to the calculated C⁄N or C⁄N and C⁄I + N on each pixel. For a given
quality or a given codec mode, look-up tables defined in codec configuration provide the circuit quality indicator
(BER, FER, or MOS) displayed as a result.
mobility, Atoll considers the codec mode applicable for the selected mobility on the codec configuration.
For a circuit quality indicator coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. Select one
of the following values from the Field list:
• BER: The coverage is coloured according to the bit error rate measured per transmitter.
• FER: The coverage is coloured according to the frame erasure rate measured per transmitter.
• MOS: The coverage is coloured according to the mean opinion score measured per transmitter.
• Max BER: The coverage is coloured according to the maximum bit error rate per pixel of the covering transmitters.
• Max FER: The coverage is coloured according to the maximum frame erasure rate per pixel of the covering trans-
mitters.
• Max MOS: The coverage is coloured according to the maximum mean opinion score per pixel of the covering
transmitters.
later:
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The results of circuit
quality indicator coverage predictions based on BER, FER, or MOS are broken down by transmitter, as you can see by clicking
the Expand button ( ) to expand the results of the coverage prediction after you have calculated it. The results of circuit qual-
ity indicator coverage predictions based on Max BER, Max FER, or Max MOS are broken down by threshold.
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6.6.5 Making a Service Area Prediction

Service Area Analysis (DL) and Service Area Analysis (UL) coverage predictions calculate the traffic channel quality when
using the maximum power allowed, i.e., the maximum traffic channel power allowed per transmitter for downlink and the
maximum terminal power for uplink. In the prediction, the downlink or uplink service area is limited by the maximum allowed
power and by the pilot quality. If the received pilot quality is insufficient, the traffic channel quality is not displayed. Mobile
handover status is considered to evaluate the downlink and uplink traffic channel quality. Atoll combines the signal from each
transmitter in the probe mobile active set.
The Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL) coverage prediction calculates the intersection zone between the pilot reception
area, and the uplink and downlink service areas. In other words, the effective service area prediction calculates where a
service actually is available for the probe mobile.
For a circuit-switched service, the aim of a service area prediction is to show the areas where, according to the radio condi-
tions, a codec mode can be obtained, as explained in "Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Coverage Predic-
tion" on page 464.
For a packet-switched service, the aim of a service area prediction is to show the areas where, according to the radio condi-
tions, a coding scheme can be obtained, as explained in "Making a Coverage Prediction by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes" on
page 455.
You can make service area analysis coverage predictions whether channels have been allocated or not. If you have not yet
allocated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out the coverage prediction described in this section. For information on
creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs" on page 348.
You can also restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal or mobility or to a combination of terminal and mobility.
When you restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal, the coverage prediction is based on the C and C⁄I graphs for
the selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. The defined codec mode (or coding scheme) limit of the terminal is
respected. When you select a mobility, the transmitters that have a codec (or coding scheme) configuration that supports the
selected mobility and the codec mode (or coding scheme) threshold for that mobility are considered. For information on
defining a terminal, see "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518.
To make a coverage prediction on a service area:
4. Select one of the following predictions and click OK:
• Service Area Analysis (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (UL)
• Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL)
The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
for each pixel.
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Figure 6.118: Condition settings for Service Area coverage prediction

page 496).
clutter class.
8. Under Interference Condition, you can define how interference is evaluated for the codec mode (or coding scheme)
selection.
• You can select which TRX type to consider as a potential victim by selecting it from the Interfered Subcells list.
• If you want discontinuous transmission mode is supported by the TRXs, select DTX taken into account and in the
Voice activity factor, enter the percentage of time during which a user talks.
• Select the Traffic load that will be used to calculate interference:

be calculated:
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• All: If you select All, both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
• GPRS: If you select GPRS, only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
• EDGE: If you select EDGE, only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
• Select Ideal Link Adaptation to select the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput. Otherwise, Atoll
chooses the coding scheme according to signal level and quality.
10. Under Coding, set the following parameters:
• Select Calculations Based on C⁄N if you want to base the coverage prediction on C⁄N. If you select Calculations
based on C⁄N for the coverage prediction, the only option to select under Interference conditions is the TRX type
to consider from the TRXs list. The codec mode (or coding scheme) is selected according to signal level and
receiver noise N.
• Select Calculations Based on C⁄(I+N) if you want to base the coverage prediction on C⁄N and C⁄(I+N).
• If necessary, select the Terminal on which you want to base the coverage prediction. When you restrict the cov-
erage prediction to a selected terminal and the terminal type and the transmitter have different codec (or coding
scheme) configurations, Atoll determines the intersection of the codec modes (or coding schemes) contained in
the transmitter and terminal codec (or coding scheme) configuration. The codec mode (or coding scheme) is then
selected according to the calculated C⁄N or C⁄N and C⁄I + N on each pixel.
• If necessary, select the Mobility on which you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction. When you
select a mobility, Atoll considers the codec mode (or coding scheme) applicable for the selected mobility on the
codec configuration.
• Select which Service you want to base the coverage prediction on. If you select a circuit-switched service, the ser-
vice will be served if at least one codec mode can be selected. If you select a packet-switched service, the service
will be served if at least one coding scheme can be selected.
Only the Display Type "Unique" is available. Pixels are covered with a unique colour if the selected service can be
provided on the considered pixel.
later:
6.6.6 Studying Interference Between Transmitters

In Atoll, you can use the Tx-Tx Interference tool to study the effects of an interfering signal from one transmitter on the signal
of any other transmitter within the computation zone. You can restrict the interference to a set threshold or you can base it
on a selected coverage prediction. Using a coverage prediction enables you to compare the results of the Tx-Tx Interference
tool to the results of the selected coverage prediction.
You must have a computation zone defined to use the Tx-Tx Interference tool. For infor-
mation on creating a computation zone, see "Creating a Computation Zone" on page 272.
To display interference between transmitters on the map:

1. Click Tools > Tx-Tx Interference. The Tx-to-Tx Interference window appears.
2. Under Transmitters:
• Select the transmitter whose signal is interfered from the Victim list or click the Victim button ( ) and select
the transmitter by clicking it on the map.
• Select the transmitter whose signal is interfering from the Interferer list or click the Interferer button ( ) and
select the transmitter by clicking it on the map.
The victim and interferer transmitters are displayed on the map with specific icons ( and ).
3. Under Coverage conditions, select what you are going to base the interference calculation on:
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• Signal level: Enter a signal threshold.

• Based on prediction: Select the coverage prediction on which you want to base the interference calculation.
4. Click Calculate. The interference will be displayed on the map if you have selected the Visible check box (see
Figure 6.119).
Figure 6.119: The Tx-Tx Interference Tool
You can change the colors used in the interference area on the map by applying the
display properties of any existing prediction that is based on C/I levels. Under Legend,
select Based on prediction and select a prediction that is configured with the color and
transparency display settings that you want to use for the Tx-Tx Interference tool. Click
Calculate to redraw the interference area on the map.
You can use the Tx-Tx Interference tool to display the interference between transmitters in a histogram.
To display interference between transmitters in a histogram:
• After you have calculated the interference as explained earlier in this section, click the Histogram button. The Statis-
tics window appears.
or percentage.
6.6.7 Auditing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Frequency Plan

When you have assigned frequencies to the TRXs, either manually or automatically, you can make an audit of the frequency
plan. The audit allows you to verify the consistency and validity of the following GSM/GPRS/EDGE network parameters:
• The transmitters to be allocated: The transmitters to be allocated, or TBA transmitters, are the active and filtered
transmitters belonging to the transmitters folder from which the AFP was started and that are located within the focus
zone.
• The potential interferers: The potential interferers are transmitters whose calculation radius intersects the calcula-
tion radius of any TBA transmitter.
• Transmitters involved in the separation conditions with TBA transmitters: These are the neighbours, co-site trans-
mitters, transmitters or subcells of exceptional pairs and, in case of BSIC allocation, neighbours of neighbours.
The frequency plan audit automatically checks certain points and allows you to define additional points to be verified. The
points which are automatically verified are:
• Each transmitter has a single BCCH TRX defined.
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• Subcell parameters respect the cell type on which the subcell is based.
• TRX parameters respect the TRX type on which the TRX is based.
• No frequency, HSN, or BSIC domain is empty.
• For subcells where the hopping mode is NH or BBH, each TRX has a single, unique frequency.
• For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, each TRX has a defined frequency list.
• For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, the maximum MAL length is respected.
• For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, the MAIO is lower than the number of frequencies in the MAL.
• The number of timeslots per subcell is lower than or equal to the multiplexing factor (or, for the BCCH subcell, the
number of timeslots equals the multiplexing factor minus one).
• The number of timeslots per subcell is 0.
• The non-existence of multi-band transmitters when these are not expected to be present.
• In multi-RAT networks, detection of UMTS inter-technology neighbour transmitters with identical scrambling codes.
• In multi-RAT networks, detection of LTE inter-technology neighbours with identical physical cell IDs.
You can configure the frequency plan audit to verify the following points as well:
• Frequency domains belong to the assigned frequency band.
• The current frequency plan respects the assigned allocation strategy (free or group-constrained).
• The allocated resources, the frequency, HSN, or BSIC, belong to the assigned domain.
• There is consistency between the excluded channels defined at the subcell and the assigned channels.
• The exceptional separation constraints are respected.
• No transmitter has the same BSIC-BCCH pair as one of its neighbours.
• No transmitter has two neighbours with the same BSIC-BCCH pair.
It is highly recommended to run frequency plan audits on a regular basis.
To make a frequency plan audit:

3. Select Frequency Plan > Audit from the context menu. The Frequency Plan Audit dialog box appears.
4. Select the General tab.
a. Under Loading, select the subcells to be considered:
• Load all the subcells involved in separation constraints: Select this check box if you want all transmitters
involved in separation constraints to be considered in the audit. You can review and modify separation
constraints and exceptional pairs on the Separation tab of the dialog box (see step 5.).
• Load all interferers propagating in the focus zone: Select this check box if you want all potential interferers
to be considered in the audit.Check this box to load all the potential servers potentially involved in interfer-
ences with servers to be normally taken into account through the computation zone.
b. Under Optional Checking, select the check boxes of the domain constraints you want to have verified by the audit:
• Frequencies: Select this check box if you want the audit to verify that the current frequency plan respects the
assigned frequency domains.
• HSN: Select this check box if you want the audit to verify that the assigned HSNs belong to the assigned HSN
domains.
• Compliance with the Allocation Strategy: Select this check box if you want the audit to verify that the current
frequency plan respects the assigned allocation strategy (free or group-constrained).
• BSIC: Select this check box if you want the audit to verify that the assigned BSICs belong to the assigned BSIC
domains.
c. Select the Separation Constraints check box if you want the audit to verify that the currently defined separation
constraints are respected. You can review and modify separation constraints and exceptional pairs on the Sepa-
ration tab of this dialog box (see step 5.). When the Separation Constraints check box is not cleared, you can se-
lect an AFP module next to Violations Importance and click the Browse button to display its Properties dialog box.
d. Select the (BSIC, BCCH) pairs check box if you want the audit to verify the following:
• That no transmitter has the same BSIC-BCCH pair as one of its neighbours.
• That no transmitter has two neighbours with the same BSIC-BCCH pair.
5. Click the Separations tab if you want to define/modify separation constraints and exceptional separation constraints:
a. Click the Exceptional Pairs button to open the Exceptional Separation Constraints dialog box and define excep-
tional frequency separations to define channel separations that apply to specific pairs of TRXs. During automatic
frequency planning, the separation rules are first considered, but they can be overridden by specific entries in the
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Exceptional Separation Constraints table. For information on defining exceptional separation constraints, see
"Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 372.
b. When you have finished entering exceptional separation constraints, click Close to close the Exceptional Separa-
tion Constraints dialog box.
c. In the table on the Separations tab, enter or modify the separation rules. The separation rules set the channel sep-
aration that should exist between pairs of TRXs on the same transmitter, same site, or on adjacent sites. For infor-
mation on defining separation rules, see "Defining Separation Rules" on page 372.
6. Click the Detailed Results tab to select the type of information you want in the report.
• Error Messages: If you select this check box, the audit displays global warnings and error messages, as well as a
summary of separation constraint violations by transmitter/subcell/TRX pair and by TRX.
• Warnings Related to Separations: If you select this check box, the audit displays a description of each separation
constraint violation.
• Additional Warnings: If you select this check box, the audit displays additional detailed warnings.
• Postpone the Global Summary and Part of the Tests: You can select this check box for faster display of the results.
The audit results will be displayed immediately and you can generate the global summary at that point.
7. Click OK to start the audit. The Checking Planning Consistency dialog box appears (see Figure 6.120). The results are
given in a grid under Separation Violations. Under Messages are the detailed results as defined in step 6.
You can define the display of the Allocation tab from the Display Options menu. For more information, see "Defining
the Display of the Allocation Tab" on page 394.
If you had selected to Postpone the Global Summary and Part of the Tests in step 6., the Messages area will be empty.
You can generate global summary now by clicking the Actions button and selecting Generate the Global Summary.
Figure 6.120: Checking Planning Consistency dialog box
The results are listed in a table by transmitter, TRX type, and TRX and are coded by colour. Channels in black present no sepa-
ration violations. Channels in red present important separation violations. You can Display Important Violations Only. This
option can prove very useful when too many low importance violations are displayed.
Separation constraint violations, if any, are listed in the Separations violations column. To display the details of a separation
constraint violation:
1. Click the violation in the Separations violations column. A message box appears displaying details about the violation.
2. Click OK to close the message box.
3. Or, if you are asked to "Reinforce constraints on these violations by using Exceptional Pairs":
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• Click Yes if you want to define the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair. Because separation constraints
between exceptional pairs have more weight than default separation constraints, you will be able to re-run the
AFP and force it to try to avoid this violation.
• Or click No to close the message box without defining the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair.
6.6.8 Checking Consistency in Subcells

When network data is imported into an Atoll document, inconsistencies can occur between parameters that can be defined
on the subcell and TRX and parameters that can be defined on the transmitter. Additionally, some subcell values which are
either used in an AFP or in predictions can be outside an acceptable range. This can lead to, for example, unrealistic results or
long calculation times. You can perform an audit on the consistency of all of these parameters and have Atoll automatically
correct these problems as well.
For each transmitter, Atoll checks that:
• The number of TRXs in the Transmitters table corresponds to the number of TRXs defined for this transmitter in the
TRXs table.
• The list of channels used by the transmitter consists of all the channels assigned to TRXs of the transmitter.
• The BCCH of the transmitter is the same as the channel assigned to the BCCH TRX of the transmitter.
• The number of required TRXs indicated in the Transmitters table equals the sum of required TRXs of the transmitter’s
subcells.
• The hopping mode of the transmitter corresponds to the hopping mode defined for its TCH subcell.
For each subcell, Atoll checks the following values: number of required TRXs, number of required BCCHs, traffic load, recep-
tion threshold, min C/I, half-rate traffic ratio, mean power control gain, DL power reduction, AFP weight, target rate of traffic
overflow, max percentage of interference, maximum MAL length.
To make a subcell audit:
3. Select Subcells > Audit from the context menu. The Subcell Audit dialog box appears.
4. Under Consistency of redundant values in the transmitters, subcells, and TRXs tables, select the Audit the values
and generate a report in the Event Viewer check box. Any problems found by the audit will be displayed in the Event
Viewer grouped by transmitter.
5. If you want Atoll to update the transmitter parameters that are inconsistent with their subcells and TRXs, select the
Fix inconsistencies between transmitters and their subcells check box.
6. Under Compatibility of the main subcell values, select the Audit the values and generate a report in the Event
Viewer check box. Warnings will be displayed in the Event Viewer for inconsistent values:
• If the number of required TRXs is greater than 31
• If the number of required BCCHs is not 1
• If the traffic load is less than < 0.1
• If the reception threshold is greater than -60 dBm or is less than -112 dBm
• If the min C/I is greater than 18 dB
• If the half-rate traffic ratio is greater than 100% or is less than 0%
• If the mean power control gain is greater than 16 dB
• If the DL power reduction is greater than 25 dB or is less than 0 dB
• If the AFP weight is greater than 3 or is less than 0.2
• If the target rate of traffic overflow is greater than 100 or is less than 0
• If the accepted interference percentage is greater than 100 or is less than 1
• if the maximum MAL length is greater than 62.
7. If you want Atoll to fix the subcell values as follows, select the Fix incompatibilities found in the main values check
box.
• If the number of required TRXs is greater than 62 or is less than 1, it is replaced by 1
• If the number of required BCCHs is not 1, it is replaced by 1
• If the traffic load is greater than 1 or is less than 0, it is replaced by 1
• If the reception threshold is greater than -50 dBm or is less than -116 dBm, it is replaced by -102 dBm
• If the minimum C/I is greater than 25 dB, it is replaced by 12 dB
• If the half-rate traffic ratio is greater than 100% or less than 0%, it is replaced by 40%
• If the mean power control gain is greater than 32 dB or less than 0 dB, it is replaced by 4 dB
• If the DL power reduction is greater than 25 dB or less than 0 dB, it is replaced by 0 dB
• If the AFP weight is greater than 100 or less than 0, it is replaced by 1
• If the target rate of traffic overflow is greater than 100 or less than 0, it is replaced by 0
• If the accepted interference percentage is greater than 100 or less than 1, it is replaced by 1
• If the maximum MAL length is greater than 62, it replaced by 62.
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8. Click OK.
If you choose to fix the incompatible values, Atoll displays the report in the Event Viewer. Values that are inconsistent are
changed and Atoll displays warnings to inform you of unrealistic values.
6.6.9 Displaying the Frequency Allocation

Atoll provides several tools that enable you to view the frequency allocation. You can use these tools to analyse a frequency
plan by displaying the overall distribution of channels or channel and BSIC use on the map. You can also search for channels
or BSICs.
• "Using Find on Map to Display Channel Reuse" on page 474
• "Displaying the Frequency Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings" on page 475
• "Grouping Transmitters by Frequencies" on page 476
• "Displaying the Channel Allocation Histogram" on page 476.
6.6.9.1 Using Find on Map to Display Channel Reuse

In Atoll, you can use Find on Map to search for BCCH and non-BCCH channels, and BSICs. The Find on Map tool allows you to
view channel and BSIC reuse on the map.
Find on Map enables you to find transmitters using a given channel, BSIC or NCC-BCC, or combination of HSN and MAIO. If
you have already calculated and displayed a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best server, with the results
displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. Channel reuse and any potential prob-
lems will then be clearly visible. For information on coverage predictions by transmitter, see "Making a Coverage Prediction
by Transmitter" on page 283.
By including the BCCH, BSIC, and channel list of each transmitter in the transmitter label,
the search results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
"Defining the Object Type Label" on page 50.
Searching for Channels
You can use Find on Map to search for a channel. You can search in all channels, in control channels, or in non-control chan-
nels.
To find a channel using Find on Map:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "GSM Channel."
3. In the Channel list, enter a channel that you would like to allocate.
4. Define where you want Atoll to search for the selected channel:
• Used as BCCH: Atoll will search for the channel when used as a BCCH.
• Used as TCH: Atoll will search for the channel when used as a TCH.
By default, Find on Map displays only co-channel subcells. If you want adjacent channels to be displayed as well, select
the Adjacent channels check box.
5. Click Search.
When you search for both BCCH and TCH TRX types, transmitters with the same channel for BCCH are displayed in red.
Transmitters with the same channel for any TCH are displayed in orange. Transmitters with two adjacent channels
(i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are displayed in yellow. Transmitters with a lower adjacent channel are
displayed in green; transmitters with a higher adjacent channel are displayed in green. Colours used for co-channel
cases take precedence over the colours used for adjacent channels. All other transmitters are displayed as grey lines.
When you search for the BCCH or TCH TRX types, transmitters with the same channel are displayed in red. Transmit-
ters with two adjacent channels (i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are displayed in yellow. Transmitters with
a lower adjacent channel are displayed in green; transmitters with a higher adjacent channel are displayed in green.
Colours used for co-channel take precedence over the colours used for adjacent channels. All other transmitters are
displayed as grey lines.
If you cleared the Adjacent channels check box, transmitters using the same channel are displayed in red; all others,
including transmitters with adjacent channels, are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Search Tool window.
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Searching for a Combination of TRX and Subcell Parameters
You can use Find on Map to search for a combination of TRX and subcell parameters: a channel, BSIC or NCC-BCC, as well as
HSN and MAIO.
To find a BSIC-BCCH pair:
2. From the Find list, select "BSIC-BCCH Pair."
3. Select the parameters on which you want to search:
• BCCH channel: Enter a BCCH channel number. If you do not enter a BCCH channel number, Atoll will search all
specified channels according to the other parameters.
• BSIC or NCC-BCC: Enter either a BSIC or a value for the NCC and for the BCC.
4. Click Search.
Transmitters that match the defined search parameters are displayed in red. All other transmitters are displayed as
grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Search Tool window.
To find a combination of TCH channel and HSN or MAIO:
2. From the Find list, select "Channel-HSN/MAIO Pair."
3. From the Channel list, select the channel number then select the parameters on which you want to search:
• HSN: If you want to search for a channel number and an HSN, select HSN and select an HSN number.
• MAIO: If you want to search for a channel number and a MAIO, select MAIO and select a MAIO number.
The Find on Map tool can also return results for a specific HSN when the TCH channel field
is empty. In this case, the Results window lists all the transmitters for which this hopping
sequence was defined.
4. Click Search.
Transmitters that match the defined search parameters are displayed in red. All other transmitters are displayed as
grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Find on Map window.
6.6.9.2 Displaying the Frequency Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings

You can use the display characteristics of transmitters to display frequency allocation-related information on the map.
To display frequency allocation-related information on the map:
You can display the following information per transmitter:
• BCCH: To display the BCCH of a transmitter, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "BCCH" as the Field.
• BSIC: To display the BSIC of a transmitter, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "BSIC" as the Field.
You can display the following information in the transmitter label or tip text:
• BCCH: To display the BCCH of a transmitter’s subcells, select "BCCH" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition
dialog box.
• BSIC: To display the BSIC of a transmitter, select "BSIC" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• Channels: To display the channels allocated to a transmitter, select "Channels" from the Label or Tip Text Field
Definition dialog box.
• HSN: To display the HSN allocated to a transmitter’s subcells, select "HSN" from the Label or Tip Text Field Defi-
nition dialog box.
• MAIO: To display the MAIO allocated to a transmitter’s subcells, select "MAIO" from the Label or Tip Text Field
Definition dialog box.
• Cell type: To display the cell type allocated to a transmitter, select "Cell type" from the Label or Tip Text Field Def-
inition dialog box.
475
• Required TRXs per Transmitter or Subcell: To display the number of required TRXs per transmitter or per subcell,
select "Required TRXs" or "Subcell: Required TRXs," respectively, from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog
box.
• Number of TRXs Assigned: To display the number of TRXs assigned to a transmitter, select "Number of TRXs" from
the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• Frequency Band: To display the frequency band assigned to a transmitter, select "Frequency Band" from the Label
or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• GPRS/EDGE: To display which transmitters are GPRS/EDGE-capable, select "GPRS/EDGE" from the Label or Tip
Text Field Definition dialog box.
• Coding Scheme Configuration: To display the coding scheme configuration assigned to a transmitter, select
"Coding Scheme Configuration" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• Codec Configuration: To display the codec configuration assigned to a transmitter, select "Codec Configuration"
from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
Because labels are always displayed, you should avoid displaying too much information at
the same time.
5. Click OK.
For information on display options, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
6.6.9.3 Grouping Transmitters by Frequencies

You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their channel list or by their frequency band, or by both.
To group transmitters by channels or by frequency band:
4. On the General tab, click Group By. The Group dialog box appears.
5. Under Available Fields, select the parameter you want to group transmitters by:
• Frequency band
• Channels
6. Click to add the parameter to the Group these fields in this order list. The selected parameter is added to the list
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
7. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select it in the Group these fields in this order
list and click . The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be
grouped.
8. Arrange the parameters in the Group these fields in this order list in the order in which you want the transmitters to
be grouped:
a. Select a parameter and click to move it up to the desired position.
b. Select a parameter and click to move it down to the desired position.

9. Click OK to save your changes and close the Group dialog box.
6.6.9.4 Displaying the Channel Allocation Histogram

Atoll has a frequency distribution analysis tool. You can open the frequency distribution analysis tool by right-clicking the
Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and then selecting Frequency Plan > Channel Distribution from the context
menu. The frequency distribution analysis tool gives you a three-column table with:
• The channel number
• The load (i.e., the number of occurences weighted by the fractional load)
• The number of times that channel is used.
The load is the same as the number of TRXs if synthesised hopping is not used. When synthesised hopping is used, the
frequency load is the sum of 1/(MAL length) of all the TRXs using this frequency.
The scope of this tool is the same as the scope of the AFP. For more information on the AFP scope, see "The Scope of the AFP
and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 383.
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The frequency load distribution can be displayed as a histogram by clicking the Histogram button. The histogram is similar to
the one on the Histogram tab in the AFP Progress dialog box. For more information, see "The Histogram Tab" on page 396.
The Relationship Between Uniform Distribution and Quality
You should be aware that uniform distribution is not always synonymous with quality. While it is clear that in some cases the
frequency usage distribution can be a quality indicator, it is not always the case. For this reason the Atoll AFP does not have
a cost dedicated to non-uniformity of spectral use. Therefore Atoll AFP can create non-uniform frequency distributions.
• When the frequency assignment problem (FAP) is easy, the AFP reaches a 0-cost solution and stops immediately. If it
was instructed to use the minimum spectrum possible, the AFP will use the smaller ARFCNs more than the larger ones
(and will leave the largest ARFCNs untouched, for future use). Otherwise, the AFP will try to spread spectrum use. By
default this directive is free for AFP tuning.
• In many cases, a large volume of allocation constraints exists for adjacent channel reuse. The two end-channels, (the
biggest and the smallest in the domain), have fewer constraints, because they have only one adjacent channel in use,
and are therefore heavily used. The adjacent channels (the second in the domain, and the one before the biggest in
the domain) are used less often than the others because they each have a heavily used adjacent channel. Because the
third domain frequency is adjacent to a seldom used channel, it will be used more often than usual. In the case of a
continuous domain, which is small, and whose size is impair, this effect will resonate strongly and will provide a sig-
nificant reduction in usage of the second, fourth, sixth, etc., frequencies of the domain.
After you have manually or automatically allocated frequencies, you can view channel allocation in the form of a table or a
histogram. For each channel used, Atoll displays both the channel load (i.e., the number of times the channel is used, weighted
by the fractional load) and the total number of times the channel is used. The information in the table can either be copied or
exported for use in another application.
To display the channel allocation table or histogram:
3. Select Frequency Plan > Channel Distribution. The Channel Use Statistics table appears.
4. You can do the following:
• Export: Click the Export button to open the Export dialog box and export the Channel Use Statistics table contents
as a TXT, CSV, or XLS file. For information on using the Export dialog box, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 86.
• Histogram: Click the Histogram button to display the Distribution Histogram dialog box. The histogram represents
the channels as a function of the frequency of their use. You can move the pointer over the histogram to display
the frequency of use of each channel. The results are highlighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values
list. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on
the selected values.
In the Distribution Histogram dialog box, you have the following options:
• Copy: Click the Copy button to copy the histogram to the clipboard. You can paste the histogram as a graphic
into another application, for example, a word-processor.
• Print: Click the Print button to print the histogram.
6.6.10 Calculating Key Performance Indicators of a GSM/GPRS/

EDGE Network
Atoll allows the user to calculate and analyse key performance indicators (KPI), such as the reduction factor, the blocking
probability, and the delay, that are currently defined for the network. This allows you to verify how well the network satisfies
basic performance criteria.
To calculate key performance indicators:
3. Select Traffic > Dimensioning and KPI Calculation from the context menu. The Dimensioning/KPIs dialog box appears
(see Figure 6.121).
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Figure 6.121: The Dimensioning/KPI dialog box
4. Under Dimensioning Parameters, select the dimensioning model that will be used for the KPI calculation from the
Model list. You can access the parameters of the selected dimensioning model by clicking the Browse button.
5. Under Traffic (Circuit and Packet Demand), select whether the KPI calculation will be based on the traffic demand cal-
culated in the default traffic capture or the current values (circuit and packet demands) in the Subcells table.
• If you select From subcell table, define the following additional parameters:
• Specify the Minimum throughput reduction factor that can be accepted in the network. When running a traf-
fic capture, this parameter is evaluated (but not displayed) during the calculation. The minimum throughput
reduction factor models the fact that, at the user level, the user throughput can be reduced because of how
much it will be multiplexed with other users. In other words, this parameter will be affected by the traffic load
which is a consequence of dimensioning.
• Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages
must equal 100.
• Under Circuit Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of circuit service used in the map. The total
percentages must equal 100.
• Under Packet Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of packet service used in the map (assuming the
packet is made of maximum bit rate and constant bit rate packet services). The total percentages must equal
100.
6. Click Calculate to calculate the KPI calculation.
The output of the calculation appears in the KPI Calculation dialog box under Results. You can select which columns
to display by clicking the Displayed Columns button and selecting or clearing the check box of the columns. The follow-
ing results are given for each transmitter in the Transmitter column:
• TRX Type: For each transmitter, the results are given by TRX type (e.g., BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER).
Together, the Transmitter and TRX Type columns identify the subcell.
• Number of TRXs: The number of TRXs assigned for both the subcell's circuit-switched and packet-switched traffic,
while taking into account the quality of service criterion assigned for each.
• Load (%): The average demand in timeslots (packet and circuit), divided by the total number of timeslots available.
It represents the average occupancy of the TRXs. This parameter is one of the principal results of dimensioning
along with the number of TRXs. In addition, this parameter might have been updated by an AFP model which is
capable of optimising (i.e., reduce or increase) the number of required TRXs. This results in the subcell load being
modified.
• Multiplexing Factor: The user or Temporary Block Flow (TBF) multiplexing factor. The multiplexing factor corre-
sponds to the number of timeslots per frame.
• Maximum Number of TRXs per Transmitter: The maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can support is an
input of the KPI calculation. This parameter is provided by the equipment manufacturer. The value can be set for
each transmitter or taken from the dimensioning model for transmitters where this value is not set.
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• Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): This input parameter defines the percentage of traffic that is allowed to over-
flow from one subcell to another in case the traffic assigned to this subcell is greater than the maximum traffic
that it can accommodate. It can be considered an anticipation of the percentage of traffic that will be rejected
from higher priority subcells or layers to lower ones. The value is specified for each subcell.
• Half-rate Traffic Ratio (%): This input parameter is defined per subcell and indicates the percentage of subcell
traffic that uses half-rate access.
If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow
and the half-rate traffic ratio from the BCCH subcell.
• Packet demand (Kbps): The Packet Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by
packet-switched service users within the coverage area of the transmitter.
• Packet average demand (timeslots): The number of timeslots needed to satisfy the packet traffic demand
depends on the maximum throughput that a packet timeslot can support.
• Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Packet): This input parameter defines the average number of
timeslots used by packet-switched-traffic users while accessing services. Packet-switched services allow up to
eight timeslots per connection. The average number of timeslots per connection corresponds to the average
number of downlink timeslots (multiplied by the number of simultaneous carriers in EDGE Evolution, if any) over
which a single mobile terminal can communicate at one time.
• Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The Circuit Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in Erlangs generated by circuit-
switched-service users within the coverage area of the transmitter.
For concentric cell types, the traffic demand on TCH subcells is different from the one
calculated during the traffic capture. For concentric cell types, the traffic demand on TCH
subcells is calculated from the traffic demand of the capture and the effective rate of traffic
overflow.
• Circuit average demand (timeslots): The Average Demand in Circuit Timeslots is calculated taking into account
the effect of half-rate circuit-switched traffic: two half-rate users are equivalent to one full-rate user.
• Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Circuit): The Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Cir-
cuit) is an input parameter. The number of timeslots per connection is "1" for full-rate traffic, otherwise it depends
on the half-rate traffic ratio.
At present, Atoll only models circuit calls using 1 timeslot per connection; this parameter is for forward compati-
bility.
• Served Circuit Traffic (Erlangs): The Served Circuit Traffic is the circuit-switched traffic in Erlangs that the subcell
can serve.
The served circuit-switched traffic is circuit traffic demand less the effective overflowed circuit traffic.
• Served Packet Traffic (Kbps): The Served Packet Traffic is the packet-switched traffic in kilobits per second that
the subcell can serve.
• The served packet-switched traffic is packet traffic demand less the effective overflowed packet traffic.
• Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow is the actual rate of traffic that is
rejected by the subcell and overflows because of a lack of packet timeslots. In a GSM network, the value is the
same as the blocking probability. In a more complex network, this value includes the traffic overflow from all ser-
vices.
In case of Erlang B, the effective rate of traffic overflow corresponds to the effective blocking rate. This value is
calculated from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots) and the circuit traffic
demand in Erlang B tables.
In case of Erlang C, the effective rate of traffic overflow is zero except if the maximum number of TRXs is exceeded.
The effective blocking rate is inferred from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit times-
lots) and the circuit traffic demand in Erlang C tables.
• Probability of Circuit Blocking Rate (or Delay) (%): The Circuit Blocking Rate is the grade of service (GoS) indicator
for circuit-switched traffic. It can be either the rate at which calls are blocked (Erlang B) or delayed (Erlang C),
depending on which queuing model the dimensioning model uses.
• Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor is the lowest
throughput reduction factor that can still guarantee service availability. The Minimum Throughput Reduction
Factor is one of the criteria for packet-switched traffic dimensioning. It is calculated using the parameters defined
for the services: the minimum service throughput; the maximum number of timeslots per connection; the
required availability; and the per pixel timeslot capacity of the subcell coverage area. This parameter is calculated
when making the traffic capture or is user-defined depending on the source of traffic demand on which the KPI
calculation is based.
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• Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Throughput Reduction Factor is calculated from the quality charts using
the packet load and available connections for each subcell. This reduction factor must be greater than the min-
imum throughput reduction factor for packet-switched services for these services to be satisfactorily available in
the subcell.
• Maximum Packet Delay (s): The Maximum Packet Delay is the defined delay in seconds that must not be
exceeded for the service quality to be considered satisfactory.
• Packet Delay (s): The Delay is a key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using the quality graphs, the load, and
the number of connections available. This dimensioning output must not exceed the maximum delay defined for
the service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
• Maximum Probability of Packet Delay (%): The Maximum Probability of Packet Delay is defined for each packet
service and is the highest probability that the service will be blocked that is acceptable in terms of service availa-
bility.
• Probability of Packet Delay (Delay) (%): The Probability of Packet Delay is a dimensioning output and must not
exceed the Maximum Probability of Packet Delay defined for the service for service availability to be considered
satisfactory.
7. Click Commit to assign the load and the effective rate of traffic overflow to the subcells.
KPI calculation is based on a traffic capture. Modifications to traffic maps, traffic parame-
ters, and transmitter properties (e.g., calculation area, coding scheme configuration, etc.)
have an influence on the traffic capture. Therefore, if you modify some of these data, you
must recalculate the traffic capture before calculating KPIs.
6.7 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP

Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) enables radio engineers designing GSM networks to automatically calculate the optimal
network settings in terms of network coverage and quality. Atoll ACP can also be used to add sites from a list of candidate
sites or to remove unnecessary sites or sectors. Atoll ACP can also be used in co-planning projects where networks using
different radio access technologies must be taken into consideration when calculating the optimal network settings.
Atoll ACP is primarily intended to improve existing network deployment by reconfiguring the main parameters that can be
remotely controlled by operators: antenna electrical tilt and transmission power. Atoll ACP can also be used during the initial
planning stage of a GSM network by enabling the selection of the antenna, and its azimuth, height, and mechanical tilt. Atoll
ACP not only takes transmitters into account in optimisations but also any repeaters and remote antennas.
Atoll ACP can also be used to measure and optimise the EMF exposure created by the network. This permits the optimisation
of power and antenna settings to reduce excessive EMF exposure in existing networks and optimal site selection for new
transmitters.
Atoll ACP uses user-defined objectives to evaluate the optimisation, as well as to calculate its implementation cost. Once you
have defined the objectives and the network parameters to be optimised, Atoll ACP uses an efficient global search algorithm
to test many network configurations and propose the reconfigurations that best meet the objectives. Atoll ACP presents the
changes ordered from the most to the least beneficial, allowing phased implementation or implementation of just a subset of
the suggested changes.
Atoll ACP is technology-independent and can be used to optimise networks using different radio access technologies. Chapter
15: Automatic Cell Planning explains how you configure the ACP module, how you create and run an optimisation setup, and
how you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to GSM networks are explained:
• "GSM Optimisation Objectives" on page 480
• "GSM Quality Parameters" on page 481
• "GSM Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 482.
6.7.1 GSM Optimisation Objectives

ACP optimises the network using user-defined objectives to evaluate the quality of the network reconfiguration. The objec-
tives depend on the technology used by the project and are consistent with the corresponding coverage predictions in Atoll.
Atoll. In projects using GSM, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following objectives are proposed:
• GSM Coverage
• GSM Cell Dominance
You can also create the following objectives from the context menu of Objectives in the left-hand pane of the Objectives tab:
• GSM CINR Co-channel
• GSM 1st-Nth Difference
• Custom Coverage
480
You define the optimisation objectives using the Objectives tab of the ACP Setup dialog box. For information on setting objec-
tive parameters, see "Setting Objective Parameters" on page 1795.
6.7.2 GSM Quality Parameters

When you create an optimisation setup, you define how the ACP evaluates the objectives. The quality parameters are tech-
nology dependent. You can base the evaluation of the objectives on a calculated coverage prediction or on manual configu-
ration. If you base the coverage prediction settings on a calculated coverage prediction, ACP will use the ranges and colours
defined in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own predictions. However, if you have saved the display
options of an ACP prediction as default, or if you are using a configuration file for ACP, these defined ranges and colours will
be used as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage prediction.
In projects using GSM, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following Quality parameters are proposed in
the Pixel Rules frame of the objectives’ properties pages:
• BCCH Signal Level
• Overlap
• Best Server Distance
• CINR Co-channel
• 1st-2nd Difference
• 1st-Nth Difference
To define the quality parameters for GSM:
1. Open the Setup Properties dialog box to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on
page 1783.
2. Click the Objectives tab.
3. Under Parameters, expand the GSM folder.
You can base the evaluation of the objectives on a calculated coverage prediction or on manual configuration. If you
base the coverage prediction settings on a calculated coverage prediction, ACP will use the ranges and colours defined
in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own predictions.
However, if you have saved the display options of an ACP prediction as default, or if you are using a configuration file
for ACP, these defined ranges and colours will be used as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage
prediction. For information on setting ACP prediction display options as the default, see "Changing the Display Prop-
erties of ACP Predictions" on page 1844. For information on saving a configuration file, see "Configuring Default
Settings" on page 1781.
4. Click on CINR Co-channel to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by C/I level.
Select what the objective evaluation will be based on from the Base prediction settings on list:
• Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will eval-
uate coverage by C/I level using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used.
5. Click on BCCH Signal Level to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
uate the coverage by signal level using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
6. Click on Overlap / 1st-Nth to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate overlapping coverage and cov-
erage by 1st-Nth difference.
Overlapping coverage: to define how the ACP will evaluate overlapping coverage, select what the objective evaluation
will be based on from the Base prediction settings on list:
• Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will
evaluate overlapping coverage using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage predic-
tion. Only coverage predictions displaying a Number of Servers per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
• Manual Configuration: If you select this option, set the Minimum signal level to "Subcell C Threshold" (recep-
tion threshold defined per subcell) or "Global C Threshold" and specify the Overlap threshold margin to be
used for all subcells.
Coverage by 1st-Nth difference: to define how the ACP will evaluate coverage by 1st-Nth difference, select what the
objective evaluation will be based on from the Base prediction settings on list:
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evaluate coverage by 1st-Nth difference based on the parameters used to calculate the selected prediction.
Only Atoll predictions displaying a "Number of Servers" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Since there is no coverage prediction type in Atoll equivalent to ACP’s GSM 1st-Nth Difference objective, the
parameters recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll prediction are limited to the minimum signal level and
the prediction shading. The number of servers must always be specified manually next to No. servers.
• Manual Configuration: If you select this option, set the Minimum signal level to "Subcell C Threshold" or
"Global C Threshold" and specify the No. serversthreshold margin to be used for all subcells.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the GSM 1st-Nth Difference objective.
For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be automatically se-
lected by default in the Quality column of the GSM 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
• Allowed values for No. servers range from 3 to 100, with only one value available per technology.
• The "1st-2nd Difference" quality parameter (based on No. servers = 2) is provided by default.
6.7.3 GSM Quality Analysis Predictions

The quality analysis predictions enable you to display the BCCH quality and overlapping coverage predictions in the Atoll map
window. These predictions are the same as those displayed on the Quality tab of the optimisation’s Properties dialog box.
The quality analysis predictions created in ACP are equivalent to those created by different Atoll coverage predictions. The
correspondence table below shows the ACP predictions and their equivalents in Atoll.
Equivalent Prediction in Atoll

Quality Analysis Prediction in ACP
Field setting for Display Type = "Value Intervals"
BCCH Signal Level Coverage by Signal Level (DL) (1)

"Best Signal Level (dBm)"
Overlap Overlapping Zones (DL) (2)

"Number of Servers"
CINR Co-channel Coverage by C/I Level (DL) (3)

"C/I Level (dB)"
(1) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal Level" on page 280.
(2) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 290.
(3) BCCH Co-Channel interference mode. See "Making DL Quality Predic ons Based on C⁄I or C⁄(I+N)" on page 444.
Making these predictions available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to
commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. The ACP predictions display results very similar to those
that Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before
basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the predictions produced by ACP, you should keep the following
recommendations in mind:
• You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the interfered zones prediction.
• ACP generated predictions are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the
change subset defined on the Change Details tab.
• The predictions are only provided for the used or requested carrier (GSM900, GSM1800, etc.) separately.
• Even after committing the optimisation results, small differences can appear between the ACP predictions and the
predictions resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
You can view the exact BCCH value on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The BCCH value is then displayed in
tip text.
For ACP overlapping zones predictions, you can:
• specify a best server threshold:
• by entering a value next to Minimum Signal Level in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
• or by setting the param.gsm.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section
of the ACP.ini file.
• specify a threshold margin:
• by entering a value next to Threshold margin in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
• or by setting the param.gsm.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
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For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a prediction showing the initial network state, the final network
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final state.
6.8 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test

Data
An important step in the process of creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network is to analyse the network’s performance using drive
test data. This is done using measurements of the strength of the pilot signal and other parameters in different locations
within the area covered by the network. This collection of measurements is called a drive test data path.
The data contained in a drive test data path is used to verify the accuracy of current network parameters and to optimise the
network.
• "Importing a Drive Test Data Path" on page 483
• "Displaying Drive Test Data" on page 485
• "Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path" on page 486
• "Network Verification" on page 486
• "Exporting a Drive Test Data Path" on page 494
• "Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data" on page 494
• "Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window" on page 495.
6.8.1 Importing a Drive Test Data Path

In Atoll, you can analyse drive tests by importing drive test data in the form of ASCII text files (with tabs, commas, semi-colons,
or spaces as separator), TEMS FICS-Planet export files (with the extension PLN), or TEMS text export files (with the extension
FMT).
For Atoll to be able to use the data in imported files, the imported files must contain the following information:
• The position of drive test data points. When you import the data, you must indicate which columns give the abscissa
and ordinate (XY coordinates) of each point.
• Information identifying scanned cells (for example, serving subcells, neighbour subcells, or any other subcells). Trans-
mitters may be identified by their IDs or their BCCH and BSIC.
You can import a single drive test data file or several drive test data files at the same time. If you regularly import drive test
data files of the same format, you can create an import configuration. The import configuration contains information that
defines the structure of the data in the drive test data file. By using the import configuration, you will not need to define the
data structure each time you import a new drive test data file.
To import one or several drive test data files:
2. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder. The context menu appears.
4. You can import one or several files. Select the file or files you want to open.
If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last file you want to import. You
can select non-contiguous files by pressing CTRL and clicking each file you want to import.
5. Click Open. The Import of Measurement Files dialog box appears.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with previous versions of
TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure
using the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
6. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 7.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
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• When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
• The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
7. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
desired.
• Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
• Under Measurement Conditions,
• Units: Select the measurement units used.
• Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
8. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 6.122).
Figure 6.122: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st Measurement Row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal
Symbol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-Coordinates and the
Y-Coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
d. If you are importing drive test data by ID as transmitter identifiers:
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i. Under Server identification, select By ID

ii. In the By ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name that identifies the cell Ids of scanned trans-
mitters. For example, if the string "Cell_ID" is found in the column names that identify the Cell_ID of scanned
transmitters, enter it here. Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name.
e. If you are importing data using BSIC and BCCH as transmitter identifiers:
i. Under Server identification, select By BSIC/BCCH.
ii. In the BSIC identifier box, enter a string that is found in the column names identifying the BSICs of the scanned
subcells. For example, if the string "BSIC" is found in the column names identifying the BSIC of the scanned
subcells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for columns with this string in the column name.
iii. In the BCCH identifier box, enter a string that is found in the column names identifying the BCCH of the
scanned subcells. For example, if the string "BCCH" is found in the column names identifying the BCCH of
scanned subcells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for columns with this string in the column name.
If there is no BCCH information contained in the drive test data file, leave the BCCH identifier box empty.
iv. In the BSIC format list, select the scrambling code format, "Decimal" or "Octal."
f. Click OK to close the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box.
• If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the
table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure
that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with
"<Ignore>", it will not be imported.
• The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the BCCH
and the BSIC are placed before the data columns for each subcell. Otherwise Atoll
will not be able to properly import the file.
9. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import con-
figuration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atoll’s installation folder. If
you cannot write into that folder, you can click the Browse button to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you will be able to
select this import configuration from the Import configuration list.
• You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
• When importing a CW measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini
file by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configura-
tion to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appro-
priate configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the
bottom of the dialog box.
• You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
10. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import All, if you are importing more than one file. The mobile
data is imported into the current Atoll document.
6.8.2 Displaying Drive Test Data

When you have imported the drive test data into the current Atoll document, you can display it in the map window. Then,
you can select individual drive test data points to see information about the transmitters at that location.
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To display information about a single drive test data point:

2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
3. Select the display check box beside the drive test data you want to display in the map window. The drive test data is
displayed.
4. Click and hold the drive test data point on which you want server and neighbour information. Atoll displays an arrow
pointing towards the serving transmitters and neighbours (see Figure 6.127 on page 492), with a number identifying
the server as numbered in the drive test data. If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and the
arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Auto-
matic," see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
6.8.3 Defining the Display of a Drive Test Data Path

Drive test data paths have the standard Atoll display dialog box to allow you to define the display according to any available
attribute, to manage permanent labels on the map, tip texts, and the legend.
To open the display dialog box of a drive test data path:
3. Right-click the drive test data path whose display you want to define. The context menu appears.
Each single point can be displayed by a unique attribute, or according to:
• a text or integer attribute (discrete value)
• a numerical value (value interval).
In addition, a last option is available which permits to display points according to more than one criterion at a time. By select-
ing Advanced Display from the Display Type, a dialog box opens in which you can define the following display for each single
point of the measurement path:
• a symbol type according to any attribute
• a symbol colour according to any attribute
• a symbol size according to any attribute
With such settings, you can, for example, display a signal level by colour, choose a symbol type for Transmitter 1 (circle, trian-
gle, cross, etc.) and a size according to the altitude.
• Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display points. Fast Display
is useful when you have a very large amount of points which would require a great
amount of computer resources to display.
• Using Advanced Display on symbols is possible only if the Fast Display check box
is cleared.
• You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
selecting Sort Alphabetically from the Drive Test Data context menu.
• You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
6.8.4 Network Verification

The imported drive test data is used to verify the GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. To improve the relevance of the data, Atoll allows
you to filter out incompatible or inaccurate points. You can then use the data for coverage predictions, either by comparing
the imported measurements with previously calculated coverage predictions, or by creating new coverage predictions using
the imported drive test data.
• "Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths" on page 487
• "Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points" on page 488
• "Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths" on page 489
• "Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path" on page 491
486
• "Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter" on page 491
• "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 492.
6.8.4.1 Filtering Incompatible Points Along Drive Test Data Paths

When using a drive test data path, some measured points might present values that are too far outside of the median values
to be useful in calibration. As well, test paths might include test points in areas that are not representative of the drive test
data path as a whole. For example, a test path that includes two heavily populated areas might also include test points from
the more lightly populated region between the two.
In Atoll, you can filter out points that are incompatible with the points you are studying, either by filtering out the clutter
classes where the incompatible points are located, or by filtering out points according to their properties.
To filter out incompatible points by clutter class:
2. Right-click the Drive Test Data on which you want to filter out incompatible points:
• All Drive Test Data measurements: Right-click the Drive Test Data folder.
• Only one Drive Test Data path: Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. The context
menu appears.
3. Select Filter from the context menu. The CW Measurement Filter dialog box appears.
4. In the Per Clutter window, under Filter, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to filter out. Only the
clutter classes whose check box is selected will be taken into account.
5. If you want to keep the measurement points that are inside the focus zone, select the Use focus zone to filter check
box.
6. If you want to permanently remove the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete Points Outside Filter
check box.
If you permanently delete measurement points and later want to use them, you will have to re-import the original measure-
ment data.
To filter out incompatible points using a filter:
2. Right-click the Drive Test Data on which you want to filter out incompatible points:
• Only one Drive Test Data path: Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. The context
menu appears.
3. Select Filter from the context menu. The CW Measurement Filter dialog box appears.
4. Click More. The Filter dialog box appears.
6. Select a Field from the list.
7. Under Values to Include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next to
the values you want to include in the filter. Click Clear All to clear all check boxes.
9. In the Column row, select the name of the column to be filtered on from the list. Select as many columns as you want
(see Figure 6.123).
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Figure 6.123: The Filter dialog box - Advanced tab
i. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the fol-
lowing table:

=X value equal to X (X can be a number or characters)
<> X value not equal to X (X can be a number or characters)
<X numerical value is less than X
>X numerical value is greater than X
<=X numerical value is less than or equal to X
>=X numerical value is greater than or equal to X
*X* text objects which contain X
*X text objects end with X
X* text objects which start with X
ii. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined.
Combinations of filters are first made horizontally, then vertically. For more information on filters, see "Ad-
vanced Data Filtering" on page 102.
iii. Click OK to apply the filter and close the dialog box.
You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test
data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data Paths folder.
6.8.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points

To predict the signal level on drive test data points:
3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you want to create the point prediction. The context menu appears.
4. Select Calculations > Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
5. Under Point predictions, select Point Signal Level and click OK. The Point Signal Level Properties dialog box appears
(see Figure 6.124).
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Figure 6.124: Point Signal Level Properties dialog box
The errors between measured and predicted signal levels can be calculated and added to the drive test data table.
6. If you want to calculate errors between measured and predicted signal levels, under Select signal levels for error cal-
culations, select the names of the columns representing measured signal level values in the drive test data table for
which you want to calculate the errors (see Figure 6.125). If you do not want to add this information to the drive test
data table, continue with step 7.
Figure 6.125: Selecting measured signal levels for which errors will be calculated
7. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
8. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
9. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 6.126: Drive Test Data Table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with Error Calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 492.
The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
6.8.4.3 Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths

You can create the following coverage predictions for all transmitters on each point of a drive test data path:
• Coverage by Signal Level (DL)
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• Coverage by C/I Level (DL)

To create a coverage prediction along a drive test data path:
3. Right-click the drive test data to which you want to add a coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
5. Under Standard Predictions, select one of the following coverage predictions and click OK:
• Coverage by Signal Level (DL): Click the Conditions tab.
arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range. 
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
• If you select Shadowing Taken Into Account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
per clutter class.
• Coverage by C/I: Click the Conditions tab.
• On the Conditions tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel. You can click the down
arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range. 
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
assuming this signal level on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer
level or specifically for each transmitter. When you select "Best Signal Level per HCS Layer" or "All," there
might be areas where several transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several C⁄I values are
calculated. Therefore, on the Display tab, you select to display either the lowest C⁄I level or the highest C⁄I
level (for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496).
• If you select Shadowing Taken into Account, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability. Shadowing
margins (depending on the entered cell edge coverage probability and the model standard deviation per clut-
ter class) are applied to the values for C.
per clutter class.
• Under Interference Conditions, you can select which TRX type to consider as potential victim by selecting it
from the Interfered Subcells list.
• Select "C⁄I" or "C⁄(I+N)". On the same line, click the down arrow buttons on the left and on the right and select
one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the C⁄I threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the lower end of the C⁄I range. 
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the C⁄I range.
You can not select Subcell C/I Threshold as both the lower and the upper end of the C⁄I
range to be considered.
• Select whether you want the defined interference condition to be Satisfied By: 
At least one TRX: When you select this option, the defined interference condition must be satisfied by at least
one TRX on a given pixel for the results to be displayed on that pixel. 
The worst TRX: When you select this option, Atoll selects the worst results for each pixel. If the worst results
do not satisfy the defined interference condition, the results will not be displayed on that pixel.
• If you selected C/(I+N), you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure is
added to the thermal noise value (defined at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the following:
Based on Terminal: to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and select the terminal from the list.
Fixed Value: to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
• If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calcula-
tion of interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during
which a user is talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
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• Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:

100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
• From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent chan-
nels, co-channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is
decreased by the adjacent channel protection level.
• Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results
displayed depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode: 
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthe-
6. When you have finished setting the parameters for the coverage prediction, click OK.
You can create a new coverage prediction by repeating the procedure from step 1. to step 6. for each new coverage
prediction.
7. When you have finished creating new coverage predictions for these drive test data, right-click the drive test data. The
A new column for each coverage prediction is added in the table for the drive test data. The column contains the
predicted values of the selected parameters for the transmitter. The propagation model used is the one assigned to
the transmitter for the main matrix (for information on the propagation model, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Prop-
agation Models).
You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data window. For more information on the
Drive Test Data window, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 492.
6.8.4.4 Displaying Statistics Over a Drive Test Data Path

Assuming some predictions have been calculated along a Drive Test Data path, you can display the statistics between the
measured and the predicted values on a specific measurement path.
To display the statistics for a specific Drive Test Data path:
3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to display comparative statistics. The context menu appears.
4. Select Display Statistics from the context menu. The Measurement and Prediction Fields Selection dialog box
appears.
5. Select one or more transmitters from the For the Transmitters list.
6. Select the fields that contain the previously predicted values that you want to use for predictions. Only one type of
value can be compared at a time (signal level or quality).
7. Select the fields that contain the measured values that you want to use for predictions. Only one type of value can be
compared at a time (signal level or quality). The measured and the selected values have to match up.
8. Enter the minimum and maximum measured values. Statistics are done with drive test data points where the meas-
ured values are within this specified range.
9. Click OK.
Atoll opens a popup in which the global statistics between measurements and predictions are given over all the filtered (or
not) points of the current drive test data path through the mean error, its standard deviation, the root mean square and the
error correlation factor. The statistics are also given per clutter class.
6.8.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract a specific field for a specific transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path. The extracted infor-
mation will be added to a new column in the table for the drive test data.
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To extract a field from a drive test data path:

3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to extract a field. The context menu appears.
4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter dialog box appears.
5. Select a transmitter from the On the Transmitter list.
6. Click the For the Fields list. The list opens.
7. Select the check box beside the field you want to extract for the selected transmitters.
Atoll can display the seven servers per point. If you want to display for example, the point
signal level, remember to select the check box for the point signal level for all servers in the
For the Fields list. The new column will then display the point signal level for the selected
transmitter for all servers if a value exists.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path data table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.
6.8.4.6 Analysing Data Variations Along the Path

In Atoll, you can analyse variations in data along any drive test data path using the Drive Test Data window. You can also use
the Drive Test Data window to see which cell is the serving cell for a given test point.
To analyse data variations using the Drive Test Data window.
3. Click the drive test data you want to analyse and select Drive Test Data from the Tools menu. The Drive Test Data
window appears (see Figure 6.127)
Figure 6.127: The Drive Test Data window
4. Click Display at the top of the Drive Test Data window. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure 6.128).
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Figure 6.128: The Display Parameters dialog box
5. In the Display Parameters dialog box:

• Select the check box next to any field you want to display in the Drive Test Data window.
• If you wish, you can change the display colour by clicking the colour in the Colour column and selecting a new
colour from the palette that appears.
• Click OK to close the Display Parameters dialog box.
You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at a time. You can
select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing SHIFT and clicking the last field
you want to import. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and clicking
each field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on the
selected fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data window.
6. You can display the data in the drive test data path in two ways:
• Click the values in the Drive Test Data window.
• Click the points on the drive test data path in the map window.
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the serving cell, with a number iden-
tifying the best server (see on page 492). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and the
arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Auto-
matic," see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
7. You can display a second Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with dif-
ferent orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You can select the secondary
Y-axis from the right-hand list on the top of the Drive Test Data window. The selected values are displayed in the col-
ours defined for this variable in the Display Parameters dialog box.
8. You can change the zoom level of the Drive Test Data window display in the Drive Test Data window in the following
ways:
• Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu.
• Select the data to zoom in on:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window zooms in on the data between
the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
9. Click the data in the Drive Test Data window to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will recentre the
map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
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If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data
window, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data window (see Figure 6.127 on page 492).
6.8.5 Exporting a Drive Test Data Path

You can export drive test data paths to vector files.
To export a drive test data path to a vector file:
3. Right-click the drive test data path you want to export. The context menu appears.
5. Enter a File name for the drive test data path and select a format from the Save as type list.
6. Click Save. The drive test data path is exported and saved in the file.
6.8.6 Extracting CW Measurements from Drive Test Data

You can generate CW measurements from drive test data paths and extract the results to the CW Measurements folder.
To generate CW measurement from a drive test data path:
4. Select Extract CW Measurements from the context menu. The CW Measurement Extraction dialog box appears.
5. Under Extract CW Measurements:
a. Select one or more transmitters from the For the Transmitters list.
b. Select the field that contains the information that you want to export to CW measurements from the For the Fields
list.
6. Under CW Measurement Creation Parameters:
a. Enter the Min. Number of Points to Extract per Measurement Path. CW measurements are not created for trans-
mitters that have fewer points than this number.
b. Enter the minimum and maximum Measured Signal Levels. CW measurements are created with drive test data
points where the signal levels are within this specified range.
7. Click OK. Atoll creates new CW measurements for transmitters satisfying the parameters set in the CW Measurement
Extraction dialog box.
For more information about CW measurements, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
6.8.7 Generating Interference Matrices from a Drive Test Data Path

You can generate interference matrices from drive test data paths and extract the results to the Interference Matrix folder.
To generate Interference Matrices from a drive test data path:
4. Select Extract Interference Matrices from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Export dialog box appears.
5. Under Storage File:
a. Click the Browse button to select the path and the name of the interference matrix file to be generated.
b. Select the field that contains the signal level information that you want Atoll to convert into C/I values from the
Select the measured signal levels list.
6. Click OK. Atoll creates a new interference matrix item in the Interference Matrix folder which can be used like any
other interference matrix (See "Interference Matrices" on page 360).
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6.8.8 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window

You can print or export the contents of the Drive Test Data window, using the context menu in the Drive Test Data window.
To print or export the contents of the Drive Test Data window:
3. Right-click the drive test data you want to analyse. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open the Analysis Tool from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window appears (see Figure 6.127 on
page 492).
5. Define the display parameters and zoom level as explained in "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 492.
6. Right-click the Drive Test Data window. The context menu appears.
To export the Drive Test Data window:
a. Select Copy from the context menu.
b. Open the document into which you want to paste the contents of the Drive Test Data window.
c. Paste the contents of the Drive Test Data window into the new document.
To print the Drive Test Data window:
a. Select Print from the context menu. The Print dialog box appears.
b. Click OK to print the contents of the Drive Test Data window.
6.9 Advanced Configuration

In this section, the following advanced configuration options are explained:
• "Setting HCS Layers" on page 495
• "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 496
• "Cell Types" on page 499
• "TRX Configuration" on page 503
• "Codec Configuration" on page 504
• "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 507
• "Timeslot Configurations" on page 510
• "Advanced Transmitter Configuration Options" on page 511
• "GSM/GPRS/EDGE Multi-Service Traffic Data" on page 516
• "Defining the Interferer Reception Threshold" on page 519
• "Advanced Modelling of Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions" on page 520
• "Modelling Shadowing" on page 521
• "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks" on page 522
6.9.1 Setting HCS Layers

You can model hierarchical networks in Atoll by defining hierarchical cell structure (HCS) layers. HCS layers are defined by the
following parameters:
• Priority
• Layer reception threshold
• Maximum speed.
The priority and layer reception threshold are used to determine the best server on each pixel. When there are several possi-
ble transmitters, the best server will be determined by the priority. If there are transmitters on different layers having the
same priority, the transmitter for which the difference between the received signal level and the layer reception threshold
will be selected as the best server. Transmitters whose received signal level is below the layer reception threshold will be
ranked by signal level, but will not be chosen as best server. The HCS layer reception threshold is considered only if no specific
HCS layer reception threshold has been defined at the transmitter level (on the General tab of the transmitter’s Properties
dialog box).
You can set Atoll to select the transmitter with the highest received signal level as the serv-
ing transmitter by changing an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on changing
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The maximum speed is used to select HCS layer users according to the speed defined in the mobility.
495
To define HCS layers:

3. Right-click the HCS Layers folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The HCS Layers table appears.
5. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a HCS layer (for information
on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Enter a name for the HCS layer. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a HCS layer.
• Priority: Enter a priority for the HCS layer. "0" is the lowest priority.
• Max. Speed (km/h): Enter a maximum mobility speed for the HCS layer.
• Layer Reception Threshold (dBm): Enter a default layer reception threshold in dBm. This threshold can be used
as a border for the HCS layer in some predictions when the HCS server option is selected.
6.9.2 Comparing Service Areas in Calculations

For any coverage prediction, traffic analysis, or interference matrix calculation, transmitter service areas can be defined differ-
ently according to the server selection made on the Conditions tab of the dialog box used to define the calculation. On the
Conditions tab, you can select:
• All: All servers will be taken into consideration.
• Best Signal Level: The best signal level from all servers on all layers will be taken into consideration.
• Second Best Signal Level: The second best signal level from all servers on all layers will be taken into consideration.
• Best Signal Level per HCS Layer: The best signal level from all servers on each HCS layer will be taken into considera-
tion.
• Second Best Signal Level per HCS Layer: The second best signal level from all servers on each HCS layer will be taken
into consideration.
• HCS Servers: The best signal level by HCS layer on each pixel will be taken into consideration, assuming the signal level
on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each trans-
mitter.
• Highest Priority HCS Server: The best signal level of all the severs on the highest priority HCS layer will be taken into
consideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal level exceeds the minimum
HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter.
• Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2): The best C2 from all servers will be taken into consideration.
A server is considered on a pixel if its calculated signal level exceeds the lower boundary of the signal level defined either glob-
ally on the Conditions tab of the coverage prediction or specifically for each subcell in coverage prediction, traffic analysis,
and interference matrix calculations.
Selecting the server to be taken into consideration retains one or several servers on each pixel, according to a combination of
HCS layer properties (layer priority, maximum speed allowed on the layer, layer admission threshold) and the calculated signal
level on each pixel.
Example of Service Areas
In this example, the following network is used:

• 3 tri-sector base stations on a micro layer
• 1 omni base station on a macro layer
• 1 omni base station on an umbrella layer
The umbrella layer is defined to overlap the macro layer, which overlaps the micro layer.
The HCS layers are defined with the following characteristics:
Name Priority (0:Lowest) Max Speed (km/h) Layer Reception Threshold (dBm)
Macro Layer 2 100 -90
Micro Layer 3 10 -84
Umbrella Layer 1 300 -105
The subcell reception threshold is -102 dBm for the micro cells and -105 dBm for the macro and the umbrella cells. Three
mobility types are defined in this project: Pedestrian (3km/h), 50 km/h and 90 km/h
The resulting services areas are displayed in the following graphics for each selection.
• All: All servers are taken into consideration
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Composite Coverage
Umbrella Layer Coverage Macro Layer Coverage Micro Layer Coverage

Figure 6.129: Coverage by Transmitter (DL) on All the servers
Figure 6.129 shows the service areas of all the transmitters without any layers taken into consideration. Each cell is considered
individually and the limit of its coverage is defined by its subcell reception thresholds. Overlapping is possible between trans-
mitters and between HCS layers.
• Best Signal Level: The best signal level from all servers on all layers is taken into consideration.
Composite Coverage

Figure 6.130: Coverage by Transmitter (DL) for the Best Signal Level
Figure 6.130 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, without any layer taken
into consideration. Cells are in competition if their calculated signal level is higher than the subcell reception thresholds. Over-
lapping between transmitters and between HCS layers is not possible.
• Best Signal Level per HCS Layer: The best signal level from all servers on each HCS layer is taken into consideration.
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Composite Coverage

Figure 6.131: Coverage by Transmitter (DL) for the Best Signal Level per HCS Layer
Figure 6.131 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, for each HCS layer. Cells
are in competition per layer if their computed signal level is higher than its subcell reception thresholds. Overlapping between
HCS layers is possible, but overlapping between transmitters on a given HCS layer is not possible.
• HCS Servers: The best signal level by HCS layer on each pixel is taken into consideration, assuming the signal level on
each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each trans-
mitter.
Composite Coverage

Figure 6.132: Coverage by Transmitter (DL) for the HCS Servers
Figure 6.132 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, for each HCS layer. Cells
are in competition per layer assuming their calculated signal level is higher than the subcell reception thresholds and the HCS
layer reception threshold. Overlapping between HCS layers is possible, but overlapping between transmitters on a given HCS
layer is not possible.
In the case above, the micro layer overlaps the macro layer and its borders are defined by the maximum between the subcell
reception thresholds (-102 dBm) and the micro layer threshold (-84 dBm), i.e. -84 dBm. In addition, the macro layer overlaps
the umbrella layer and its borders are defined by the maximum between the subcell reception thresholds (-105 dBm) and the
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macro layer threshold (-90 dBm), i.e. -90 dBm. The umbrella layer is displayed when its signal level exceeds the maximum
between the subcell reception thresholds and the umbrella layer threshold, i.e. -105 dBm.
• Highest Priority HCS Server: The best signal level of all the severs on the highest priority HCS layer are taken into con-
sideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal level exceeds the minimum
HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter.
Composite Coverage

Figure 6.133: Coverage by Transmitter (DL) for the Highest Priority HCS Server
Figure 6.133 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, on the highest priority HCS
layer. The priority HCS layer is the layer for which the priority value is the highest and for which the calculated signal level is
higher than its subcell reception thresholds and the HCS layer reception threshold. Overlapping between HCS layers and
between transmitters of a given HCS layer is not possible.
If two layers have the same priority, the traffic is served by the transmitter for which the
difference between the received signal strength and the HCS threshold is the highest. The
way competition is managed between layers with the same priority can be modified. For
more information, see the Administrator Manual.
6.9.3 Cell Types

A cell type is a defined set of TRX types. The cell type, with its TRX types, constitutes the basic configuration of a transmitter
in GSM/GPRS/EDGE. By changing the cell type assigned to a transmitter or station template, you change its basic configura-
tion. You can create cell types and assign different existing TRX types to them.
• "TRX Types" on page 499
• "Creating a Cell Type" on page 500
• "Examples of Cell Types" on page 501.
6.9.3.1 TRX Types

By default, the Atoll GSM/GPRS/EDGE document template has three types of TRXs:
• BCCH: The BCCH TRX type is the BCCH carrier
• TCH: The TCH TRX type is the default traffic carrier
• TCH_EGPRS: The TRX type is the EDGE traffic carrier.
• TCH_INNER: The TRX type is the inner traffic carrier.
If necessary, you can define additional TRX types by creating them in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document template. The template
is located in the templates directory, within the Atoll install directory, and is called "GSM GPRS EDGE.mdb." For information
on the Atoll document template, see the Administrator Manual.
499
6.9.3.2 Creating a Cell Type

A cell type must have a BCCH TRX type for the broadcast control channel and a TCH TRX type for the default traffic carrier; it
can also have a TCH_INNER or TCH_EGPRS TRX type. You can not have more than one instance of a given TRX type in a cell
type.
To create a cell type:
3. Right-click the Cell Types folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Cell Types table appears.
5. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the name of the new cell type. This name will appear in other
dialog boxes when you select a cell type.
6. Select the row containing the cell type and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The cell type’s Prop-
erties dialog box appears.
In the cell type’s Properties dialog box, you can add and define the TRX types that will constitute the cell type.
7. Under TRX Types, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a TRX
type (for information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• TRX Type: Select a TRX type from the list.
• Frequency Domain: Select a frequency domain from the list. Only channels belonging to this frequency domain
will be allocated to TRXs of this TRX type during automatic or manual frequency planning.
• DL Power Reduction: Enter a value for the reduction of power relative to the transmitter power. The downlink
power reduction can be used to model inner subcells.
• Reception Threshold (dBm): Enter a minimum received signal for this TRX type.
• C/I Threshold (dB): Enter a minimum signal quality for this TRX type. The C/I Threshold can be used in interference
predictions and in the AFP.
• DTX Supported: If the TRX type supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) technology, select the DTX Supported
check box. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce interference they produce according to the defined voice activity
factor. This option has no impact on BCCH TRX type.
• Timeslot Configuration: Select a timeslot configuration from the list. The timeslot configuration defines the dis-
tribution of circuit, packet and shared timeslots for the subcell, respecting the number of TRXs.
• Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): Enter the percentage of half-rate voice traffic in for this TRX type. This value is used to
calculate the number of timeslots required to respond to the voice traffic demand.
The target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio must be the same for
BCCH and TCH TRX types. If the values are different for BCCH and TCH TRX types, Atoll
will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio
from the BCCH TRX type.
• Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): Enter the target rate of traffic overflow. The target rate of traffic overflow is
used during traffic analysis to distribute the traffic between subcells and layers. The value is the percentage of can-
didate traffic overflowing to a subcell with a lower priority. It has an impact on the traffic capture between inner
and outer subcells, and between micro and macro layers. In other words, The target rate of traffic overflow can
be considered to an estimation of the allowed percentage of traffic rejected from subcells or layers of higher pri-
ority to subcells or layers of lower subcells (see Figure 6.7).
If the traffic overflow target is set to a value lower than the grade of service, it means that
the traffic rejected (according to the queuing model selected in the dimensioning model:
Erlang B or Erlang C) will be lost and will not overflow to other subcells.
• Hopping Mode: Select the frequency hopping mode supported by this TRX type. The hopping mode can be either
"Base Band Hopping mode (BBH)" or "Synthesised Hopping mode (SFH)." If frequency hopping is not supported,
select "Non Hopping."
• Allocation Strategy: Select the allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. There are
two available allocation strategies:
• Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
• Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to a same frequency group in the frequency domain can be
assigned. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when
using the AFP.
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• Max. MAL Length: Enter the maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum
number of channels allocated to the TRXs of subcells based on this TRX type during automatic frequency planning
if the Hopping Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allo-
cation Strategy is Free.
• HSN Domain: Select the HSN domain for this TRX type. Only hopping sequence numbers (HSN) belonging to the
selected HSN domain will be allocated to subcells during automatic or manual frequency planning. The HSNs are
allocated if the Hopping Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
• Lock HSN: If the HSN assigned to this TRX type is to be kept when a new AFP session is started, select the Lock HSN
check box.
• AFP Weight: Enter an AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell
during automatic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the higher
the constraint on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost function which has to be minimised
by the AFP.
• % Max. Interference: Enter the maximum level of interference allowable during automatic frequency planning.
The interference is defined as a percentage of area or traffic, as defined during the calculation of the interference
matrices.
• Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average reduction in interference due to power control in downlink. This gain
is used when calculating interference generated by the subcell. Interference generated by the subcell is reduced
by this value during C/I calculations.
• Default TRX Configuration: Select the default TRX configuration for this TRX type. It will apply to all TRXs belonging
to a subcell based on this TRX type. By selecting the default TRX configuration, the maximum number of GPRS and
EDGE coding schemes is set at the TRX type level. You can also define the TRX configuration for each TRX.
• EDGE Power Backoff (dB): Enter the average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and
32QAM modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analysis
and EDGE predictions.
• Diversity Mode: The type of diversity supported by the subcell ("None," "Tx Diversity," or "Antenna Hopping"). If
you select "Tx Diversity," the signal is transmitted as many times as there are antennas. If you select "Antenna
Hopping," the signal is transmitted successively on each antenna. In "Tx Diversity mode," transmitting on more
than one antenna, the signal experiences a gain of 3 dB. For any diversity mode, an additional transmission diver-
sity gain can be defined per clutter class in order to correctly model gain due to the environment (see "Defining
Clutter Class Properties" on page 153 for more information). The resulting gain will increase the C/I value at the
terminal served by the considered subcell.
An Other Properties tab appears on the Properties dialog box if you have added user-
defined fields to the Cell Types table.
8. Click OK to close the cell type’s Properties dialog box.

9. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Cell Types table.
6.9.3.3 Examples of Cell Types

When you create a new GSM/GPRS/EDGE document, some cell types are provided by default. In this section, the parameters
for two examples of cell types are given:
• "Normal Cell Type" on page 501
• "Concentric Cell Type" on page 502.
Normal Cell Type
A normal cell type consists of two TRX types:

• BCCH TRX type
• TCH TRX type
The following table describes the parameters to be specified for each hopping mode.
Hopping mode
Parameter Where Used in Atoll
Non hopping BBH SFH
Automatic or manual frequency
Frequency domain x x x
planning
Maximum MAL (Mobile Allocation

Automatic frequency planning Not used x x
List) length
501
Hopping mode
Non hopping BBH SFH
Allocation strategy x x x
planning
Interference predictions,
C/I threshold x x x
Automatic frequency planning
Accepted interference percentage Automatic frequency planning x x x
= 0 for BCCH = 0 for BCCH = 0 for BCCH

DL power reduction Signal level predictions
= 0 for TCH = 0 for TCH = 0 for TCH
Base Band Synthesised

Hopping mode Interference predictions Non Hopping
Hopping Hopping
Reception threshold Signal level predictions x x x
AFP weight Automatic frequency planning x x x
HSN domain Automatic frequency planning Not used x x
Lock HSN Automatic frequency planning x x x
Automatic frequency planning,

DTX supported x x x
Interference predictions
Half-rate traffic ratio Traffic analysis x x x
Target rate of traffic overflow Traffic analysis x x x
Timeslot configuration Dimensioning x x x
Traffic analysis,
Default TRX configuration x x x
Packet predictions
Traffic analysis,
EDGE Power Backoff x x x
Packet predictions
Diversity Mode Signal level predictions x x x
Concentric Cell Type
A concentric cell type consists of three TRX types:

• BCCH TRX type
• TCH TRX type
• TCH_INNER
The following table describes the parameters to be specified for each hopping mode.
Hopping mode
Non hopping BBH SFH
Frequency domain x x x
planning
Maximum MAL (Mobile Allocation

Automatic frequency planning Not used x x
List) length

Allocation strategy x x x
planning
Interference predictions,
C/I threshold x x x
Automatic frequency planning
Accepted interference percentage Automatic frequency planning x x x
502
Hopping mode
Non hopping BBH SFH
= 0 for BCCH = 0 for BCCH = 0 for BCCH
=> 0 for TCH => 0 for TCH => 0 for TCH
DL power reduction Signal level predictions
<> 0 for <> 0 for <> 0 for
TCH_INNER TCH_INNER TCH_INNER
Base Band Synthesised

Hopping mode Interference predictions Non Hopping
Hopping Hopping
Reception threshold Signal level predictions x x x
AFP weight Automatic frequency planning x x x
HSN domain Automatic frequency planning Not used x x
Lock HSN Automatic frequency planning x x x
Automatic frequency planning,

DTX supported x x x
Interference predictions
Half-rate traffic ratio Traffic analysis x x x
Target rate of traffic overflow Traffic analysis x x x
Timeslot configuration Dimensioning x x x
6.9.4 TRX Configuration

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, coding schemes are modelled using a TRX configuration. For each TRX, you can define a maxi-
mum coding scheme for GPRS or for EDGE. The maximum number of coding schemes can also be defined per terminal, if the
terminal is GPRS or EDGE-capable. Capacity will be limited by the lower of the maximum coding schemes defined for the TRX
configuration and for the terminal. For example, if the highest coding index number defined on the terminal is lower than the
value defined on the TRX configuration, capacity will be limited by the highest index number supported by the terminal.
The coding scheme index number is an input in traffic captures (and, therefore, in dimensioning) and in GPRS coverage predic-
tions. It is important to keep in mind that, before dimensioning, in other words, before TRXs have been allocated to transmit-
ters, the TRX configuration defined per subcell is used in calculations. However, once TRXs have been allocated, the value for
the TRX configuration is read from the TRXs. The TRX configuration, and any parameters or limitations, will have be defined
again for the TRXs. Otherwise, the configuration will not be taken into account during calculations.
In this section, the following is described:
• "Creating or Importing TRX Configuration" on page 503.
6.9.4.1 Creating or Importing TRX Configuration

In Atoll, you can create or import a TRX configuration for GSM/GPRS/EDGE documents.
To create a new TRX configuration:
3. Right-click the TRX Configurations folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The TRX Configurations table appears.
5. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to create a TRX configuration (for
information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76):
• Name: Select a TRX type from the list.
• Max. GPRS CS: Enter the maximum number of coding schemes that the GPRS-compatible configuration can use.
• Max. EDGE CS: Enter the maximum number of coding schemes that the EDGE-compatible configuration can use.
If you have a TRX configuration data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the TRX Configu-
ration table in the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and
then import it into the TRX Configuration table of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to
select what values you import into which columns of the table.
503
To import a new TRX configuration:

3. Select Network Settings > TRX Configurations. The TRX Configuration table appears. The HSN Domains table contains
a entry called "Standard."
4. Right-click the TRX Configuration table. The context menu appears.
5. Select Import from the context menu. For information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files"
on page 88.
6.9.5 Codec Configuration

In Atoll, you can model configurations of voice codecs for GSM networks. The codec configurations are modelled with codec
configuration and their parameters are used in coverage predictions concerning voice quality indicators.
You can create different codec configurations for different Active Codec mode Sets (ACS). For example, a certain codec config-
uration might have full-rate and half-rate codec modes defined for 12.2 Kbps, 7.4 Kbps, 5.9 Kbps, and 4.75 Kbps. This config-
uration would then only be compatible with the defined modes.
When the codec configuration does not have the capacity for ideal link adaptation, adaptation thresholds are used in calcu-
lations (see "Setting Codec Mode Adaptation Thresholds" on page 505). When the codec configuration has the capacity for
ideal link adaptation, quality thresholds are used in calculations (see "Setting Codec Mode Quality Thresholds" on page 506).
• "Opening the Codec Mode Table" on page 504
• "Creating or Modifying Codec Configuration" on page 504
• "Setting Codec Mode Adaptation Thresholds" on page 505
• "Setting Codec Mode Quality Thresholds" on page 506
• "Using Codec Configurations in Transmitters and Terminals" on page 506.
Codec configurations can be adapted in order to create an advanced model of the

frequency hopping gain effect on the quality indicator predictions (see "Advanced Model-
ling of Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions" on page 520).
6.9.5.1 Opening the Codec Mode Table

You can access the table containing all the codec modes which can be used to create or modify and codec configurations. This
table is read-only and cannot be edited.
To open the Codec Mode table:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Codec Modes folder.
4. In the Codec Modes folder, right-click List. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Codec Mode table appears. It displays the following information:
• Name: The name of the codec mode.
• Codec Type: The specific type of a speech coding algorithm, applied on a specific radio access technology (e.g., FR
or AMR).
• Half Rate: The codec mode is half rate if the check box under Half Rate is selected.
• Power Backoff: The codec mode has power backoff if the check box under Power Backoff is selected.
• Max Throughput (Kbps): The maximum throughput per timeslot corresponding to the selected codec mode.
• Priority: For a given quality, in a non ideal link adaptation mode, if several codec modes are possible, the one with
the highest priority (i.e., the highest number) is retained.
6.9.5.2 Creating or Modifying Codec Configuration

You create a codec configuration by creating a new entry in the Codec Configuration table. Additional parameters, such as
the adaptation thresholds and the quality thresholds, can be set in the Properties dialog box for the codec configuration. The
additional parameters are explained in the following sections:
• "Setting Codec Mode Adaptation Thresholds" on page 505
• "Setting Codec Mode Quality Thresholds" on page 506
504
To create or modify a codec configuration:

4. In the Codec Modes folder, right-click Configurations. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Codec Configurations table appears.
6. If you are creating a new codec configuration, enter the name of the codec configuration in the row marked with the
New Row icon ( ). This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a codec configuration.
If you are modifying an existing codec configuration, continue with the following step.
7. Set the following parameters for the codec configuration:
• Ideal Link Adaptation: Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the codec mode that offers the best
quality indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) to be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the codec mode with the highest
priority from those requiring an adaptation threshold lower than the calculated qualIty (C⁄N or C⁄N and C⁄I + N).
• QI for Ideal Link Adaptation: Select the quality indicator to be used if the Ideal Link Adaptation check box is
selected.
• Reference Noise (dBm): Enter the receiver noise that provided the mapping (thresholds - codecs). In coverage pre-
dictions, for a specific terminal leading to another receiver total noise, the thresholds will be shifted by the noise
difference.
You can add new fields to the Codec Configuration table by right-clicking the table and
selecting Table Fields from the context menu. The new fields will appear in the Codec
Configuration table and on the Other Properties tab of the selected codec configuration’s
6.9.5.3 Setting Codec Mode Adaptation Thresholds

A GSM network has a variety of different codec modes that allow it to optimise resource usage. These codec modes include
Full Rate (FR), Half Rate (HR), Enhanced Full Rate (EFR), and many Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) modes and can be seen in the
read-only codec mode table (See"Opening the Codec Mode Table" on page 504). A GSM network, with different codec config-
urations on different transmitters, can dynamically allocate and manage resources based on interference levels.
You can define quality thresholds for each codec mode compatible with the codec configuration in the Adaptation Thresholds
tab in the codec configuration Properties dialog box. These thresholds are used in calculations when the codec configuration
does not have the capacity for ideal link adaptation.
To define the codec mode adaptation thresholds to be used when the codec configuration does not have the capacity for ideal
link adaptation:
6. In the Codec Configuration table, right-click the record describing the codec configuration for which you want to
define adaptation thresholds. The context menu appears.
7. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The codec configuration Properties dialog box appears.
8. Select the Adaptation Thresholds tab. Each codec mode adaptation threshold has the following parameters:
• Codec Mode: The codec mode.
• Mobility: The mobility to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds. You can select "All" if you
want it to apply to all mobilities.
• Frequency Hopping: The type of frequency hopping to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds.
You can select "All" if you want the adaptation threshold to apply to any type of frequency hopping.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds. You can select
"All" if you want it to apply to any frequency band.
• Adaptation Threshold (dB): Enter the adaptation threshold for the codec mode. Adaptation thresholds are used
for codec mode selection when the codec configuration does support ideal link adaptation.
• MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds.
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You can create a new adaptation threshold by entering the parameters in the row marked
with the New Row icon ( ).
9. Click OK.
6.9.5.4 Setting Codec Mode Quality Thresholds

You can define quality thresholds for each codec mode compatible with the codec configuration in the Adaptation Thresholds
tab in the codec configuration Properties dialog box. These thresholds are used in calculations when the codec configuration
has the capacity for automatic mode selection.
The quality indicators that can be used with codec configuration are Bit Error Rate (BER), Frame Error Rate (FER), and Mean
Opinion Score (MOS). You can define each a quality threshold for each quality indicator, in combination with specific codec
modes, mobilities, frequency hopping modes, and frequency bands, as a function of C⁄N and C⁄I + N.
These quality thresholds are used in calculations when codec configuration has the capacity for ideal link adaptation. The qual-
ity threshold chosen respects the combination of codec modes, mobilities, frequency hopping modes, and frequency bands
as well as the selected quality indicator.
To define the codec mode quality graphs to be used when the codec configuration has the capacity for automatic mode selec-
tion:
6. In the Codec Configuration table, right-click the record describing the codec configuration for which you want to
define adaptation thresholds. The context menu appears.
7. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The codec configuration Properties dialog box appears.
8. Select the Quality Graphs tab. Each quality indicator graph has the following parameters:
• Quality Indicator: The quality indicator.
• Codec Mode: The codec mode to which the quality indicator graph corresponds.
• Mobility: The mobility to which the quality indicator graph corresponds. You can select "All" if you want it to apply
to all mobilities.
• Frequency Hopping: The type of frequency hopping to which the quality indicator graph corresponds. You can
select "All" if you want it to apply to all types of frequency hopping.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band to which the quality indicator graph corresponds. You can select "All" if you
want it to apply to all frequency bands.
• QI = f(C/N): The values of the graph defining the selected quality indicator threshold as a function of C⁄N. You can
view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the quality indicator and clicking the C⁄N Graph
button.
• QI = f(C/I): The values of the graph defining the selected quality indicator threshold as a function of C⁄I. You can
view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the quality indicator and clicking the C⁄I Graph
button.
If intra-technology third order intermodulation interference is taken into account, Atoll assumes that the C⁄I
graphs include the effect of this interference whereas the C⁄N graphs do not. This option requires activation
through changes in the database. For more information, contact support.
• MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the quality indicator graph corresponds.
You can create a new quality indicator threshold by entering the parameters in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ).
9. Click OK.
6.9.5.5 Using Codec Configurations in Transmitters and Terminals

In Atoll, codec configurations can be assigned to transmitters and terminals. If a codec configuration is assigned on both the
transmitter and terminal, Atoll takes the codec modes common to both and finds the possible modes, using the terminal-side
thresholds if the defined thresholds are different on transmitter and terminal sides. If no codec configuration is defined either
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at the transmitter or in the terminal, the transmitter will not be considered in the specific quality indicators coverage predic-
tion.
To assign a codec configuration to a transmitter:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign the codec configuration. The context menu appears.
on the map and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the Configurations tab.

6. Under GSM Properties, select the Codec Configuration from the list.
To assign a codec configuration to a terminal:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Terminals folder.
4. Right-click the terminal to which you want to assign the codec configuration. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The terminal’s Properties dialog box appears.
6. Select the Codec Configuration from the list.
6.9.6 Coding Scheme Configuration

In Atoll, you can model a coding scheme configuration with coding schemes and their related thresholds. Any GPRS/EDGE-
capable transmitters must have a coding scheme configuration assigned to them.
• "Opening the Coding Schemes Table" on page 507
• "Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 508
• "Using Coding Scheme Configuration in Transmitters and Terminals" on page 509
• "Adapting Coding Scheme Thresholds for a Maximum BLER" on page 509
• "Displaying Coding Scheme Throughput Graphs" on page 510.
You can adapt coding scheme configurations in order to create an advanced model of the
frequency hopping gain effect on the GPRS/EDGE predictions (see"Advanced Modelling of
Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions" on page 520).
6.9.6.1 Opening the Coding Schemes Table

You can access the table containing all the coding schemes that can be used to create or modify and coding scheme configu-
rations. This table is read-only and can not be edited.
To open the Coding Schemes table:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Coding Schemes folder.
4. In the Coding Schemes folder, right-click List. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Coding Schemes table appears. It displays the following information:
• Name: The name of the coding scheme:
• CS: Coding schemes for GPRS
• MCS: Modulation and coding schemes for EGPRS (EDGE)
• DAS: Downlink coding schemes for EGPRS2-A (EDGE Evolution)
• DBS: Downlink coding schemes for EGPRS2-B (EDGE Evolution)
• Number: The coding scheme number. By default the limit is 4 in GPRS, 9 in GPRS, and 12 in GPRS2 (EDGE evolution)
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• Technology: The technology the coding scheme can be used for: GPRS or EDGE. EGPRS and EGPRS2 (EDGE evolu-
tion) are grouped together into EDGE.
• Modulation: The modulation of the coding scheme. For any coding scheme except the ones using the modulations
GMSK (GPRS) and QPSK (DBS-5 and DBS-6 in EGPRS2), a power backoff is applied on the GPRS/EDGE service area.
• Coding: The coding of the selected coding scheme. Coding is convolutional for GPRS and EGPRS, turbo for EGPRS2
(EDGE evolution).
• Peak RLC Throughput/Timeslot (Kbps): For a given quality, if several codec modes are possible, the one with the
highest priority (highest number) is retained.
6.9.6.2 Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration

You create a coding scheme configuration by creating a new entry in the Coding Scheme Configurations table. The coding
scheme thresholds for a coding scheme configuration can be set in its Properties dialog box.
To create or modify a coding scheme configuration:
4. In the Coding Schemes folder, right-click Configurations. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Coding Scheme Configurations table appears.
6. If you are creating a new coding scheme configuration, enter the name of the coding scheme configuration in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ). This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a coding scheme
configuration.
If you are modifying an existing coding scheme configuration, continue with the following step.
7. Set the following parameters for the coding scheme configuration:
• Technology: Select the technology that this configuration can be used with: GPRS/EDGE or just GPRS.
• Reference Noise (dBm): Enter the total noise at the receiver. The reference noise is used to convert values of C in
graphs to values of C⁄N.
You can add new fields to the Coding Scheme Configurations table by right-clicking the
table and selecting Table Fields from the context menu. The new fields will appear in the
Coding Scheme Configurations table and on the Other Properties tab of the selected
coding scheme configuration’s Properties dialog box.
8. In the Coding Scheme Configurations table, right-click the record describing the coding scheme configuration for
which you want to define adaptation thresholds. The context menu appears.
9. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The coding scheme configuration’s Properties dialog box appears.
The coding scheme configuration’s Properties dialog box has a General tab which allows you to modify the properties
described above.
10. Select the Thresholds tab. Each coding scheme threshold has the following parameters:
• Coding Scheme: The coding scheme.
• C Selection Threshold (dBm): The signal level admission threshold for the corresponding coding scheme when the
ideal link adaptation option is cleared in GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions.
• C/I Selection Threshold (dB): The C/I admission threshold for the corresponding coding scheme when the ideal
link adaptation option is cleared in GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions.
• Effective RLC Throughput = f(C) (Kbps): The values of the graph defining the throughput per timeslot as a function
of C. You can view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the coding scheme and clicking the
C Graph button.
• Effective RLC Throughput = f(C/I) (Kbps): The values of the graph defining the throughput per timeslot as a func-
tion of C⁄I. You can view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the coding scheme and
clicking the C⁄I Graph button.
If intra-technology third order intermodulation interference is taken into account, Atoll assumes that the C⁄I
graphs include the effect of this interference whereas the C graphs do not. This option requires activation through
changes in the database. For more information, contact support.
• Frequency Hopping: The type of frequency hopping to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if
you want it to apply to all types of frequency hopping.
• Mobility: The mobility to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if you want it to apply to all mobil-
ities.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if you want it to
apply to all frequency bands.
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• MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the coding scheme (and its related quality thresholds)
applies.
You can create a new coding scheme threshold by entering the parameters in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ).
11. Click OK.
The throughput per timeslot graphs are defined for given frequency hopping mode, mobil-
ity type and frequency band. These graphs will be taken into account in a coverage predic-
tion if these parameters correspond to the ones defined in that coverage prediction.
Otherwise, Atoll will use the graphs for which none of these parameters has been defined.
If no such graph exists, Atoll will consider that the corresponding coding scheme is not
defined during the calculations.
6.9.6.3 Using Coding Scheme Configuration in Transmitters and Terminals

In Atoll, a coding scheme configuration can be assigned to transmitters. If a coding scheme configuration is assigned on both
the transmitter and terminal, Atoll takes the coding scheme configuration common to both and finds the possible modes,
using the terminal-side thresholds if the defined thresholds are different on transmitter and terminal sides. If no coding
scheme configuration is defined either at the transmitter or in the terminal, the transmitter will not be considered in certain
quality indicators coverage predictions.
To assign a coding scheme configuration to a transmitter:
3. Right-click the transmitter to which you want to assign the coding scheme configuration. The context menu appears.
5. Click the Configurations tab.

6. Under GPRS/EDGE Properties, select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter check box.
7. Select the Coding Scheme Configuration from the list.
To assign a coding scheme configuration to a terminal:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Terminals folder.
4. Right-click the terminal to which you want to assign the coding scheme configuration. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The terminal’s Properties dialog box appears.
6. Select the GPRS Configuration from the list.
6.9.6.4 Adapting Coding Scheme Thresholds for a Maximum BLER

You can have Atoll automatically calculate the reception and C⁄I thresholds for a coding scheme configuration. You enter the
acceptable Block Error Rate (BLER) in the coding scheme configuration’s Properties dialog box and Atoll calculates the thresh-
olds required to ensure that the defined BLER is never exceeded. The admission threshold corresponds to 1 - BLER
X max. throughout calculated for the coding scheme.
To calculate the reception and C/I thresholds for a coding scheme configuration:
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6. In the Coding Scheme Configurations table, right-click the record of the coding scheme configuration for which you
Atoll to automatically calculate reception and C⁄I thresholds. The context menu appears.
8. Select the Thresholds tab.
9. Under Calculate the Thresholds to Get the Following BLER Value, enter a value in the BLER text box and click the Cal-
culate button. Atoll calculates the thresholds required to satisfy the entered BLER.
10. Click OK to close the coding scheme configuration’s Properties dialog box and save the new threshold values.
6.9.6.5 Displaying Coding Scheme Throughput Graphs

In GPRS/EDGE technology, coding schemes are linked with data transmission redundancy levels. With coding schemes, two
types of information is transmitted: user data and error correction data. There is a trade-off between accurate data transmis-
sion and transmission throughputs. Low error correction offers potentially higher transmission throughputs, but also a higher
risk of data loss. On the other hand, a high rate of error correction ensures safer data transmission, but means a lower trans-
mission rate.
Coding schemes are defined to obtain the best compromise between the transmission rate and the safety of the data sent.
That is why each coding scheme has an optimum working range depending on either C or C⁄I values. This optimum range can
be seen in the coding scheme throughput graphs for each defined coding scheme configuration. The graphs show the through-
put as a function of radio conditions (C and C/I) as calculated using block error rates. The graphs can help choose a coding
scheme suitable to radio conditions.
To display the graph of the throughput as a function of C or C⁄I for a given coding scheme:
6. In the Coding Scheme Configurations table, right-click the record describing the coding scheme configuration for
which you Atoll to automatically calculate reception and C⁄I thresholds. The context menu appears.
8. Select the Thresholds tab.
9. Select the coding scheme for which you want to display a throughput graph and click one of the following:
• C Graph: Click the C Graph button to display a graph defining the throughput as a function of C.
• C/I Graph: Click the C/I Graph button to display a graph defining the throughput as a function of C⁄I.
If intra-technology third order intermodulation interference is taken into account, Atoll assumes that the C⁄I graphs
include the effect of this interference whereas the C graphs do not. This option requires activation through changes
in the database. For more information, contact support.
10. Click OK to close the dialog box.
6.9.7 Timeslot Configurations

You can create timeslot configurations that can be used to allocate different timeslot types to TRXs. A timeslot configuration
describes how circuit, packet, and shared timeslots will be distributed in a subcell, depending on the number of TRXs. Shared
timeslots are used for both circuit-switched and packet-switched calls.
The distribution and definition of timeslot configurations have an influence on the network dimensioning results and the
calculation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Timeslot configurations are assigned to each TRX type of each cell type. If there is no timeslot configuration assigned to a TRX
type, the fields defined at the subcell level "Number of packet (circuit or shared) timeslots" are used.
510
In this section, the following is explained:

• "Creating or Modifying a Timeslot Configuration" on page 511.
6.9.7.1 Creating or Modifying a Timeslot Configuration

To create or modify a timeslot configuration:
3. Right-click the Timeslot Configurations folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Timeslot Configurations table appears.
5. If you are creating a new timeslot configuration, enter the name of the timeslot configuration in the row marked with
the New Row icon ( ). This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a timeslot configuration.
If you are modifying an existing timeslot configuration, continue with the following step.
6. Select the row containing the timeslot configuration and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The
timeslot configuration’s Properties dialog box appears.
Under Mapping between TRX numbers and timeslot configurations, each row corresponds to a distribution of times-
lots and is identified by an index number. During dimensioning, Atoll determines the number of circuit and packet
timeslots required to meet the traffic demand. Atoll uses the timeslot configuration to determine how many TRXs are
needed to meet the need in timeslots. If, during dimensioning, there are not enough index numbers in the timeslot
configuration, Atoll reuses the last index number in the timeslot configuration.
7. In the timeslot configuration’s Properties dialog box, enter the following information for each index number:
• Number of Shared Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used for both circuit-switched (GSM) and
packet-switched (GPRS and EDGE) services.
• Number of Circuit Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used only for both circuit-switched (GSM) ser-
vices.
• Number of Packet Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used only for packet-switched (GPRS and EDGE)
services.
In GSM/GPRS/EDGE the total number of timeslots per index number must not exceed 8 for
timeslot configurations intended for TCH TRXs and 7 for timeslot configurations intended
for BCCH TRXs.
8. Click OK to close the timeslot configuration’s Properties dialog box.

9. Click the Close button ( ) to close the List of Timeslot Configurations table.
6.9.8 Advanced Transmitter Configuration Options

Atoll offers several options to help you configure more complex transmitter situations. These options are explained in this
section:
• "Defining Extended Cells" on page 511
• "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 512.
6.9.8.1 Defining Extended Cells

GSM cells usually cover an area within a 35 km radius. But, as user locations and their distances from the base station vary,
and radio waves travel at a constant speed, the signal from users who are further than 35 km from the base station can be
delayed by almost an entire timeslot. This delay creates interference with the signal on the adjacent timeslot.
Extended GSM cells enable the operator to overcome this limit by taking this delay into consideration when defining the
timing advance for users in the extended cells. Extended cells can cover distances from 70 to 140 km from the base station.
In a network with extended cells, Atoll will calculate coverage predictions from the extended cell’s defined minimum to maxi-
mum range, but will calculate interference caused by the extended cell beyond these ranges, inwards and outwards.
To define an extended cell:
3. Right-click the transmitter for which you want to define an extended cell. The context menu appears.
511

6. Under Extended Cells, set a Min. Range and a Max. Range for the extended cell.
7. Click OK.
6.9.8.2 Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters

In Atoll GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, all subcells share the same frequency band by default. However, by changing an option in
the Atoll.ini file, you can model transmitters with more than one frequency band. For more information on changing options
in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
Once you have set the multi-band option in the Atoll.ini file and restarted Atoll, you can modify the properties of existing
transmitters to change them to multi-band transmitters or create a multi-band transmitter template. The relevant properties
of all multi-band transmitters can be accessed in a special table.
• "Defining a Multi-band Transmitter" on page 512
• "Creating a Multi-Band Template" on page 513
• "Accessing the Multi-Band Propagation Parameters Table" on page 515.
6.9.8.2.1 Defining a Multi-band Transmitter

Each subcell on a transmitter is assigned a frequency domain. After making the necessary changes in the Atoll.ini file, you must
change the frequency domain of one or more non-BCCH subcells to a domain on a frequency band that is different from the
frequency band used by the BCCH. You can then modify the frequency-band-specific settings:
• Antenna type, height, mechanical and additional electrical downtilt,
• Equipment losses
• Propagation models and path loss matrices.
This settings are taken into account in:
• Coverage predictions
• Traffic capture
• Dimensioning
• Interference matrices.
To define the propagation settings for a frequency band used by a subcell:
3. Right-click the transmitter you want to change to a multi-band transmitter. The context menu appears.
5. Click the TRXs tab.

6. Under Subcells, select "Standard" from the Display list. The standard table lists each TRX group defined in the cell type
selected under Cell Type on the TRXs tab.
7. Change the Frequency Domain for one of the TRXs to a frequency band belonging to a different frequency band.
8. In the Subcells table, select the row of the TRX and click the Frequency Band Propagation button. The frequency band
propagation Properties dialog box appears.
9. Click the General tab. The following parameters are displayed:
• Name: The name is composed of the multi-band transmitter this subcell belongs to followed by the frequency
band, separated by "@". This field cannot be edited.
• ID: The ID is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification. You can enter an ID that is different
from the name of the base transmitter.
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• Site: The Site on which the base transmitter is located. This field cannot be edited.
• Shared Antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the
antenna.
• Under Antenna Position, you can modify the position of the antenna:
• Relative to Site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna position as an offset with respect to the
site location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
10. Click the Transmitter tab. You can set the following parameters:
• Total Losses: You can enter a value for Total Losses or let Atoll calculate losses according to the characteristics of
the equipment assigned to the transmitter. The Equipment Specifications dialog box can be accessed by clicking
the Equipment button.
• Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the
altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include
the height of building.
button to access the properties of the antenna. The other fields, Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, and Additional
Electrical Downtilt, display additional antenna parameters.
page 76.
11. Click the Propagation tab. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and
Resolution for both the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix.
Transmitters table.
13. Click OK.
6.9.8.2.2 Creating a Multi-Band Template

If you will be creating new multi-band base stations, you can first create a multi-band template with the necessary parame-
ters, including the propagation model parameters for each subcell using a different frequency band.
When you create a station template, Atoll bases it on the station template selected in the Station Template Properties dialog
box. The new station template has the same parameters as the one it is based on. Therefore, by selecting the existing station
template that most closely resembles the station template you want to create, you can create a new template by only modi-
fying the parameters that differ.
To create a multi-band template, you must have an appropriate multi-band cell type to
assign to the template. If you have not already created a multi-band cell type, you must do
so before creating the template. For information on creating a cell type, see "Creating a
Cell Type" on page 500.
It is assumed that you have already set the multi-band transmitter option in the Atoll.ini file and restarted Atoll before begin-
ning this procedure.
To create a multi-band template:
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4. Select Management... from the context menu. The Transmitters Properties dialog box appears with the Station Tem-
plates tab.
5. Under Available Templates, select the station template that most closely resembles the station template you want to
create and click Add. The Properties dialog box appears.
6. Create the multi-band template:
a. Click the General tab of the Properties dialog box.
b. In the Name text box, give the template a descriptive name.
c. From the Cell Type list, select the multi-band cell type that corresponds to the type of station template you are
creating.
d. Make any other necessary changes to the station template parameters. For information on the parameters avail-
able, see "Modifying a Station Template" on page 255.
e. When you have finished setting the parameters for the station template, click OK to close the dialog box and save
your changes.
7. Set the propagation parameters for each frequency band in the multi-band template:
a. Select the multi-band template you have just created and click Add. Because the station template you selected is
a multi-band template, the New Station Template dialog box appears with the following options (see
Figure 6.134):
• Add a new station template: If you select this option and click OK, Atoll creates a new station template based
on the selected one.
• Add a new multi-band station template for the frequency band: If you select this option and click OK, Atoll
allows you to set the propagation parameters for the selected frequency band.
Figure 6.134: New Station Template dialog box
b. Select Add a new multi-band station template for the frequency band, choose a frequency band from the list and
click OK. A properties dialog box appears.
On the General tab, you can set the antenna and propagation parameters for the selected frequency band (see
Figure 6.135):
• Under Main Antenna, you can modify the following: the Height/Ground of the antennas from the ground (i.e.,
the height over the DTM; if the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include the
height of building), the main antenna Model, 1st Sector Azimuth, from which the azimuth of the other sectors
are offset to offer complete coverage of the area, the Mechanical Downtilt, and the Additional Electrical
Downtilt for the antennas.
• Under Propagation, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and Resolution for both
the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calcula-
tions and Propagation Models.
On the Transmitter tab, under Transmission, you can set the Total losses. Atoll calculates the losses according to
the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment
Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the Equipment button. For information on the Equipment
Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on page 242.
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Figure 6.135: Properties dialog box for frequency band of a multi-band template - General Tab
On the Transmitter tab, under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter for this specific frequency band. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of
the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications di-
alog box which appears when you click the Equipment button.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on page 242.
Figure 6.136: Properties dialog box for frequency band of a multi-band template - Transmitter Tab
8. Click OK. The properties defined for the frequency band appear in the Station Template Properties dialog box with a
name composed of the multi-band template they belong to followed by the frequency band, separated by "@".
9. Repeat step 7. for every frequency band modelled by the multi-band template.
6.9.8.2.3 Accessing the Multi-Band Propagation Parameters Table

In a GSM/GPRS/EDGE multi-band document, you can access the properties of all multi-band transmitters using the Multi-
Band Propagation Parameters table.
To open the Multi-Band Propagation Parameters table:
3. Select Subcells > Multi-Band Propagation Parameters from the context menu. The Multi-Band Propagation Param-
eters table appears. Multi-band transmitters are identified in the Transmitter column, with the subcells using a fre-
quency band other than the main frequency band for that transmitter identified with a name composed of the multi-
band transmitter they belong to followed by the frequency band, separated by "@".
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6.9.9 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Multi-Service Traffic Data

In Atoll, you can define the traffic data in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. The data will be used in different network calcula-
tions, such as, dimensioning and coverage predictions.
• "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services" on page 516
• "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types" on page 517
• "Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals" on page 518.
6.9.9.1 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services

You can model both circuit and packet-switched GSM/GPRS/EDGE services.
• "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Service" on page 516
• "Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services Table" on page 517
6.9.9.1.1 Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Service

You can define the various user services in GSM/GPRS/EDGE documents. The services can be circuit-switched or data-
switched. Currently the only circuit-switched service in a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network is a GSM voice service that uses a single
timeslot. The quality requirement parameters of services are mostly used in the dimensioning process.
To create or modify a service:
3. Right-click the Services folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Services: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
You can modify the properties of an existing service by right-clicking the service in the
Services folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Edit the fields on the General tab to define the new service:
• Name: Atoll proposes a name for the new service, but you can change the name to something more descriptive.
• Activity Factor: The uplink and downlink activity factors are used to determine the probability of activity for each
user during Monte Carlo simulations.
• Average Requested Throughput: You can enter the average requested throughput for uplink and downlink. This
throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service. How the average requested throughput
is used in Atoll depends on the type of service:
• Circuit: This throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service. It is used in simulations
during user distribution generation to calculate the number of users attempting a connection and to deter-
mine their activity status.
• Packet: This throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service. It is used in simulations
during user distribution generation to calculate the number of users attempting a connection and to deter-
mine their activity status.
6. Click the Parameters tab to define the new service.
7. Type: You can select either Circuit, Packet (Max Bit Rate) or Packet (Constant Bit Rate) as the service type. If you
select Circuit, the only other applicable parameter is Max. Probability of Blocking (or Delay) (Erlang B or C, respec-
tively).
8. Priority: Enter a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority.
9. Max. UL/DL Throughput demand: The maximum UL/DL throughputs per user is used in the simulation process for
GPRS/EDGE networks.
10. Min. UL Throughput demand: The minimum throughput per user is used in the simulation process for GPRS/EDGE
networks.
11. Min. DL Throughput demand: The minimum throughput per user is used in dimensioning and simulation processes
for GPRS/EDGE networks.
12. Max. Probability of Blocking (or Delay): The maximum blocking rate defines the call blocking or call queuing rate for
the GSM voice services and the probability of delayed packets for GPRS/EDGE data services.
516
13. Max. Packet Delay: The maximum period of time that a packet can be delayed before transmission.
14. Required Availability for Minimum Throughput: The percentage of cell coverage where the minimum throughput (or
the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) per user must be available. This value is also
used in dimensioning.
15. Max. Number of Timeslots per carrier: The maximum number of timeslots per carrier is used during dimensioning to
limit the number of timeslots that can be assigned to a user using this service on a carrier. This parameter applies to
packet-switched services. For constant bit rate packet-switched services such as VoIP, this parameter has to be set to
"1".
16. Under Application Throughput, you can define the Scaling Factor and the Offset. The throughput scaling factor and
offset are used to determine the user or application level throughput in RLC throughput or timeslot coverage predic-
tion. These parameters model header information and other supplementary data that do not appear at the applica-
tion level.
17. Click OK.
6.9.9.1.2 Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Services Table

You can display the parameters of all the services in the Services table. You can modify any of the parameters or create a new
service.
To display the Services table:
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Services table appears. For information on working with tables in Atoll,
6.9.9.2 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types

In a multi-layer GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, the speed the user is travelling is one of the most important criteria in allocating
the user to a server. A mobile user travelling at a high speed is usually allocated a channel on the macro layer rather than on
the micro layer in order to minimise signalling and system load and to spread the traffic over several layers.
• "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Type" on page 517
• "Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types Table" on page 517.
6.9.9.2.1 Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Type

To create or modify a mobility type:
3. Right-click the Mobility Types folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Mobility Types: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
You can modify the properties of an existing mobility type by right-clicking the mobility
type in the Mobility Types folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. On the General tab, you can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Properties
dialog box:
• Name: Enter or modify the descriptive name for the mobility type.
• Speed: Enter or modify an average speed for the mobility type. In a hierarchical network, a maximum speed is
defined for each HCS (Hierarchical Cell Structure) layer. Any mobility that exceeds the defined maximum speed
will not be captured by that layer but passed on to the layer above
6. Click OK.
6.9.9.2.2 Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Mobility Types Table

You can display the parameters of all the mobility types in the Mobility Types table. You can modify any of the parameters or
create a new mobility type.
517
To display the Mobility Types table:

4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Mobility Types table appears. For information on working with tables
in Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
6.9.9.3 Modelling GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a
car’s on-board navigation device. In Atoll, a terminal is modelled in terms of its GSM and GPRS/EDGE-relevant parameters.
• "Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal" on page 518
• "Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals Table" on page 519.
6.9.9.3.1 Creating or Modifying a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminal

In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a
car’s on-board navigation device.
The following parameters are used in predictions:
• Maximum terminal power
• Main and secondary bands
• Noise figures
• Technology
• Codec and Coding Scheme-related settings
• DTX capability
The terminal minimum power is only used for simulations.
To create or modify a terminal:
3. Right-click the Terminals folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Terminals: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
You can modify the properties of an existing terminal by right-clicking the terminal in the
Terminals folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. You can modify the following parameter:
• Name: You can change the name of the terminal.
6. Click the Parameters tab. You can modify the following parameters:
• Min. Power: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission power make up the
dynamic range for uplink power control.
• Max Power: Set the maximum transmission power.
• DTX : The DTX check box is selected if the terminal supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) technology.
• Main Band: The primary frequency band with which the terminal is compatible.
• Secondary Band: The secondary frequency band with which the terminal is compatible. The compatible frequency
bands are used to allocate the user to a transmitter using that frequency band if the network is a multi-band net-
work.
• Noise Figure: The noise caused by the terminal. This value is added to the thermal noise (set to -121 dBm by
default) in predictions when studying C⁄N or C⁄I + N instead of C or C⁄I.
• Technology: The technology with which the terminal is compatible. You can choose among GSM, GPRS (i.e., GSM/
GPRS), or GPRS/EDGE (i.e., GSM/GPRS/EDGE).
• Codec Configuration: Select the codec configuration for the terminal. This parameter is optional.
If you chose "GSM," "GPRS," OR "GPRS/EDGE" under Technology, set the following parameters under GPRS\EDGE:
• Coding Scheme Configuration: If the terminal is GPRS or EDGE-compatible, select the coding scheme configura-
tion for the terminal. This parameter is optional.
• Max. GPRS CS: If the terminal is GPRS-compatible, set the maximum number of coding schemes that the terminal
can use.
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• Max. EDGE CS: If the terminal is EDGE-compatible, set the maximum number of coding schemes that the terminal
can use.
The highest number of GPRS (or EDGE) coding schemes available to the terminal is limited
by the maximum number of GPRS (or EDGE) coding schemes defined for the TRX configu-
ration assigned to a transmitter.
• Number of DL Timeslots per carrier: If the terminal is GPRS or EDGE-compatible, you can enter the maximum
number of downlink timeslots the terminal can use on a carrier. Terminals using only circuit-switched services will
use only one downlink timeslot. Using more than one DL timeslot has an effect in the dimensioning process (see
"Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 337 for more information).
• Number of Simultaneous Carriers: If the terminal is EDGE evolution compatible (EGPRS2), you can enter the max-
imum number of simultaneous carriers the terminal can use. Terminals using either circuit-switched services,
GPRS, or EGPRS packet-switched services will use only one carrier at a time. Using more than one carrier has an
effect in the dimensioning process (see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 337 for more infor-
mation).
When you model EDGE Evolution on the terminal side Atoll has to consider:
• The support of high-order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE configuration.
• The support of dual antenna terminals (mobile station receive diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (single antenna interference cancellation).
graphs.
7. Click OK.
6.9.9.3.2 Displaying the GSM/GPRS/EDGE Terminals Table

You can display the parameters of all the terminals in the Terminals table. You can modify any of the parameters or create a
new terminal.
To display the Terminals table:
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Terminals table appears. For information on working with tables in
Atoll, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
6.9.10 Defining the Interferer Reception Threshold

In Atoll, you can define a limit on the received signal level. This limit is used by Atoll to limit the input of interferers in calcu-
lations. When the interferer reception threshold is set, the performance of calculations based on C⁄I, such as coverage by C⁄I
level, interfered zones. and GPRS/EDGE predictions can be improved. As well, the performance of calculations using the Inter-
ference view of the Point Analysis window, traffic analyses, and interference histograms can also be improved.
This value is used as a filter criterion on interferers. Atoll will discard all interferers with a signal level lower than this value.
To define the interferer reception threshold:
2. Right-click the GSM Network Settings folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The GSM Network Settings Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click the Calculations Parameters tab.
5. Under Calculation Limitation, enter an Interferer Reception Threshold in dBm.
6. Click OK.
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6.9.11 Advanced Modelling of Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions

Using frequency hopping has an advantage from the point of view of interference in the way interference can be smoothed
over several frequencies. In addition, radio link resistance to fast fading is increased and its efficiency is optimised. Because
this effect of hopping can be noticed on voice quality and on throughput, you can define specific admission thresholds for
codec modes and coding schemes according to specific MAL lengths.
If you want Atoll to take advanced modelling of hopping gains in coverage predictions, the administrator (or you, if you have
administrator rights) has to add the field MAL_LENGTH to the CodecQualityTables and EGPRSQuality tables. Adding this
custom field provides a MAL_LENGTH column in the definition of each codec configuration (Quality Graphs tab) and each
coding scheme configuration.
For codec configurations, it means that you can define a specific codec mode graph per MAL length where the graph efficiency
increases as the MAL length increases, too (see Figure 6.137 on page 520).
Figure 6.137: Codec Configuration Properties: Quality Graphs tab (with MAL length definition)
In quality indicators coverage predictions (see "Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Coverage Prediction" on
page 464), Atoll will extract, for a specified quality indicator and a given codec mode, the quality indicator value correspond-
ing to the MAL of the receiver being studied. If graphs for the mobile MAL length are not defined, Atoll selects the graphs to
which the MAL length is the most similar, i.e.:
• if the mobile MAL length exceeds all the MAL lengths defined in the quality indicator graphs, the closest MAL length
is selected;
• if the mobile MAL length is between two MAL lengths defined in the quality indicator graphs, Atoll carries out an inter-
polation on the graphs to extract the appropriate quality indicator value.
For coding scheme configurations, it means that you can define a specific coding scheme graph per MAL length where the
graph efficiency increases whereas the MAL length increases too (See Figure 6.138 on page 521).
520
Figure 6.138: Coding Scheme Configuration Properties (with MAL length definition)
In GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions (see "Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions" on page 455), Atoll will extract, for a given
coding scheme, the throughput corresponding to the MAL of the studied receiver. If graphs for the mobile MAL length are not
defined, Atoll selects the graphs for which the MAL length is the most similar, i.e.:
• if the mobile MAL length exceeds all the MAL lengths defined in the coding scheme graphs, the closest MAL length is
selected;
• if the mobile MAL length is between two MAL lengths defined in the coding scheme graphs, Atoll carries out an inter-
polation on the graphs to extract the appropriate throughput.
For a more precise description of these fields, see the Administrator Manual.
6.9.12 Modelling Shadowing

agation model.
In GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, the standard deviation of the propagation model is used to calculate shadowing margins on
signal levels. You can also calculate shadowing margins on C⁄I. For information on setting the model standard deviation and
the C⁄I standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level (C) and the signal-to-noise ratio (C⁄I) for:
• A point analysis (see "Studying the Profile Around a Base Station" on page 260)
• A coverage prediction (see "Studying DL Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 277, "Interference
Coverage Predictions" on page 443, "Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions" on page 455, and "Making a Circuit Quality
Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Coverage Prediction" on page 464)
• Neighbours (see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 303)
• Traffic capture (see "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture" on page 329).
You can display the shadowing margins per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter
Class" on page 522.
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6.9.12.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class

To display the shadowing margins per clutter class:
3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins dialog box appears.
4. You can set the following parameters:
• Cell Edge Coverage Probability: Enter the probability of coverage at the edge of the cell. The value you enter in
this dialog box is for information only.
• Standard Deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin:
• From Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin on the signal level.
• C⁄I: The C⁄I standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin on the C⁄I level.
5. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed.
6. Click Close to close the dialog box.
6.9.13 Modelling the Co-existence of Networks

In Atoll, you can study the effect of interference received by your network from other GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks. The inter-
fering GSM/GPRS/EDGE network can be a different part of your own network, or a network belonging to another operator.
To study interference from co-existing networks:
1. Import the interfering network data (sites, transmitters, and cells) in to your document as explained in "Creating a
Group of Base Stations" on page 261.
2. For the interfering network’s transmitters, set the Transmitter Type to Intra-Network (Interferer Only) as explained
in "Transmitter Description" on page 242.
During calculations, Atoll will consider the transmitters of type Intra-Network (Interferer Only) when calculating
interference. These transmitters will not serve any pixel, subscriber, or mobile, and will only contribute to interfer-
ence.
Modelling the interference from co-existing networks will be as accurate as the data you have for the interfering network. If
the interfering network is a part of your own network, this information would be readily available. However, if the interfering
network belongs to another operator, the information available might not be accurate.
6.9.14 Modelling Inter-technology Interference

Analyses of GSM networks co-existing with other technology networks can be carried out in Atoll. Inter-technology interfer-
ence may create considerable capacity reduction in a GSM network. Atoll can take into account interference from co-existing
networks in calculations.
• Interference received by mobiles on the downlink: Interference can be received by mobiles in a GSM network on the
downlink from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-downlink interference) can be created by the use of
same or adjacent carriers, wideband noise (thermal noise, phase noise, modulation products, and spurious emissions),
and intermodulation. In Atoll, you can define interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for different technologies
(CDMA, TDMA, OFDM). These graphs are then used for calculating the interference from the external base stations
on mobiles. This interference is taken into account in all downlink interference-based calculations. For more informa-
tion, see "Defining Inter-technology IRFs" on page 523.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-downlink interference) can be created by insufficient sepa-
ration between the uplink frequency used by the external network and the downlink frequency used by your GSM
network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks. The effect of this interference is modelled
in Atoll using the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise definable for each TRX in the GSM network. This noise rise is taken
into account in all interference-based calculations. For more information on the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise, see
"TRX Definition" on page 250.
522
Figure 6.139: Interference received by mobiles on the downlink
6.9.14.1 Defining Inter-technology IRFs

Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your GSM network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
inter-technology interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for calculating the interference levels. An IRF graph represents the
variation of the Adjacent Channel Interference Ratio (ACIR) as a function of frequency separation. ACIR is determined from
the Adjacent Channel Suppression (ACS) and the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) parameters as follows:
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
An IRF depends on:

• The interfering technology (TDMA, CDMA, and OFDM)
• The interfering carrier bandwidth (kHz)
• The interfered carrier bandwidth (kHz)
• The frequency offset between both carriers (MHz).
IRFs are used by Atoll to calculate the interference from external base stations only if the Atoll document containing the exter-
nal base stations is linked to your GSM document, i.e., when Atoll is in co-planning mode.
To define the inter-technology IRFs in the victim network:
3. In the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click Inter-technology Interference Reduction Factors. The context
menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Inter-technology Interference Reduction Factors table appears.
5. In the table, enter one interference reduction factor graph per row. For each IRF graph, enter:
• Technology: Select the technology used by the interfering network.
• Interferer Bandwidth (kHz): Enter the width in kHz of the channels (carriers) used by the interfering network. This
channel width must be consistent with that used in the linked document.
• Victim Bandwidth (kHz): Enter the width in kHz of the channels (carriers) used by the interfered network. This
channel width must be consistent with that used in the main document.
• Reduction Factors (dB): Click the cell corresponding to the Reduction Factors (dB) column and the current row in
the table. The Reduction Factors (dB) dialog box appears.
• Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separation,
Freq. Delta (MHz), values relative to the centre frequency of the channel (carrier) used in the main document.
• Reduction values must be positive.

• If you leave reduction factors undefined, Atoll assumes there is no interference.
6. When you have finished defining interference reduction factors, click OK.
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Chapter 7
UMTS HSPA Networks
analyse, and optimise a UMTS HSPA network.
• "Designing a UMTS Network" on page 527
• "Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations" on
page 528
page 666
on page 670
• "Co-planning UMTS Networks with Other Networks" on
page 681
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AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 7: UMTS HSPA Networks
7 UMTS HSPA Networks

Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of a UMTS HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA) network. Once you have created the
network, Atoll offers many tools to let you verify the network. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the
parameters defining the network.
The process of planning and creating a UMTS HSPA network is outlined in "Designing a UMTS Network" on page 527. Creating
the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations" on page 528. Allocating neighbours
and scrambling codes is also explained. In this section, you will also find information on how you can display information on
base stations on the map and how you can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying Network Capacity" on page 632, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained. Creating simulations
using the traffic map information and analysing the results of simulations is also explained.
page 670. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.Filtering
imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
7.1 Designing a UMTS Network

Figure 7.1 depicts the process of planning and creating a UMTS HSPA network.
1
Open an Existing Project
or Create a New One
2
Network Configuration
- Add Network Elements
- Change Parameters
3
Basic Predictions
(Best Server, Signal Level)
4
Neighbour Allocation
5a 5b 5c
Traffic Maps Monte-Carlo User-defined values
Simulations 5
Cell Load
Conditions
6 6a
UMTS/HSPA Predictions Prediction Study Reports
7
Scrambling Code Plan
Figure 7.1: Planning a UMTS network - workflow
The steps involved in planning a UMTS HSPA network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 7.1.
1. Open an existing radio-planning document or create a new one ( 1 ).

• Creating a new a new Atoll document is explained in Chapter 2: Atoll Projects.
2. Configure the network by adding network elements and changing parameters ( 2 ).

You can add and modify the following base station elements:
• "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537.
You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 537).
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Chapter 7: UMTS HSPA Networks © 2014 Forsk
3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( 3 )

4. Allocate neighbours, automatically or individually ( 4 ).

5. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 5 ).
• You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( 5a and 5b ) (see
"Studying Network Capacity" on page 632).
• You can define them manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitter’s Properties dialog box or in the Cells
table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537) ( 5c ).
6. Make UMTS-specific coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 6 ).
• "UMTS Coverage Predictions" on page 569
• "HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 587
• "HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 589.
7. Allocate scrambling codes ( 7 ).

• "Planning Scrambling Codes" on page 622.
7.2 Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations

TMA, feeder cables, etc. In a UMTS project, you must also add cells to each transmitter. A cell refers to the characteristics of
a carrier on a transmitter.
Antenna
- Azimuth
- Mechanical tilt
TMA
Antenna
- Height
Feeder Cable
Transmitter
- Noise figure
- Power
Site
- X, Y coordinates
Figure 7.2: A transmitter
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once by creating a station template. Using a
station template, you can create one or more base stations at the same time. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its
transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells.
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or studied.
nals. This data can be then used to make quality predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handover status predic-
tions, on the network.
528
• "Creating a UMTS Base Station" on page 529

• "Creating Dual-Band and Tri-Band UMTS Networks" on page 548
• "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 606
• "Planning Scrambling Codes" on page 622.
7.2.1 Creating a UMTS Base Station

When you create a UMTS site, you create only the geographical point; you must add the transmitters and cells afterwards.
The site, with the transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells is called a base station.
• "Duplicating an Existing Base Station" on page 544
• "Studying the Profile Around a Base Station" on page 545.

ple, cells. You will usually create a new base station using a station template, as described in "Placing a New Station Using a
Station Template" on page 537. This section describes the following elements of a base station and their parameters:
• "Cell Description" on page 533.

The parameters of a site can be found in the site Properties dialog box. The Properties dialog box has two tabs:
the site here.
529
page 46.
culations.
• The UMTS tab:
• Max Number of Uplink Channel Elements: The maximum number of physical radio resources for the current site
in the uplink. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
• Max Number of Downlink Channel Elements: The maximum number of physical radio resources for the current
site in the downlink. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
• Max Iub Uplink Backhaul Throughput: The maximum Iub backhaul throughput for the current site in the uplink.
• Max Iub Downlink Backhaul Throughput: The maximum Iub backhaul throughput for the current site in the down-
link.
• Equipment: You can select equipment from the list. To create new site equipment, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 707.
If no equipment is assigned to the site, Atoll considers the following default values:
• Rake efficiency factor = 1
• MUD factor = 0
• Carrier selection = UL minimum noise
• Downlink and uplink overhead resources for common channels = 0
• The option AS Restricted to Neighbours is not selected, and Atoll uses one channel element on the uplink or
downlink for any service during power control simulation.

Properties dialog box has two tabs: the General tab and the Transmitter tab. Once you have created a transmitter, its Prop-
erties dialog box has three additional tabs: the Cells tab (see "Cell Description" on page 533), the Propagation tab (see Chap-
ter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models), and the Display tab (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47).
to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrator Manual.
• Frequency Band: You can select a Frequency Band for the transmitter. Once you have selected the frequency
band, you can click the Browse button to access the properties of the band. For information on the frequency band
Properties dialog box, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 703.
antenna. This field is also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for different fre-
quency bands.
location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
• Max Range: You can define a maximum coverage range for the transmitter.
530
in red in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer.
transmitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button.
you define are used to initialise total transmitter UL and DL losses:
must be positive.
• Receiver Antenna Diversity Gain: You can enter a receiver antenna diversity gain. The value you enter must
be positive.
531
losses. Atoll always takes the values in the Real boxes into consideration in prediction even
if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equip-
ment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Total Losses at transmission and
reception and the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be
positive.
• Antennas:
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must
page 185
• The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna
are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
• Under Diversity, you can select the number of transmission and reception antenna ports used for MIMO (No.
of ports). MIMO systems are supported by some HSDPA bearers (following improvements introduced by
release 7 of the 3GPP UTRA specifications, referred to as HSPA+). For more information on how the number
of antenna ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 712.
R99 bearers only support transmit and receive diversities. You can define the transmit diversity method from
the Transmission list when more than one transmission antenna port is available. The receive diversity meth-
od depends on the number of reception antenna ports selected (2RX for two reception antenna ports and 4RX
for four reception antenna ports).
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page 76.
7.2.1.1.3 Cell Description

In Atoll, a cell is defined as a carrier, with all its characteristics, on a transmitter; the cell is the mechanism by which you can
configure a UMTS multi-carrier network. In other words, a transmitter has one cell for every carrier.
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates one cell for the transmitter. The following explains the parameters
of a UMTS cell, including the parameters for HSDPA and HSUPA functionality. As you create a cell, Atoll calculates appropriate
values for some fields based on the information you have entered. You can, if you want, modify these values.
The properties of a UMTS cell are found on Cells tab of the Properties dialog box of the transmitter to which it is assigned.
You can also display the properties of a cell by double-clicking the cell in the Site explorer.
See Figure 1.3 on page 41.
The following HSDPA options apply to all the cells of the transmitter:
• Multi-cell mode: Select whether the transmitter supports carrier aggregation in the downlink (DL multi-cell), or in the
downlink and in the uplink (UL/DL multi-cell). When multi-cell is active, the user can simultaneously connect to several
carriers of the transmitter for data transfer (up to eight carriers in the downlink and two carriers in the uplink) and be
assigned HSDPA and HSUPA bearers in each of the cells. The R99 A-DPCH bearer is transmitted on one of the cells,
which is called the anchor cell. The maximum number of cells to which the user can simultaneously connect depends
on the HSDPA and HSUPA UE categories of the terminal.
• Inter-Carrier Power Sharing: You can enable power sharing between cells by selecting the Inter-Carrier Power Sharing
check box under HSDPA and entering a value in the Maximum Shared Power box. In order for Inter-Carrier Power
Sharing to be available, you must have at least one HSDPA carrier with dynamic power allocation.
Inter-Carrier Power Sharing enables the network to dynamically allocate available power from R99-only and HSDPA
carriers among HSDPA carriers.
When you select Inter-Carrier Power Sharing and you define a maximum shared power, the Max Power of each cell
is used to determine the percentage of the transmitter power that the cell cannot exceed.
The most common scenario is where you have R99-only cells that are not using 100% of their power and can share it
with an HSDPA carrier. To use power sharing efficiently, you should set the Max Power of the HSDPA cells to the same
value as the Maximum Shared Power. For example, if the Maximum Shared Power is defined as 43 dBm, the Max
Power of all HSDPA cells should be set to 43 dBm in order to be able to use 100% of the available power. In this case,
all of an R99 cell’s unused power can be allocated to the HSDPA cell.
The following parameters can be set for each individual cell of the transmitter:
• Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding the carrier number in parentheses. If you change
transmitter name or carrier, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake
of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
• ID: You can enter an ID for the cell. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
• Carrier: The number of the carrier.
When transmitters that contain multiple cells are grouped by carrier, Atoll sorts the cells
by carrier, which groups together transmitters that use the same set of carriers. However,
it is sometimes necessary to differentiate transmitters by the order in which channel
numbers are assigned to the cells. For instructions on how to force Atoll to consider the
cell order when grouping by carrier capability, contact technical support.
• Active: If this cell is to be active, you must select the Active check box.
• Max Power (dBm): The maximum available downlink power for the cell.
• Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power.
• SCH power (dBm): The average power of both the synchronisation channels (P-SCH and S-SCH).
533
The SCH power is only transmitted 1⁄10 of the time. Consequently, the value entered for
the SCH power should only be 1⁄10 of its value when transmitted, in order to respect its
actual interference on other channels.
• Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels (P-CCPCH, S-CCPCH, AICH).
• AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold. It is the Ec⁄I0 margin in comparison with the Ec⁄I0 of the best server. It is
used to determine which cells, apart from the best server, will be part of the active set.
• Min RSCP (dBm): The minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The pilot RSCP is compared
with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
• DL Max Throughput per User (kbps): The downlink max throughput per user in kbps. The DL max throughput per user
is the maximum connection rate in the downlink for a user. The DL and UL peak throughputs are taken into account
during power control simulation.
• UL Max Throughput per User (kbps): The uplink max throughput per user in kbps. The UL max throughput per user is
the maximum connection rate in the uplink for a user. The DL and UL peak throughputs are taken into account during
power control simulation.
• Max DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum downlink power (set in Max Power) not to be exceeded. This
limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the option DL Load is selected. If the DL load option is not
selected during a simulation, this value is not taken into consideration.
• Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account
during the simulation.
• Total Power (dBm or %): The total transmitted power on downlink is the total power necessary to serve the users.
This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
By default, the total power is set as an absolute value. You can set this value as a percent-
age of the maximum power of the cell by right-clicking the UMTS Network Settings folder
in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then, on the
Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Load, you can select
% Pmax. The total power value is automatically converted and set as a percentage of the
maximum power.
• UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interfer-
ence and the uplink total noise. The uplink cell load factor is a global value and includes the inter-technology uplink
interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
• UL Reuse Factor: The uplink reuse factor is determined from uplink intra and extra-cell interference (signals received
by the transmitter respectively from intra and extra-cell terminals). This is the ratio between the total uplink interfer-
ence and the intra-cell interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
• Scrambling Code Domain: The scrambling code domain to which the allocated scrambling code belongs. This and the
scrambling code reuse distance are used by the scrambling code planning algorithm.
• SC Reuse Distance: The scrambling code reuse distance. This and the scrambling code domain are used by the scram-
bling code planning algorithm.
• Primary Scrambling Code: The primary scrambling code.
• SC Locked: The status of the primary scrambling code allocated to the cell. If the SC Locked check box is checked, the
automatic allocation tool considers that the current primary scrambling code is not modifiable.
• Comments: If desired, you can enter any comments in this field.
• Max Number of Intra-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours for this cell. This value is
used by the intra-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Max Number of Inter-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-carrier neighbours for this cell. This value is
used by the inter-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-technology neighbours for this cell.
This value is used by the inter-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Inter-technology UL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference on this cell on the uplink created by the
mobiles and base stations of an external network. This noise rise will be taken into account in uplink interference-
based calculations involving this cell in the simulation. It is not used in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predic-
tions). In predictions, Atoll calculates the uplink total interference from the UL load factor which includes inter-tech-
nology uplink interference. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology
Interference" on page 714.
• Inter-technology DL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external network
on the mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink interfer-
ence-based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling
Inter-technology Interference" on page 714.
• Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology (intra-carrier and inter-carrier)
and inter-technology neighbours by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see "Planning
Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 606.
534
The Browse button may not be visible in the Neighbours box if this is a new cell. You can
make the Browse button appear by clicking Apply.
• HSPA Support: The HSPA functionality supported by the cell. You can choose between None (i.e., R99 only), HSDPA,
HSPA (i.e., HSDPA and HSUPA) or HSPA+.
When HSDPA is supported, the following fields are available:
• HSDPA Dynamic Power Allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, the HSDPA Dynamic Power
Allocation should be checked. During a simulation, Atoll first allocates power to R99 users and then dynamically
allocates the remaining power of the cell to the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. At the end of the
simulation, you can commit the calculated available HSDPA power and total power values to each cell.
In the context of dynamic power allocation, the total power cannot exceed the maximum
power minus the power headroom.
• Available HSDPA Power (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the HSDPA Dynamic Power Allo-
cation check box is cleared and the available HSDPA power is entered in this box. This is the power available for
the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users.
• Power Headroom (dB): The power headroom is a reserve of power that Atoll keeps for Dedicated Physical Chan-
nels (DPCH) in case of fast fading. During simulation, HSDPA bearer users will not be connected if the cell power
remaining after serving R99 users is less than the power headroom value.
• HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation the HS-SCCH Dynamic Power
Allocation check box should be checked and a value should be entered in HS-SCCH Power (dBm). During power
control, Atoll will control HS-SCCH power in order to meet the minimum quality threshold (as defined for each
mobility type). The value entered in HS-SCCH Power (dBm) is the maximum power available for each HS-SCCH
channel. The calculated power for each HSDPA bearer user during the simulation cannot exceed this maximum
value.
• HS-SCCH Power (dBm): The value for each HS-SCCH channel will be used if you are modelling dynamic power allo-
cation. If you have selected the HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation check box and modelling dynamic power allo-
cation, the value entered here represents a maximum for each HSDPA bearer user. If you have not selected the
HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation check box and are modelling static power allocation, the value entered here
represents the actual HS-SCCH power per HS-SCCH channel.
• Number of HS-SCCH Channels: The maximum number of HS-SCCH channels for this cell. Each Packet (HSDPA -
Best Effort), Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate), Packet (HSPA - Best Effort), and Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate)
user consumes one HS-SCCH channel. Therefore, at any given time (over a time transmission interval), the number
of HSDPA bearer users cannot exceed the number of HS-SCCH channels per cell.
HS-DSCH transmissions without an accompanying HS-SCCH are performed for Packet

(HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users. Therefore, the number of HS-SCCH channels is not taken
into account when managing the number of Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users
connected at a given time.
• Min. Number of HS-PDSCH Codes: The minimum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations in order to find a suitable bearer.
• Max Number of HS-PDSCH codes: The maximum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations and coverage predictions in order to find a suitable bearer.
• Max Number of HSDPA Users: The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users [i.e., Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort)
users, Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate) users, Packet (HSPA - Best Effort) users, Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit
Rate) users, and Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users] that this cell can support at any given time.
• Number of HSDPA Users: The number of HSDPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. You can enter this value yourself, or have the value calculated by Atoll using a simulation. Dual-cell
HSDPA users are counted once in each cell they are connected to.
• HSDPA Scheduler Algorithm: The scheduling technique that will be used to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be
served. You can select the scheduler from the list of schedulers available in the Schedulers table. For more infor-
mation, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 711.
• MIMO Support: The MIMO method used by the cell when it supports HSPA+. You can choose between None,
Transmit Diversity, or Spatial Multiplexing.
When HSUPA is supported, the following fields are also available:
• DL HSUPA Power: The power (in dBm) allocated to HSUPA DL channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH). This value
must be entered by the user.
535
• Max Number of HSUPA Users: The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users (i.e., Packet (HSPA - Best Effort)
users, Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate) users and Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users) that this cell can sup-
port at any given time.
• UL Load Factor Due to HSUPA (%): The uplink cell load contribution due to HSUPA. This value can be a simulation
result or can be entered by the user.
• Number of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
By default, the SCH power, the CCH power, the HS-SCCH power and the HSUPA power are
set as absolute values. You can set these values as relative to the pilot power by right-click-
ing the UMTS Network Settings folder in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties
from the context menu. Then, on the Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box,
under DL Powers, you can select Relative to Pilot. The SCH power, the CCH power, the HS-
SCCH power, and the HSUPA power values are automatically converted and set as relative
to the pilot power.

ple, cells.
This section describes how to create or modify the following elements of a base station:

page 529).
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK.

536

5. Click OK. When you create a new transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell based on the default station template.
For information on creating a cell, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537.
6. Click OK.
text menu.
7.2.1.2.3 Creating or Modifying a Cell

You can modify an existing cell or you can create a new cell. You can access the properties of a cell, described in "Cell Descrip-
tion" on page 533, through the Properties dialog box of the transmitter where the cell is located.
To create or modify a cell:
3. Right-click the transmitter on which you want to create a cell or whose cell you want to modify. The context menu
appears.
5. Select the Cells tab.
6. Modify the parameters described in "Cell Description" on page 533.
7. Click OK.
• If you are creating or modifying several cells at the same time, you can do it more
quickly by editing the data directly in the Cells table. You can open the Cells table
by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Cells > Open Table from the context menu. You can either edit the data in the table,
paste data into the table (see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 83), or
import data into the table (see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88).
• If you want to add a cell to an existing transmitter on the map, you can add the cell
by right-clicking the transmitter and selecting New Cell from the context menu.

eters, instead of building the network by first creating the site, then the transmitters, and finally by adding the cells.
537
You can also place a series of stations using a Atoll template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you want to
place the stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each station according to the defined hexagonal cell radius in the station
template. For information on defining the cell radius, see "Creating a Station Template" on page 539.

place the station.
538

Atoll comes with UMTS station templates, but you can also create and modify station templates. The tools for working with
station templates can be found on the Radio Planning toolbar (see Figure 7.6).


2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the UMTS Network Settings folder.
page 539.

of the station template, the number of Sectors, each with a transmitter, and the Hexagon Radius, i.e., the theoretical
radius of the hexagonal area covered by each sector.
539
Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and
Propagation Models.
8. Click the Transmitter tab. On this tab (see Figure 7.8), if the Active check box is selected, you can modify the following:
• Under Transmission/Reception, you can click the Equipment button to open the Equipment Specifications dialog
box and modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment. For information on
the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on page 530.
• The information in the real Total Losses in transmission and reception boxes is calculated from the information
you entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box (see Figure 7.5 on page 532). Any loss related to the noise
due to a transmitter’s repeater is included in the calculated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real
boxes in predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. You can modify the real
Total Losses at transmission and reception if you want. Any value you enter must be positive.
• The information in the real Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the
Equipment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you
enter must be positive.
• Under Diversity, you can select the number of transmission and reception antenna ports used for MIMO (No. of
ports). MIMO systems are supported by some HSDPA bearers (following improvements introduced by release 7
of the 3GPP UTRA specifications, referred to as HSPA+). For more information on how the number of antenna
ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 712.
R99 bearers only support transmit and receive diversities. You can define the transmit diversity method from the
Transmission list when more than one transmission antenna port is available. The receive diversity method de-
540
pends on the number of reception antenna ports selected (2RX for two reception antenna ports and 4RX for four
reception antenna ports).
9. Click the W-CDMA/UMTS tab. On this tab (see Figure 7.9), you modify the Carriers (each corresponding to a cell) that
this station supports. For information on carriers and cells, see "Cell Description" on page 533.
• You can select the Carrier numbers for each sector of the station template. To select the carriers to be added to
the sectors of a base station created using this station template:
i. Click the Browse button. The Carriers per Sector dialog box appears.
ii. In the Carriers per Sector dialog box, select the carriers to be created for each sector of the station.
iii. Click OK.
541
Figure 7.9: Station Template Properties dialog box – W-CDMA/UMTS tab
• Under Primary Scrambling Code, you can modify the Reuse Distance and the scrambling code Domain.
• Under Power, you can select the Power Shared Between Cells check box. As well, you can modify the Pilot, the
SCH, the Other CCH powers, and the AS Threshold.
• Under Simulation Constraints, you can modify the Max Power, the Max DL Load (defined as a percentage of the
maximum power), the DL Max Throughput/User, the Max UL Load Factor, and the UL Max Throughput/User.
• Under Load Conditions, you can modify the Total Transmitted Power, the UL Load Factor, and the UL Reuse
Factor.
• Under Inter-technology Interferences, you can modify the UL and DL noise rise which respectively model the
effect of terminals and stations of an external network on the network cells and the effect of terminals of an
external network interfering the mobiles served by the network cells. For more information on inter-technology
interferences, See "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 714.
• You can also modify the Number of Uplink and Downlink Channel Elements, the Max Iub Uplink and Downlink
Backhaul Throughputs and select the Equipment.
10. Click the HSPA/HSPA+ tab.
On this tab (see Figure 7.10), you can define the HSPA functionality supported by the cells. You can choose between
None (i.e., R99 only), HSDPA, HSPA (i.e, HSDPA and HSUPA), HSPA+. When HSDPA functionality is supported, you can
modify the following under HSDPA (for more information on the fields, see "Cell Description" on page 533):
• Multi-cell mode: You can select whether the transmitter supports carrier aggregation in the downlink (DL multi-
cell), or in the downlink and in the uplink (UL/DL multi-cell). When multi-cell is active, users can simultaneously
connect to several carriers of the transmitter for data transfer (up to eight carriers in the downlink and two carriers
in the uplink).
• You can select the Allocation Strategy (Static or Dynamic). If you select Static as the Allocation Strategy, you can
enter the available HSDPA Power. If you select Dynamic as the Allocation Strategy, Atoll allocates the HSDPA
power to cells during the simulation. Atoll first allocates power to R99 users and then dynamically allocates the
remaining power of the cell to the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. At the end of the simulation,
you can commit the calculated available HSDPA power and total power values to each cell.
• Under HS-PDSCH, you can modify the Min. and Max Number of Codes and the Power Headroom.
542
• Under HS-SCCH, you can select the Allocation Strategy (Static or Dynamic) and the Number of Channels. If you
select Static as the Allocation Strategy, you can enter the HS-SCCH Power.
• Under Scheduler, you can modify the Algorithm, the Max Number of Users, the Number of Users. For the Pro-
portional Fair scheduler, to edit the MUG graph, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 711.
Under HSUPA, if HSUPA functionality is supported, you can modify the following (for more information on the fields,
see "Cell Description" on page 533):
• You can modify the DL Power, the UL Load, the Max Number of Users, and the Number of Users.
Figure 7.10: Station Template Properties dialog box – HSDPA tab
11. Click the Neighbours tab. In this tab (see Figure 7.11), you can modify the Max Number of Intra- and Inter-Carrier
Neighbours and the Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours. For information on defining neighbours, see "Plan-
ning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 606.
changes.
543




station you create will have the same transmitter, and cell parameter values as the original base station. If no site exists where
you place the duplicated base station, Atoll will create a new site with the same parameters as the site of the original base
station. Duplicating a base station allows you to:
• Quickly create a new base station with the same settings as the original base station in order to study the effect of a
new base station on the coverage and capacity of the network, and
• Quickly create a homogeneous network with stations that have the same characteristics.
• Select Duplicate > With Outward Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station
along with the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
544
• To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select
Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see
"Changing the Map Scale" on page 54.

and cells of the new base station have the same names as the site, transmitters, and cells of the original base station
with each name marked as "Copy of." The site, transmitters, and cells of the duplicate base station have the same
settings as those of the original base station. If the duplicate base station was placed on an existing site, the transmit-
ters, and cells of the new base station have the same names as the transmitters, and cells of the original base station
with each name preceded by the name of the site on which the duplicate was placed.
For more information on the site, transmitter, and cell properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 529.

2. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the
545
menu:
You can change the following options at the top of the Profile view:
• Carriers: Select the carrier to be analysed.
per clutter class.
• Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
• Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
546
Figure 7.14: Point Analysis - Profile view

You can create base stations individually as explained in "Creating a UMTS Base Station" on page 529, or you can create one
or several base stations by using station templates as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 537. However, if you have a large data-planning project and you already have existing data, you can import this data into
your current Atoll document and create a group of base stations.
page 127.

Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
pasting data into.
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
547
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 537.

if there there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, clicking the transmitters in the map window opens a
context menu allowing you to select the transmitter. You can also change the position of the station by dragging it, or by
letting Atoll find a higher location for it.

7.2.5 Creating Dual-Band and Tri-Band UMTS Networks

With Atoll, you can model dual-band and tri-band UMTS networks in one document (e.g., network consisting of 2100 MHz
and 900 MHz transmitters). Creating a dual-band or tri-band UMTS network consists of the following steps:
1. Defining the frequency bands in the document (see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 703).
2. Selecting and calibrating a propagation model for each frequency band (see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation
Models).
3. Assigning a frequency band, with its propagation model, to each transmitter (see "Transmitter Description" on
page 530).
4. Defining the frequency bands with which terminals are compatible (see "Modelling Terminals" on page 572).
548

signal can be carried by different types of links such as a radio link or a microwave link. The server side re-transmits the
received signal.
When Atoll models UMTS repeaters, the modelling focuses on:
• The additional coverage these systems provide to transmitters in the downlink.
• The noise rise generated at the donor transmitter by the repeater.


there are any.
using the buttons to the right of the Amplifer Gain box ( ) on the General tab of the repeater Properties dialog
box.
e. Enter the maximum power that the equipment can transmit on the downlink in the Max Downlink Power column.
This parameter enables Atoll to ensure that the downlink power after amplification does not exceed the limit of
the equipment.
f. If desired, enter a Max Uplink Power, an Internal Delay and Comments. These fields are for information only and
are not used in calculations.
549


1. Select the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. You can select it from the Transmitters folder in the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
page 550.

ment.
pasting data into.

550
• Name: You can change the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is
the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was
created.

the donor repeater.
for the technology (either GSM, UMTS, or LTE)..
• You can enter a value in the Shared antenna (coverage side) field for the repeater. This field is used to identify the
transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the same position
the equipment.
• You can change the Amplification Gain. The amplification gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater
total gain.
• If you select Microwave Link, enter the Link Losses and proceed to step 5.
propagation model.
page 185
include the height of the building.
551
i. Type: The type of feeder is visible in the Type list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of
the feeder.
ii. Length: Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
• Total Gain: enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before
clicking the Calculate button.
• In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
• In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplification gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna
gain, transmission feeder losses).
page 185
page 76.

• Under Losses, the Loss related to repeater noise rise is displayed and you can modify the following information:

• You can update the UL and DL total gains of all repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Gains from the Transmit-
ters context menu.
552
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected repeaters by
creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and
setting the value of the field to "True". Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the UL and DL total gains
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False".

certain cases, you may want to model a remote antenna with equipment or a remote antenna connected to a base station


1. Select the donor transmitter. You can select it from the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, or directly on the
map.
transmitter.
553

In Atoll, the characteristics of each remote antenna are stored in the Remote Antennas table. If you have data in table form,
either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you can copy this data and paste it into the Remote Antennas table in
your current Atoll document.
To paste the information into the Remote Antennas table:
1. Open the Remote Antennas table as explained in "Opening the Remote Antennas Table" on page 553.
2. Copy the data from the source document and paste it into the Remote Antennas table.
pasting data into.

1. Right-click the remote antenna either directly on the map, or in the Remote Antennas table (for information on open-
ing the Remote Antennas table, see "Opening the Remote Antennas Table" on page 553). The context menu appears.
• Name: You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RemZ"
where "X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote
antenna when it was created.

remote antenna.
antenna, or a repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the
same position and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height,
or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
nates.
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• Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the UMTS Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer) are calculated.
• Total Gain: enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
• In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
• In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna.
must include the height of the building.
page 185
page 76.


• You can update the UL and DL total gains of all remote antennas by selecting Remote Antennas > Calculate Gains from
the Transmitters context menu.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected remote antennas
by creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas
table and setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote
Antennas > Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update
the UL and DL total gains for remote antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set
to "False."
555

computation zone.
• "Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active" on page 560
• "The Calculation Process" on page 561.
556

sible. For example, a complex radio-planning project may cover an entire region or even an entire country. You, however,
might be responsible for the radio planning for only one city. In such a situation, calculating the entire network would not only
take a lot of time, it is not necessary. Consequently, you can restrict calculations to the sites that you are interested in and
generate only the results you need.
In Atoll, there are two ways of restricting the number of sites involved in calculations, each with its own advantages:
in turn reduces the time necessary for calculations. In a smaller project, the time savings may not be significant. In a
the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo, power control simulations, etc.,
while the focus zone or hot spot is the area taken into consideration when generating reports and results.

• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
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on page 105.
context menu.

mitter. As well, you can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used for all transmitters
where the main propagation model selected is "(Default model)."
Atoll will use:
to which you will later assign a propagation model either individually or as part of a group.
When you assign a propagation model globally, you override any selection you might
have already made to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters.
3. If you have assigned a default propagation model for calculations, as described in "Defining a Default Propagation
Model" on page 215, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters whose main propagation
model is "(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propagation model,
that is the propagation model that will be used.
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 559.

558
Setting a different main or extended matrix on an individual transmitter as explained in

"Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 559 will override this entry.
3. Select from the Group by submenu of the context menu the property by which you want to group the transmitters.

menu appears.
group.
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll,
When you assign a main and extended propagation model to a single transmitter, it overrides any changes made globally.
appears.
559

7.2.8.4 Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active

parameters), and whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Before you running calcu-
lations, you must ensure that all the transmitters on the sites you want to study have been activated. In the explorer window,
inactive transmitters are indicated with an empty icon ( )in the Transmitters folder and on the map.
In Atoll, you can also set individual cells on a transmitter as active or inactive.
You can set an individual transmitter as active from its context menu or you can set more than one transmitter as active by
activating them from the Transmitters context menu, by activating the transmitters’ cells from the Cells table, or by selecting
the transmitters with a zone and activating them from the zone’s context menu.
3. Select Open Table. The Transmitters table appears with each transmitter’s parameters in a second row.
To set more than one cell as active using the Cells table:
3. Select Cells > Open Table. The Cells table appears with each cell’s parameters in a row.
4. For each cell that you want to set as active, select the check box in the Active column.
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When you create a coverage prediction and click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll follows the following process:
erage prediction in the Predictions folder. If not Atoll will not calculate the path loss matrices when you click the Cal-
culate button ( ).
Predictions folder.
( ) in the toolbar.
tions.

• "UMTS Coverage Predictions" on page 569
• "HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 587
• "HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 589
• "Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis" on page 596
• "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 599
• "Making a Multi-Point Analysis" on page 603

Atoll offers a series of standard coverage predictions based on the measured signal level at each pixel; other factors, such as
interference, are not taken into consideration. Coverage predictions specific to UMTS are covered in "UMTS Coverage Predic-
tions" on page 569, "HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 587, and "HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 589.
561
• "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 562
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 564
7.2.9.1.1 Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station

As you are building your radio-planning project, you might want to check the coverage of a new base station without having
to calculate the entire project. You can do this by selecting the site with its transmitters and then creating a new coverage
prediction.
This section explains how to calculate the signal level coverage of a single site. A signal level coverage prediction displays the
signal of the best server for each pixel of the area studied.
You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several sites by
To study the signal level coverage of a single base station:

2. Right-click the Transmitters folder and select Group by > Site from the context menu. The transmitters are now dis-
If you want to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by
status.

ters.
obtain more accurate results by using for the main and extended matrices propagation models best suited for
each distance.
e. For the main propagation model:
• Select a Main Propagation Model
• Enter a Main Calculation Radius and Main Resolution.
f. If desired, for the extended propagation model:
• Select an Extended Propagation Model
• Enter an Extended Calculation Radius and Extended Resolution.
g. Close the table.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions, supplied
with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised coverage predictions, the
5. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
562
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
• "<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-
called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m

Country
country
• Conditions tab: The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will
be considered for each pixel (see Figure 7.16).
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the signal level range to be considered. In Figure 7.16, a signal
level less than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
• Under Server, select "All" to consider signal levels from all servers.
• If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
per clutter class.
• You can select the Carrier to be studied, or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency
bands to have the carrier selected according the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment. The
coverage prediction displays the strength of the received pilot signal.
563
• Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab will give you
the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal
Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
later:
7.2.9.1.2 Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level

A coverage prediction by signal level allows you to predict the best signal strength at each pixel. You can base the coverage
To make a coverage prediction by signal level:
564
6. On the Conditions tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. In Figure 7.17, a signal level
less than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
clutter class.
• You can select the Carrier to be studied, or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency bands
to have the carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment. The cov-
erage prediction displays the strength of the received pilot signal
Figure 7.17: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by signal level

8. Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals." Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." The coverage prediction results
will be in the form of thresholds. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on
page 47. Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab will give you the same results because Atoll dis-
plays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time
for calculation.
9. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate immediately or you can save it and calculate it later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately..
565
Figure 7.18: Coverage prediction by signal level
You can run a specific prediction study displaying a coverage by pilot signal level for a given
terminal, service, mobility and carrier as explained in "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on
page 576.

A coverage prediction by transmitter allows the user to predict which server is the best at each pixel. You can base the cover-
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter:
4. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Transmitter (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
less than or equal to -120 dBm or greater then -85 dBm is considered.
• Under Server, select "Best signal level."
You can also define a Margin. Atoll will then consider the best signal level on each pixel and any other signal level
within the defined margin of the best one.
566
clutter class.
to have the carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.

later:
You can also predict which server is second best server on each pixel by selecting "Second
best signal level" on the Conditions tab setting "Discrete Values" as the Display Type and
"Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.

Overlapping zones (DL) are composed of pixels that are, for a defined condition, covered by the signal of at least two trans-
mitters. You can base a coverage prediction of overlapping zones on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined
range.
4. Select Overlapping zones (DL) and click OK. The Overlapping zones (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
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on page 100.
less than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
• Under Server, select "Best signal level" and define a Margin. Atoll will then consider the best signal level on each
pixel and any other signal level within the defined margin of the best one.
clutter class.
to have the carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment. The cov-
erage prediction displays the strength of the received pilot signal

Servers" is selected by default. Each overlapping zone will then be displayed in a colour corresponding to the number
page 47.
When creating a coverage prediction displaying the number of servers, you can not export
the values per pixel.
later:
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7.2.9.2 UMTS Coverage Predictions

UMTS coverage predictions available in Atoll are used to analyse the signal quality and interference. For the purposes of these
coverage predictions, each pixel is considered a non-interfering user with a defined service, mobility type, and terminal.These
are explained in the following section:
• "Service and User Modelling" on page 569.
In UMTS, the quality of the signal and the size of the area that can be covered are influenced by the network load. As the
network load increases, the area a cell can effectively cover decreases. For this reason, the network load must be defined in
order to calculate UMTS-specific predictions.
If you have traffic maps, you can do a Monte Carlo simulation to model power control and evaluate the network load for a
generated user distribution. If you do not have traffic maps, Atoll can calculate the network load using the UL load factor and
DL total power defined for each cell.
In this section, the UMTS-specific coverage predictions will be calculated using UL load factor and DL total power parameters
defined at the cell level. For the purposes of these predictions, each pixel is considered a non-interfering user with a defined
service, mobility type, and terminal.
Before making a coverage prediction, you will have to set the UL load factor and DL total power. These are explained in the
following sections:
• "Setting the UL Load Factor and the DL Total Power" on page 575.
This section explains the coverage predictions available for analysing the signal quality and interference. The following are
explained:
• "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on page 576
• "Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 577
• "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 579.
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicators" on page 580
• "Studying the Total Noise Level on the Downlink" on page 582
• "Studying Pilot Pollution" on page 583
• "Studying Inter-technology Downlink Interference" on page 584.
• "Making a Handoff Status Coverage Prediction" on page 585.
7.2.9.2.1 Service and User Modelling

Before you can model services, you must already have R99 radio bearers defined in your Atoll document. Only the following
R99 radio bearer parameters are used in predictions:
• Max TCH Power (dBm)
• The type of bearer.
For information on defining R99 radio bearers, "Defining R99 Radio Bearers" on page 705.
• "Modelling Services" on page 569
• "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 572
• "Modelling Terminals" on page 572.
Modelling Services
Services are the various services available to subscribers. These services can be either circuit-switched or packet-switched
services. This section explains how to create a service. However, only the following parameters are used in predictions:
• R99 bearer parameters
• Downgrading capabilities
• Handover capabilities
• HSPA capabilities
• Body loss
569
• HSPA application throughput parameters

Before you can model services, you must have defined R99 bearers. For information on defining R99 radio bearers, see "Defin-
ing R99 Radio Bearers" on page 705.
5. Edit the fields on the General tab to define the new service:
• Name: Atoll proposes a name for the new service, but you can change the name to something more descriptive.
• Activity Factor: The uplink and downlink activity factors are used to determine the probability of activity for each
user during Monte Carlo simulations. For packet-switched services, this parameter is used when working with
sector traffic maps and user density traffic maps. For circuit-switched services, the parameter is taken into consid-
eration with all traffic maps.
• Average Requested Throughput: You can enter the average requested throughput for uplink and downlink. This
throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service. It is used in simulations during user dis-
tribution generation to calculate the number of users attempting a connection and to determine their activity
status.
6. Click the UMTS tab to define the new service.
7. Select an R99 Radio Bearer from the list. If you want to edit the settings of the selected R99 radio bearer, click the
Browse button to open the bearer’s Properties dialog box.
8. Select a service Type:
• Circuit (R99): For circuit services, select Circuit (R99).
• Packet (R99): For packet services that can only use R99 channels, select Packet (R99).
• Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort): For best effort applications that can use HSDPA channels, select Packet (HSDPA -
Best Effort).
The HSDPA service is linked to a R99 bearer in order to manage the connection to the R99-
dedicated channel A-DPCH.
• Packet (HSPA - Best Effort): For best effort applications that can use HSDPA and HSUPA channels, select Packet
(HSPA -Best Effort).
• Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate): For variable bit rate services using HSDPA channels, select Packet (HSDPA -
Variable Bit Rate).
• Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate): For variable bit rate services using HSPA channels, select Packet (HSPA - Vari-
able Bit Rate).
• Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate): For constant bit rate services using HSPA channels, select Packet (HSPA - Con-
stant Bit Rate).
9. For all types of services, define the following parameters:
• Preferred/Allowed Carriers: You can select one of the available carriers or all carriers. The specified carrier is con-
sidered in simulation when admitting a transmitter to the mobile active set. If you select "Preferred Carriers" and
the transmitter uses the specified carrier, Atoll selects it. Otherwise, it will choose another one, using the carrier
selection mode defined in the site equipment properties. The carrier specified for the service is not used in pre-
dictions (i.e., AS analysis and coverage predictions). In predictions, Atoll considers the carrier selection mode
defined in the site equipment properties. If no preferred carrier is specified in the service properties, it will con-
sider the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties.
If you select "Allowed Carriers" Atoll will only use the defined carriers. If they are not available, service will be re-
jected.
• Bearer Downgrading: Select the Bearer downgrading check box if the service supports bearer downgrading on
uplink and downkink. Bearer downgrading is not allowed for Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate) and Packet (HSPA
- Variable Bit Rate) services.
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• Soft Handoff Allowed: Select the Soft Handoff Allowed check box if you want the network to be able to use soft
handoff with this service.
HSDPA channels do not use soft handover even if the Soft Handoff Allowed check box is
selected. If you want the HSUPA service to be operated using soft handover, select the Soft
Handoff Allowed check box. Soft handover will be applied to R99 and HSUPA channels
only.
• Priority: Enter a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority.
• Body Loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in
a voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the user’s head, is estimated to be 3dB.
10. If you selected Circuit (R99) as the Type in step 8., continue to step 13. If you selected Packet (R99), Packet (HSDPA -
Best Effort), Packet (HSPA - Best Effort), Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate), Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate), or
Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate) as the Type in step 8., click the Packet button to define the parameters used to
determine the probability of activity for each user during Monte Carlo simulations. These parameters are used when
working with user profile traffic maps only. Click the Packet tab.
In the Packet dialog box, you can set the following parameters for packet-switched services:
• Under BLER, you can define the following:
• Efficiency Factor: The uplink and downlink efficiency factors are used to determine duration of usage by the
user during Monte Carlo simulations.
• Under Session, you can set:
• Average Number of Packet Calls: Enter the average number of packet calls in the uplink and downlink during
one session.
• Average Time Between Two Packet Calls: Enter the average time between two packet calls (in milliseconds)
in the uplink and downlink.
• Under Packet Calls, you can set:
• Min. Size (Kbytes): Enter the minimum size of a packet call in kilobytes in the uplink and downlink.
• Max Size (Kbytes): Enter the maximum size of a packet call in kilobytes in the uplink and downlink.
• Average Time Between Two Packets (ms): Enter the average time between two packets in milliseconds in the
uplink and downlink.
• Under Packet, you can set:
• Size (Bytes): Enter the packet size in bytes in the uplink and downlink.
11. Click Commit to save your changes and close the Packet dialog box when you have finished setting the parameters.
12. If you selected any packet service as the Type in step 8., set the following parameters:
Under Application Throughput:
• Set a Scaling Factor between the application throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a
throughput Offset. These parameters model the header information and other supplementary data that does not
appear at the application level.
For Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort) services, set the following parameters under HSPA Parameters:
• E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the average
power on A-DPCH channels.
For Packet (HSPA - Best Effort) services, set the following parameters under HSPA Parameters:
• E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors are used to estimate
the average power on E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
For Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) service, set the following parameters under HSPA Parameters:
• E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the average power on
A-DPCH channels.
• Min Throughput Demand: Enter the minimum required bit rate that the service should have in order to be avail-
able in the uplink and downlink.
For Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate) service, set the following parameters under HSPA Parameters:
• E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the average
power on A-DPCH channels.
• Max Throughput Demand: Enter the maximum bit rate that the service can require in the downlink.
able in the downlink.
For Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate) service, set the following parameters under HSPA Parameters:
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• E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors are used to estimate
the average power on E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
• Max Throughput Demand: Enter the maximum bit rate that the service can require in the uplink and downlink.
able in the uplink and downlink.
• The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors have been set to 0.1 and
cannot be changed. These values are used to estimate the average power on
E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
• Variable Bit Rate users are processed as Best Effort users when no value is defined
for the min and max throughput demands.
13. Click OK.
Modelling Mobility Types
In UMTS, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage the active set: a mobile used by someone
travelling a certain speed and a mobile used by a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same transmitters. Ec⁄I0
requirements and Eb/Nt targets per radio bearer and per link (up and down) are largely dependent on mobile speed.
• Ec⁄I0 threshold
• HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt Threshold
5. On the General tab, you can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Properties
dialog box:
• Speed: Enter or modify an average speed for the mobility type. This field is for information only; the average speed
is not used by any calculation.
6. On the Parameters tab, you can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Prop-
erties dialog box:
• Ec⁄I0 Threshold: Under Active Set Management, enter or modify the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmitter
to enter the active set. This value must be verified for the best server.
• HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt Threshold: Under HSDPA, enter or modify the minimum quality required in order for the HSDPA
link to be available. This parameter is used by Atoll to determine the HS-SCCH power when the user has selected
dynamic allocation in the cell properties. For static allocation, Atoll calculates the HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt from the
HS-SCCH power set in the cell properties and compares it to this threshold. This field is only used with HSDPA.
7. Click OK.
Modelling Terminals
In UMTS, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a car’s on-board
navigation device.
• Receiver equipment
• Gain and losses
• Noise figures
• Active set size
• DL rake factor
• CDMA Rho factor
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• Compressed mode capability

• HSPA capability and HSPA-specific categories:
• UE category
• Number of reception antenna ports
• MUD factor (for HSDPA only).
Terminal folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. You can modify the following parameter:
6. Click the Parameters tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Transmission/Reception:
• UMTS Equipment: Select a type of reception equipment from the list.
You can create a new type of reception equipment by using the Reception Equipment
table. You can open open the Reception Equipment table by clicking the Expand button
( ) to expand the UMTS Network Settings folder, and then right-clicking the Reception
Equipment folder and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
• Min. Power: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission power make up the
dynamic range for uplink power control.
• Gain: Set the antenna gain.
• Losses: Set the reception losses.
• Active Set Size: Set the active set size. The active set size is the maximum number of transmitters to which a ter-
minal can be connected at one time.
• DL Rake Factor: Set the DL rake factor. This enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on DL.
The rake efficiency factor, used for calculating recombination in uplink has to be set in the
site equipment properties. For information on setting site equipment properties, see
"Creating Site Equipment" on page 707.
• CDMA Rho factor (%): This parameter enables Atoll to take into account the self-interference produced by the
terminal. Because hardware equipment is not perfect, the input signal experiences some distortion which affects,
in turn, the output signal. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means
the system is perfect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% equal to the input signal. On the
other hand, if you specify a value different than 100%, Atoll considers that the transmitted energy is not 100%
signal and contains a small percentage of interference generated by the equipment, i.e., self-interference. Atoll
considers this parameter to calculate the signal to noise ratio in the uplink.
• Compressed Mode Supported: Check the Compressed Mode Supported check box if the terminal uses com-
pressed mode. Compressed mode is generally used to prepare hard-handover of users with single receiver termi-
nals.
Under Frequency Bands:
• Main Band: Select the frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise Figure
for the main frequency.
• Secondary Band: Select a second frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal
Noise Figure for the second frequency. Leave the Secondary Band field empty if the terminal works only on one
frequency band.
• Third Band: Select a third frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise
Figure for the third frequency. Leave the Third Band field empty if the terminal works only on two frequency
bands.
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There are two different ways of defining multi-band terminals. Depending on the configu-
ration, Atoll processes multi-band terminal users differently in the Monte Carlo simula-
tion.
• The first method consists of defining main, secondary and third frequency bands.
This enables you to give different priorities to the frequency bands in the Monte
Carlo simulation (the main frequency band will have the highest priority). A user
with such a tri-band terminal will be connected to transmitters using the main fre-
quency band if carriers on this frequency band are not overloaded. In case of over-
loading, he will be connected to transmitters using the secondary frequency band
and so on.
• The second consists of selecting "All" as main frequency band. This means that the
terminal works on any frequency band without any priority. In this case, the user
can be connected to transmitters using any frequency band.
In coverage predictions, both configurations give the same results. The priority of
frequency bands is not taken into account.
Select the type of HSPA Support the terminal has: None (i.e., R99 support only), HSDPA (i.e., single-band HSDPA and
R99 in the uplink), HSPA (i.e., single-band HSDPA and HSUPA), DB-HSDPA (i.e., dual-band HSDPA and R99 in the uplink)
or DB-HSPA (i.e., dual-band HSDPA and single-band HSUPA). If you select DB-HSDPA or DB-HSPA, make sure that you
have defined a terminal compatible with several frequency bands.
If the terminal supports HSDPA, you can define the HSDPA parameters under HSDPA:
• UE Category: Select the HSDPA user equipment category of the terminal.
• MUD Factor: Enter a multi-user detection factor (MUD). MUD is based on an algorithm used to improve mobile
receiver capacity. It reduces intra-cell interference and allows for higher Ec⁄Nt. MUD is modelled by a coefficient
from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in calculating DL interference. If MUD is not supported, enter "0."
• Number of Reception Antenna Ports: Select the number of reception antenna ports available on the terminal for
MIMO.
If the terminal supports HSUPA, you can define the HSUPA parameters under HSUPA:
• UE Category: Select the HSUPA user equipment category of the terminal.
7. Click OK.
You can model terminals with the following capabilities:
Terminal DL Connection UL Connection
R99 R99
HSDPA terminal 1 HSDPA carrier
1 frequency band 1 frequency band
R99 R99
HSPA terminal 1 HSDPA carrier 1 HSUPA carrier
R99 R99
DC-HSPA terminal 2 HSDPA carriers 2 HSUPA carriers
R99 R99
MC-HSPA terminal 8 HSDPA carriers 2 HSUPA carriers
R99 R99
DB-MC-HSPA terminal 8 HSDPA carriers 2 HSUPA carriers
2 frequency bands 1 frequency band
To model the various terminals listed above, you have to set the following parameters:
• HSDPA terminal: Select "HSDPA" as the HSPA support and an HSDPA UE category from Category 1 to 20.
• HSPA terminal: Select "HSPA" as the HSPA support, choose an HSDPA UE category from Category 1 to 20, and an
HSUPA UE category from Category 1 to 8.
• DC-HSPA terminal (dual-cell HSPA): Choose "HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE category from Category
21 to 28, and a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9.
• MC-HSPA (multi-cell HSPA) terminal: Choose "HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE category from Cate-
gory 21 to 36, and a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9.
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• DB-MC-HSPA (dual-band multi-cell HSPA) terminal: Choose "DB-HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE cat-
egory from Category 21 to 36, a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9, and define at least two Frequency
bands.
Glossary
In the rest of this document, the following terms describe the users and the services:
• R99 users: The Circuit (R99) and Packet (R99) service users. These require an R99 bearer.
• HSDPA users: The users that only support HSDPA. These have an HSDPA-capable terminal and one of the following
services:
• Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort),
• Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate).
HSDPA users require an R99 bearer (i.e. the A-DPCH radio bearer) and an HSDPA bearer.
• HSPA users: The users that support both HSDPA and HSUPA. These have an HSPA-capable terminal and one of the
following services:
• Packet (HSPA - Best Effort),
• Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate),
• Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate).
HSPA users require an R99 bearer (i.e. the E-DPCCH/A-DPCH radio bearer), an HSDPA bearer and an HSUPA bearer.
• DC-HSPA users: The dual-cell HSPA users. Users with DC-HSPA-capable terminals that can simultaneously connect to
two HSPA cells of the transmitter for data transfer. The R99 A-DPCH bearer is transmitted on one of the cells, which
is called the anchor cell. The user can be assigned HSDPA and HSUPA bearers in each of the cells.
• MC-HSPA users: The multi-cell HSPA users. Users with MC-HSPA-capable terminals that can simultaneously connect
to several HSPA cells of the transmitter for data transfer. The R99 A-DPCH bearer is transmitted on one of the cells,
which is called the anchor cell. The user can be assigned HSDPA and HSUPA bearers in each of the cells.
• DB-MC-HSPA users: The dual-band multi-cell HSPA users. Users with DB-MC-HSPA-capable terminals that can simul-
taneously connect to several HSPA cells on co-site transmitters using different frequency bands. The R99 A-DPCH
bearer is transmitted on one of the cells, which is called the anchor cell. The user can be assigned HSDPA and HSUPA
bearers in each of the cells.
• BE services: Best Effort services.
• VBR services: Variable Bit Rate services.
• CBR services: Constant Bit Rate services. CBR services do not support multi-cell mode.
7.2.9.2.2 Setting the UL Load Factor and the DL Total Power

If you are setting the UL load factor and the DL total power for a single transmitter, you can set these parameters on the Cells
tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. However, you can set the UL load factor and the DL total power for all cells
using the Cells table.
To set the UL load factor and the DL total power using the Cells table:
3. Select Cells > Open Table from the context menu. The Cells table appears.
4. Enter a value in the following columns:
• Total Power (dBm)
• UL Load Factor (%)
For a definition of the values, see "Cell Description" on page 533.
To enter the same values in one column for all cells in the table:
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7.2.9.2.3 Studying Pilot Signal Quality

A pilot signal quality prediction enables you to identify areas where there is at least one transmitter whose pilot quality is
received sufficiently well to be added to the probe mobile active set.
Atoll calculates the best pilot quality received on each pixel where the pilot signal level exceeds the defined minimum RSCP
threshold. Then, depending on the coverage prediction definition, it compares this value either to the Ec⁄I0 threshold defined
for the selected mobility type, or to user-defined Ec⁄I0 thresholds. The pixel is coloured if the condition is fulfilled (in other
words, if the best Ec⁄I0 is higher than the Ec⁄I0 mobility threshold or specified Ec⁄I0 thresholds).
To make a pilot signal quality prediction:
4. Select Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) and click OK. The Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 7.23).
Select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL load factor and the DL
total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the
"Best (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site
equipment.
If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
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Figure 7.21: Load condition settings for a coverage prediction on pilot quality

For a pilot signal quality prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Ec⁄I0 (dB)" is selected by
default. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the pilot signal quality. For information on defining display
properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
• Where at least one transmitter is in the active set: Select "Unique" as the Display Type.
• Where at least one transmitter is in the active set, with information on the best server: Select "Discrete Value"
as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field.
• The pilot signal level: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec (dBm)" as the Field.
• The pilot quality relative to the Ec⁄I0 threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec⁄I0 margin
(dB)" as the Field.
later:
7.2.9.2.4 Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)

Atoll calculates the traffic channel quality (as defined by Eb⁄Nt) when using the maximum power allowed, i.e., the maximum
traffic channel power allowed per cell for downlink and the maximum terminal power for uplink. In the coverage prediction,
the downlink or uplink service area is limited by the maximum power allowed and by the pilot quality. If the received pilot
quality is insufficient, Atoll will not display the traffic channel quality. The mobile handover status is taken in consideration to
evaluate the downlink and uplink traffic channel quality (Eb⁄Nt). Atoll combines the signal from each transmitter in the probe
mobile active set.
To make a coverage prediction on service area (Eb/Nt) downlink or uplink:
4. Select one of the following predictions and click OK:
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL)
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on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL load
factor and the DL total power defined in the cell properties.
equipment.
If you want the service area (Eb⁄Nt) coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the service area (Eb⁄Nt) prediction to take into consid-
eration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected service
supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
Figure 7.22: Load condition settings for a service area (Eb/Nt) prediction

For a service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max Eb⁄Nt (dB)"
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (Eb⁄Nt) downlink or uplink
prediction makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality. For infor-
mation on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
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• The traffic channel quality relative to the Eb⁄Nt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and
"Eb⁄Nt Margin (dB)" as the Field.
• The power required to reach the Eb⁄Nt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Required
Power (dB)" as the Field.
• Where traffic channel quality exceeds the Eb⁄Nt threshold for each mobility type: On the Conditions tab, select
"All" as the Mobility Type. The parameters on the Display tab are automatically set.
For a service area (Eb⁄Nt) (DL) coverage prediction, you can also display the following results:
• The R99 effective RLC throughput: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Effective RLC Throughput
(kbps)" as the Field.
• The R99 application throughput: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Application Throughput (kbps)"
as the Field.
For a service area (Eb⁄Nt) (UL) coverage prediction, you can also display the following result:
• The gain due to soft handover: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Soft Handover Gain" as the Field.
later:
7.2.9.2.5 Studying the Effective Service Area

The effective service area is the intersection zone between the pilot reception area, and the uplink and downlink service areas.
In other words, the effective service area prediction calculates where a service actually is available for the probe mobile.
To make an effective service area prediction:
4. Select Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL+UL) and click OK. The Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt)
(DL+UL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
"Best" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
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If you want the effective service area prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the effective service area prediction to take into consid-
eration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected service
supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
Figure 7.23: Load condition settings for an effective service area (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL) prediction

For an effective service area prediction, the Display Type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service actually is available for the probe mobile. For information on defining display properties, see
"Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
7.2.9.2.6 Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicators

You can create a quality prediction based on a given quality indicators (BER, BLER, or FER). The coverage prediction will show
for each pixel the measurement of the selected quality indicator.
This type of coverage prediction is not available in the list of standard predictions; you can, however, use quality indicators in
a prediction by first ensuring that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set and then creating a cover-
age prediction, selecting display parameters that use these quality indicators.
Before you define the quality prediction, you must ensure that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly
set.
To check the parameters of the quality indicators:
3. Right-click Quality Indicators. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Quality Indicators table appears.
For each quality indicator in the Name column, you can set the following parameters:
• Used for Packet Services: Select the Used for Packet Services check box if the quality indicator is to be used for
packet services.
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• Used for Circuit Services: Select the Used for Circuit Services check box if the quality indicator is to be used for
circuit services.
• Measured Parameter for Quality Indicator: From the list, select the parameter that will be measured to indicate
quality.
• Interpolated Quality Indicator: Select the Interpolated Quality Indicator check box if you want Atoll to interpo-
late between two existing QI values. Clear the Interpolated Quality Indicator check box if you want Atoll to take
the closest QI value.
5. Close the Quality Indicators table.
6. In the UMTS Network Settings folder, right-click the Reception Equipment folder. The context menu appears.
7. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Reception Equipment table appears.
"Standard" is the default reception equipment type for all terminals.
8. Double-click the reception equipment type for which you want to verify the correspondence between the measured
quality and the quality indicator. The reception equipment type’s Properties dialog box appears.
9. Click the Quality Graphs tab.
10. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each R99 Bearer. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
Indicator Tables by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graphs or the Uplink Quality Graphs buttons.
11. Click OK to close the reception equipment type’s Properties dialog box.
Once you have ensured that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set, you can use the measured qual-
ity to create a quality prediction. How you define a coverage prediction according to the measured quality indicator depends
several parameters:
• The settings made in the Quality Indicators table
• The service you want to study
• The quality indicator you want to use (BER, BLER, or FER)
• The coverage prediction you want to use (Pilot Quality Analysis Downlink, the Service Area Analysis Downlink, or Ser-
vice Area Analysis Uplink).
In the following example, you will create a quality prediction showing BLER, for a user on foot, and with mobile internet access.
To create a quality prediction showing BLER for a user on foot, and with mobile internet access:
4. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL) and click OK. The Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL) Properties dialog box
appears.
on page 100.
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• Terminal: Select the appropriate terminal for mobile Internet access from the Terminal list.
• Service: Select "Mobile Internet Access" from the Service list.
• Mobility: Select "Pedestrian" from the Mobility list.
• Carrier: Select a specific carrier or "Best (All/Main/Second/Third band)" to have the carrier selected according to
the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
If you want the service area (Eb⁄Nt) (DL) prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the service area (Eb⁄Nt) downlink prediction to take into
consideration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected
service supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
Select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "BLER" as the Field. The exact field value will depend on the name
given in the Quality Indicators table. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of
Objects" on page 47.
later:
Atoll calculates for each pixel the DL traffic channel quality (Eb⁄Nt) (provided when using the maximum traffic channel power
allowed). Then, it calculates the corresponding BLER value from the quality graph (BLER=f(DL Eb⁄Nt)). The pixel is coloured if
the condition is fulfilled (i.e., if BLER is evaluated as being higher than the specified threshold).
The BLER is also used in the service area (DL) prediction (as described in "Studying Down-
link and Uplink Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 577) in order to evaluate R99 peak RLC and
application throughputs.
7.2.9.2.7 Studying the Total Noise Level on the Downlink

In the coverage by total noise level (DL) prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the downlink total noise or
the downlink noise rise exceeds a set threshold.
To make a downlink total noise or downlink noise rise prediction:
4. Select Total Noise Level Analysis (DL) and click OK. The Total Noise Level Analysis (DL) dialog box appears.
on page 100.
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You must select a Terminal, and Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569. You must also select
which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the "Best" carrier
selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
clutter class.
For a downlink total noise or downlink noise rise prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default.
The Field you choose determines which information the downlink total noise or downlink noise rise prediction makes
available.
• Coverage by total noise on the downlink: When making a prediction on the total noise level on the downlink,
select one of the following in the Field list:
• Min. Noise Level
• Average Noise Level
• Max Noise Level
• Coverage by noise rise on the downlink: When making a prediction on the noise rise on the downlink, select one
of the following in the Field list:
• Min. Noise Rise
• Average Noise Rise
• Max Noise Rise
later:
7.2.9.2.8 Studying Pilot Pollution

A transmitter which fulfils all the criteria to enter a mobile’s active set but which is not admitted because the active set limit
has already been reached is considered a polluter.
In the Pilot Pollution Analysis prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the probe mobile is interfered by the
pilot signal from polluter transmitters.
To make a pilot pollution prediction:
4. Select Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL) and click OK. The Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
583
on page 100.
If you want the pilot pollution prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
clutter class.
For a Pilot Pollution Analysis prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" and the Field "Number of Polluters" are
selected by default. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
7.2.9.2.9 Studying Inter-technology Downlink Interference

In the inter-technology downlink noise prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the downlink noise or noise
rise from external base stations and mobiles exceeds a set threshold. For more information on the modelling of inter-technol-
ogy interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 714.
To make an inter-technology downlink noise or noise rise prediction:
4. Select Inter-technology Interference Level Analysis (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box
appears.
584
on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab.
Select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation.
You must select a Terminal and a Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569. You must also select
which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the "Best" carrier
selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
If you want the prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and
enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
clutter class.
The Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the
prediction makes available, Noise Level or Noise Rise. For information on defining display properties, see "Display
Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
7.2.9.2.10 Making a Handoff Status Coverage Prediction

In the handoff status coverage prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the zones where a handoff can be made. For a hand-
over to be possible, there must be a potential active transmitter, i.e., a transmitter that fulfils all the criteria to enter the
mobile active set, and the service chosen by the user must be available.
You can also use the handoff status coverage prediction to display the number of potential active transmitters.
To make a handoff status coverage prediction:
4. Select Handoff Zones (DL) and click OK. The Handoff Zones (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
585
on page 100.
equipment.
If you want the handoff status coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
clutter class.
7. Click the Display tab. The settings you select on the Display tab determine the information that the coverage predic-
tion will display.
To display the handoff status:
a. Select "Discrete Values" from the Display Type list.
b. Select "Status" from the Field list. Depending on the active set size of the terminal and the service capabilities in
terms of soft handover, the coverage prediction can display the following values:
• No handoff: one cell in the mobile active set.
• Softer: two cells in the mobile active set belonging to the same site.
• Soft: two cells in the mobile active set, one from Site A and the other from Site B.
• Softer-Softer: three cells in the mobile active set, belonging to the same site.
• Softer-Soft: three cells in the mobile active set, two from Site A and the third one from Site B.
• Soft-Soft: three cells in the mobile active set, one from Site A, one from Site B and one from Site C.
• Not connected: no cell in the mobile active set.
To display the number of potential active transmitters:
a. Select "Value Intervals" from the Display Type list.
b. Select "Potential Active Transmitters" from the Field list. The coverage prediction will display the number of po-
tential active transmitters.
later:
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7.2.9.3 HSDPA Coverage Predictions

The HSDPA predictions allow you to study many HSDPA-related parameters, depending on the parameters defined. Each
HSDPA bearer user is associated to an R99-dedicated channel A-DPCH in the uplink and downlink, and must first initiate a A-
DPCH connection in order to be able to use HSDPA channels. In the coverage prediction, the HSDPA service area is limited by
the pilot quality and the A-DPCH quality. The parameters used as input for the HSDPA coverage predictions are the available
HSDPA power, and the total transmitted power for each cell. If the coverage prediction is not based on a simulation, these
values are taken from the cell properties. For information about the cell parameters, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on
page 537. For information on the formulas used to calculate different throughputs, see the Technical Reference Guide.
To make an HSDPA coverage prediction:
4. Select HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (DL) and click OK. The HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (DL)
Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
You must select a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569. For an HSDPA coverage predic-
tion, under Terminal, you must chose an HSDPA-capable terminal and, under Service, you must chose a service with
HSDPA.
You must also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or
for the "Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined
for the site equipment.
Under HSDPA radio bearer, select either "All" to consider all possible HSDPA radio bearers in the prediction or an
HSDPA radio bearer index to calculate a prediction for a certain bearer. Display options available in the Display tab
depend on what you have selected here.
You can set the following parameters:
• To model a DC-HSPA user: Select a DC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with HSPA, and
"Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" as the carrier.
• To model a MC-HSPA user: Select a MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with HSPA,
and "Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" as the carrier.
• To model a DB-MC-HSPA user: Select a DB-MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with
HSPA, and "Best HSPA (All bands)" as the carrier.
If you want to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percent-
age in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
587
clutter class.
tion will display.
If you have selected "All" as the HSDPA radio bearer in the Conditions tab, you can set the following parameters:
• To analyse the uplink and downlink A-DPCH qualities on the map:
• The maximum DL A-DPCH quality relative to the Eb⁄Nt threshold: Select "Max DL A-DPCH Eb⁄Nt (dB)" as the
Field. Atoll determines downlink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum traffic channel power al-
lowed for the best server.
• The maximum UL A-DPCH quality relative to the Eb⁄Nt threshold: Select "Max UL A-DPCH Eb⁄Nt (dB)" as the
Field. Atoll determines uplink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum terminal power allowed.
• To analyse the HS-SCCH quality or power:
• The HS-SCCH power per HS-SCCH channel relative to the power threshold: Select "HS-SCCH Power (dBm)" as
the Field. This display option is relevant only if HS-SCCH power is allocated dynamically.
• The HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt per HS-SCCH channel relative to the Ec⁄Nt threshold: Select "HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt (dBm)" as the
Field. This display option is relevant only if HS-SCCH power is allocated statically.
• To model fast link adaptation for a single HSDPA bearer user or for a defined number of HSDPA bearer users:
For a single HSDPA bearer user, Atoll considers one HSDPA bearer user on each pixel and determines the best HS-
DPA bearer that the user can obtain by considering the entire available HSDPA power of the cell.
• The HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt relative to the Ec⁄Nt threshold: Select "HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt" as the Field. Atoll calculates
the best HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt on each pixel.
• The channel quality indicator (CQI) relative to the Ec⁄Nt threshold: Select "CQI" as the Field. Atoll displays
either the CPICH CQI or the HS-PDSCH CQI, depending on the option selected under HSDPA on the Global
Parameters tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box (see "The Options of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box" on page 704).
If you are modelling an MC-HSPA user, the best carrier is determined according to the carrier selection criterion
defined in the site equipment. The secondary carriers must belong to the same transmitter and are chosen among
the adjacent carriers according to the CQI. When two adjacent carriers are available, the one with the highest CQI
value is selected. Atoll selects secondary cells as long as HSDPA carriers are available in the transmitter and the
maximum number of cells to which the user can simultaneously connect is not exceeded.
If you are modelling a DB-MC-HSPA user, the best carrier among all supported frequency bands is selected accord-
ing to the carrier selection criterion defined in the site equipment. The secondary cells are taken in the same band
as the best carrier (i.e., they belong to the same transmitter), as long as carriers are available. Then, if additional
carriers are required and if there are no more carriers available in this transmitter, Atoll selects the carriers in a
transmitter using the second frequency band. Within one frequency band, the secondary cells are first selected
according to an adjacency criterion and then, according to the CQI value. When two adjacent carriers are available,
Atoll takes the one with the highest CQI value.
For MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users, all selected carriers are taken into consideration to calculate the through-
puts.
• The peak MAC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
calculates the peak MAC throughput from the transport block size of the selected HSDPA bearer.
• The Effective MAC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Effective MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the
Field. The Effective MAC throughput is calculated from the peak MAC throughput.
• The peak RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
displays the peak RLC throughput that the selected HSDPA bearer can be supplied with. The peak RLC through-
put is a characteristic of the HSDPA bearer.
• The effective RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Effective RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
Atoll calculates the effective RLC throughput from the peak RLC throughput.
• The average effective RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average Effective RLC Throughput
(kbps)" as the Field.
• The application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
Using the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor, and the throughput offset, Atoll
calculates the application throughput. The application throughput represents the net throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.).
In order to be covered, VBR service users have to obtain an HSDPA bearer with a peak RLC throughput exceeding
their minimum throughput demands. When the peak RLC throughput of the best HSDPA bearer exceeds the user
maximum throughput demand, the HSDPA bearer is downgraded until the peak RLC throughput is lower than the
maximum throughput demand.
MC-HSPA users with VBR services are not covered if they cannot obtain the minimum throughput demand on their
best carrier.
588
Atoll can consider several HSDPA bearer users per pixel. When the coverage prediction is not based on a simula-
tion, this value is taken from the cell properties. Atoll considers the defined number of HSDPA bearer users on
each pixel and determines the best HSDPA bearer that each user can obtain. The coverage prediction results dis-
played are the average results for one user. The available HSDPA power of the cell is shared between the HSDPA
bearer users. If you are modelling a single-band or DB-MC-HSPA user (where n is the number of cells to which the
user is connected), the following throughputs are calculated for the n best carriers depending on the carrier se-
lection criterion defined in the site equipment.
You can display the following results:
• The average effective MAC throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Effective MAC Throughput
per User (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average MAC throughput per user from the from the MAC
throughput of each user.
• The average effective RLC throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Effective RLC Throughput
per User (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average RLC throughput per user from the RLC throughput
of each user.
• The average application throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput per
User (kbps)" as the Field. Using the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor, and the
throughput offset, Atoll calculates the average application throughput per user from the application through-
put of each user.
If you have selected an HSDPA radio bearer index as the HSDPA Radio Bearer on the Conditions tab, you can display
the following results:
• Where a certain peak RLC throughput is available with different cell edge coverage probabilities: On the Condi-
tions tab, do not take shadowing into consideration and select a specific HSDPA radio bearer index. On the Display
tab, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Cell Edge Coverage Probability (%)" is selected by
default.
When no value is defined in the Cells table for the total transmitted power and the number of HSDPA bearer users,
Atoll uses the following default values:
• Total transmitted power = 50% of the maximum power (i.e, 40 dBm if the maximum power is set to 43 dBm)
• Number of HSDPA bearer users = 1
On the other hand, no default value is used for the available HSDPA power; this parameter must be defined by the
user.
For information on selecting the best bearer, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on defining display
later:
7.2.9.4 HSUPA Coverage Predictions

The HSUPA coverage prediction allows you to study several HSUPA-related parameters. Each HSUPA bearer user is associated
with an R99-dedicated traffic channel in the downlink and uplink (i.e., the ADPCH-EDPCCH R99 bearer), and must first initiate
this connection in order to be able to use HSUPA channels. In the coverage prediction, the HSUPA service area is limited by
the pilot quality and ADPCH-EDPCCH quality. The parameters used as input for the HSUPA predictions are the uplink load
factor the uplink reuse factor, the uplink load factor due to HSUPA and the maximum uplink load factor for each cell. If the
coverage prediction is not based on a simulation, these values are taken from the cell properties. For information about the
cell parameters, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537. For information on the formulas used to calculate required
E-DPDCH Ec/Nt, required terminal power, and different throughputs, see the Technical Reference Guide.
To make an HSUPA coverage prediction:
4. Select HSUPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (UL) and click OK. The HSUPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (UL)
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on page 100.
You must select a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569. For an HSUPA coverage predic-
tion, under Terminal, you must chose an HSUPA-capable terminal and, under Service, you must chose a service with
HSUPA.
You must also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or
for the "Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined
for the site equipment.
You can set the following parameters:
• To model a DC-HSPA user: Select a DC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with HSPA, and
"Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" as the carrier.
• To model a MC-HSPA user: Select a MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with HSPA,
and "Best HSPA (All/Main/Second/Third band)" as the carrier.
• To model a DB-MC-HSPA user: Select a DB-MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with
HSPA, and "Best HSPA (All bands)" as the carrier.
HSUPA Resources: Atoll can calculate the HSUPA coverage prediction in one of two ways:
• For a single user: After allocating capacity to all R99 users, the entire remaining load will be allocated to a single
HSUPA bearer user.
• Shared by HSUPA users defined or calculated per cell: After allocating capacity to all R99 users, the remaining
load of the cell will be shared equally between all the HSUPA bearer users. When the coverage prediction is not
based on a simulation, the number of HSUPA bearer users is taken from the cell properties. The displayed results
of the coverage prediction will be for one user.
If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check
box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
clutter class.
When no value is defined in the Cells table, Atoll uses the following default values for input parameters:
• Uplink load factor = 50%
• Uplink reuse factor = 1
• Uplink load factor due to HSUPA = 0%
• Maximum uplink load factor = 75%
• Number of HSUPA users = 1
tion will display. You can set parameters to display the following results:
• The required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt relative to the threshold: Select "Required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt (dB)" as the Field. Atoll
selects the best HSUPA bearer whose required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt does not exceed the maximum E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt
allowed. The required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt is a property of the selected HSUPA bearer.
• The power required for the selected terminal relative to the threshold: Select "Required Terminal Power (dBm)"
as the Field. Atoll calculates the required terminal power from the required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt.
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• The peak MAC Throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll cal-
culates the peak MAC throughput from the transport block size of the selected HSUPA bearer.
• The peak RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll dis-
plays the peak RLC throughput that the selected HSUPA bearer can supply. The peak RLC throughput is a property
of the HSUPA bearer.
• The guaranteed RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Min RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
• The average RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
calculates the average RLC throughput on the uplink using the early termination probabilities, defined in the ter-
minal’s reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
• The application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Using
the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSUPA service scaling factor, and the throughput offset, Atoll calculates
the application throughput. The application throughput represents the net throughput without coding (redun-
dancy, overhead, addressing, etc.).
• The average application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average Application Throughput (kbps)" as
the Field. Atoll calculates the average application throughput on the uplink using the early termination probabil-
ities, defined in the terminal’s reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
To be connected to two carriers in the uplink, DC-HSPA, MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users must first initiate a connec-
tion to several carriers in the downlink. The best carrier is the one selected in the downlink. The secondary carrier
belongs to the same transmitter; it is the second best carrier among the adjacent carriers selected in the downlink. All
selected carriers are taken into consideration to calculate the throughputs.
In order to be covered, VBR users have to obtain an HSUPA bearer with a peak RLC throughput exceeding their mini-
mum throughput demands. When the peak RLC throughput of the best HSUPA bearer exceeds the user maximum
throughput demand, the HSUPA bearer is downgraded until the peak RLC throughput is lower than the maximum
throughput demand.
DC-HSPA, MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users with VBR services are not covered if they cannot obtain the minimum
throughput demand on their best carrier.
For information on selecting the best bearer, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on defining display
later:

created the coverage prediction (step 6. of "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 562). If several
coverage predictions are visible on the map, it might be difficult to clearly see the results of the coverage prediction you want
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using Tip Text" on page 591

7.2.9.5.2 Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using Tip Text

prediction (step 6. of "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 562).
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Figure 7.24: Displaying coverage prediction results using the tip text

The focus zone and hot spots define an area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you can
only have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus zone and hot spots. The computation zone defines the area
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo, power control simulations, etc., while the focus
zone and hot spots are the areas taken into consideration when generating reports and results. When you create a coverage
prediction report, it gives the results for the focus zone and for each of the defined hot spots.
3. Right-click the Focus Zone or Hot Spots, depending on whether you want to create a focus zone or a hot spot. The
• Draw Polygon
direction.
• Draw Rectangle
You can also create a focus zone or hot spot as follows:
• Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon on the map as a focus zone or hot spot by right-clicking it and
selecting Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine an existing focus
zone or hot spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the explorer window and selecting Add
To > Hot Spot or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
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area, you can import it and use it as a focus zone or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone folder
or Hot Spots in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can
import the name given to each zone as well.
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a focus zone or hot spot the size of the map window by selecting Fit Zone
to Map Window from the context menu.
You can save the focus zone or hot spots in the following ways, so that you can use it in a
different Atoll document:
page 105.
You can include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spot by importing a popula-
tion map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data
File" on page 144.

dialog box.
on page 81.
to move it down.
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to move it down.
displayed.
lation map:
5. Click OK.
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on page 163.


tics.
or percentage.
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7.2.9.8 Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis

Once you have completed a prediction, you can use the Point Analysis tool to verify it. If you do, before you make the point
analysis, ensure the coverage prediction you want to verify is displayed on the map.
• "Studying Signal Reception" on page 596
• "Making an Active Set Analysis" on page 597
• "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 598
7.2.9.8.1 Studying Signal Reception

The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the pilot signal levels for any point on the map. The
analysis is provided for a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and
uplink load conditions can be taken from the Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
To make a reception analysis:
2. At the top of the Point Analysis window, select the Reception view (see Figure 7.26).
The predicted signal level from the transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from the
highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The name of the transmitter is followed by
the carrier number (between parentheses). Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents. In the
map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they repre-
sent. A thick black line from the pointer to its best server is also displayed in the map window. The best server of the
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pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal
level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
3. At the top of the Reception view, select the carrier to be analysed. You can make the prediction for a specific carrier,
or select "Best (All Bands/Specific Band)" to consider the best carrier of all bands or the best carrier of a particular
band.
Figure 7.26: Point Analysis - Reception view
• : Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. You can change the following:
per clutter class.
If you wish to get the details about the received signal levels and quality in the form of a table, you can use the Details view
of the Point Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 598).
7.2.9.8.2 Making an Active Set Analysis

The AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window gives you information on the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) (which is the main param-
eter used to define the mobile active set), the connection status, and the active set of the probe mobile. Results are displayed
for any point of the map where the pilot signal level exceeds the defined minimum RSCP. The analysis is provided for a user-
definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
For information on the criteria for belonging to the active set, see "Conditions for Entering the Active Set" on page 713.
To make an active set analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears (see Figure 7.28).
2. Select the AS Analysis view at the top of the Point Analysis window.
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making an AS analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Select the Carrier to be considered. You can make the AS analysis for a specific carrier or for the "Best (All/Main/
Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
c. Select the Bearer downgrading check box if bearer downgrading was selected in the coverage prediction. When
downgrading is enabled and if the selected service supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the low-
est radio bearer.
d. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
• Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
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e. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.

5. Move the pointer over the map to make an active set analysis for the current location of the pointer.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 7.27).
Figure 7.27: Point analysis on the map
Information on the current position is given on the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 7.28 for
an explanation of the displayed information.
Figure 7.28: Point Analysis Tool - AS Analysis view
The bar graph displays the following information:

• The pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) of all transmitters using the selected carrier (the colour of the bar corresponds to the
colour of the transmitter on the map).
• The thresholds of the active set (Ec⁄I0 threshold, best server active set threshold). The portion of the graph with
the grey background indicates the transmitters in the active set.
• The pilot and the availability of service on UL, DL, HSDPA, and HSUPA.
If there is at least one successful connection (for pilot, DL, UL, HSDPA, or HSUPA), double-clicking the icons in the right-
hand frame will open a dialog box with additional information.
6. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position.
To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
7. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
7.2.9.8.3 Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality

In Atoll, you can get details about the servers in the form of a table using the Point Analysis tool. The Details view gives you
information on signal levels, Ec/Io, and Eb/Nt on any point on the map. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe
receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and uplink load conditions can be taken from the Cells
table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
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To make a detailed analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the

2. Select the Details view.
3. At the top of the Details view, select "Cells table" from Load.
4. If you are making a detailed analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage
prediction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Click the Options button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
• Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
• Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a detailed analysis for the current location of the pointer.
The Details view displays the following information in the form of a table:
• Transmitter: The name of the transmitter from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed
in decreasing order of RSCP.
• Distance (m): The distance from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Scrambling Code: The scrambling code of the transmitter.
• Path Loss (dB): The path loss from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• RSCP (dBm): The received pilot signal level from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Ec/Io (dB): The Ec/Io from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Eb/Nt DL (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Eb/Nt UL (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
6. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.

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between them.
A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal
figure.
A new base station is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a UMTS Base
Station" on page 529, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 537. Once the new site base station been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would
be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Dupli-
cate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new site (see Figure 7.30).
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lution.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
In order to see what changes adding a new base station made, you should choose Difference.
base station.
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Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 7.33).
coverage, you can compare the two predictions.
lution.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase
in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
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5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 7.34, shows clearly the increase in coverage due to the
7.2.9.10 Making a Multi-Point Analysis

In Atoll, you can carry out calculations on lists of points representing subscribers and analyse them. These analyses can be
useful for verifying network QoS at subscriber locations in case of incidents (call drops, low throughputs, etc.) reported by
users. Moreover, some user equipment may feed back a number of network measurements at their locations. This may help
verify network quality without the need for measurement campaigns at the expense of the operator.
A number of parameters are calculated for each point, not just for the best server but for all potential servers. These param-
eters include the path loss, RSCP, Ec⁄Io, DL Eb⁄Nt, and UL Eb⁄Nt. The load conditions are fixed by the user, either read from
the Cells table or from a traffic simulation. The results provided by this analysis are the same as available for one point in the
Details view of the Point Analysis tool.
Shadowing margins are calculated for the cell edge coverage probability defined in the Properties dialog box of the Point
Analysis tool. The Indoor Coverage check box in this dialog box is also taken into account.
All the points are considered to have the same height, which is the receiver height defined in the Properties dialog box of the
UMTS Network Settings folder, i.e., the receiver height at which path loss matrices are calculated.
• "Creating a Multi-point Analysis" on page 603.
• "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 604.
• "Adding Points to a Multi-point Analysis Using the Mouse" on page 605
• "Importing a List of Points in a Multi-point Analysis" on page 605
• "Exporting a List of Points from a Multi-point Analysis" on page 605
• "Creating Folders in the Multi-point Analysis Folder" on page 605.
• "Moving a Multi-point Analysis into a Folder" on page 606.
7.2.9.10.1 Creating a Multi-point Analysis

When you create a new multi-point analysis, you can set all the parameters that define it. The newly created analysis is not
automatically calculated.
To create a new multi-point analysis:
2. Right-click the Multi-point Analysis folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Analysis from the context menu. The Analysis N Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click the General tab. The following options are available:
• Name: The name of the analysis. You can change the name of the analysis if desired.
5. Click the Conditions tab. The following options are available:
• Load Conditions: Select the load conditions to be used in the analysis. If you select "(Cells Table)," the calculations
are not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation; Atoll will use the cell loads defined in the
cell properties.
603
When you base an analysis on simulations, you would select the simulations from the Load
Conditions list.
• Carrier: Select the carrier for which you want the analysis to be carried out. You can either select "Best" or one or
more carrier numbers from the list. The "Best" carrier will depend on the carrier selection method defined for the
site equipment.
• Bearer Downgrading: Select this check box if you want to permit bearer downgrading.
• Shadowing taken into account: Select this check box if you want to consider shadowing and enter a Cell Edge Cov-
erage Probability.
• Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class
6. Click the Points tab. Here you can create the list of points on which the multi-point analysis will be made. Each point
in the list is defined by its X and Y coordinates, a Height (m), a Service, a Terminal, and a Mobility. You can:
• Import a list of points. See "Importing a List of Points in a Multi-point Analysis" on page 605.
• Copy and paste an existing list of points.
• Create points in the list by editing the table: in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), create each point
by entering its X and Y coordinates and assigning it a service, a terminal, and a mobility.
• You can also create points using the mouse. For more information, See "Adding Points to a Multi-point Analysis
Using the Mouse" on page 605.
• The coordinates must be in the format used by the display coordinate system of the
document. For information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coor-
dinate System" on page 127.
7. Click the Display tab and define the display properties of multi-point analysis results. For information on changing dis-
play characteristics, see "Defining the Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
8. You can either run the new multi-point analysis immediately or you can create it and run it later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to run the analysis immediately. Once calculation is complete, a new Analysis N folder
appears under Multi-point Analysis in the Network explorer. For information on how to access the analysis
results, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 604.
• OK: Click OK to create the analysis without running it. Anew Analysis N folder appears under Multi-point Analysis
in the Network explorer.
7.2.9.10.2 Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results

To access the results of a multi-point analysis:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Multi-point Analysis folder.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the folder containing the analysis whose results you want to access.
4. Right-click the analysis. The context menu appears.
5. Select Analysis Results from the context menu. The Analysis N Properties dialog box appears. The results table
includes the following information:
• Position Id: Position ID of users who attempt to connect.
• X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect.
• Height (m): Height of users who attempt to connect.
• Service: The services assigned to the users.
• Terminal: The terminals assigned to the users.
• Mobility: The mobility types assigned to the users.
• Cell: Names of the potential serving cells.
• Distance (m): Distances from the potential serving cells.
• Path Loss (dB): Path losses corresponding to the potential serving cells.
• RSCP (dBm): Received Signal Code Powers corresponding to the potential serving cells.
• Ec/Io (dB): Ec/Io corresponding to the potential serving cells.
• DL Eb/Nt (dB): Downlink Eb/Nt corresponding to the potential serving cells.
• UL Eb/Nt (dB): Uplink Eb/Nt corresponding to the potential serving cells.
• Scrambling Code: Scrambling codes corresponding to the potential serving cells.
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To hide one or more columns in the Analysis N Properties dialog box, click the Actions
button and select Displayed Columns. In the Column to be Displayed dialog box, clear the
check boxes corresponding to the columns you want to hide.
6. Click Close.
7.2.9.10.3 Adding Points to a Multi-point Analysis Using the Mouse

You can use the mouse to add points to an existing multi-point analysis.
To add points to an existing multi-point analysis:
3. Right-click the Analysis N to which you want to add points. The context menu appears.
4. Select Add Points from the context menu. The pointer changes to point addition mode ( ).
5. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
6. Press ESC or click the New point button ( ) in the Vector Editor toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map.
For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 54.
7.2.9.10.4 Importing a List of Points in a Multi-point Analysis

You can import a list of points in an existing multi-point analysis.
To import a list of points in an existing multi-point analysis:
3. Right-click the Analysis N in which you want to import a list of points. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Analysis N Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the Points tab.
7. Select Import Table from the context menu. For more information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables
from Text Files" on page 88.
7.2.9.10.5 Exporting a List of Points from a Multi-point Analysis

Each list of points in a Atoll document is stored in a separate table. You can export a list of points to use it in another applica-
tion or in another Atoll document.
To export a list of points:
3. Right-click the Analysis N in which you want to import a list of points. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Analysis N Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the Points tab.
7. Select Export Table from the context menu. For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to
Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
7.2.9.10.6 Creating Folders in the Multi-point Analysis Folder

Atoll enables you to create folders under Multi-point Analysis in the Network explorer. Such folders may contain one or more
analyses carried out on one list of points. Atoll only allows one level of folders. Once you have created a folder under Multi-
point Analysis, you can move multi-point analyses into it. For more information, see "Moving a Multi-point Analysis into a
Folder" on page 606.
605
To create a folder under Multi-point Analysis:

2. Right-click the Multi-point Analysis folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Folder from the context menu. Atoll creates a new folder, "Folder<X>", under Multi-point Analysis where
"<X>" is a number assigned by Atoll sequentially, according to the number of folders with default names under Multi-
point Analysis.
7.2.9.10.7 Moving a Multi-point Analysis into a Folder

Once you have created folders under Multi-point Analysis as explained in "Creating Folders in the Multi-point Analysis Folder"
on page 605, you can organise the multi-point analyses by moving them into these folders. Atoll also allows you to move
multi-point analyses from one folder to another or from a folder to the main Multi-point Analysis folder.
To move a multi-point analysis from the main Multi-point Analysis folder to one of its folders:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of Multi-point Analysis to expand the folder.
3. Use drag-and-drop to move any multi-point analysis to the main Multi-point Analysis folder or to any of its folders.
To do that, drag the multi-point analysis over the Multi-point Analysis folder or over the name of the destination
folder and drop it.

You can set neighbours for each cell manually, or you can let Atoll automatically allocate neighbours, based on the parameters
that you define. When allocating neighbours, the cell to which you are allocating neighbours is referred to as the reference
cell. The cells that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours are referred to as possible neighbours. When allocating neighbours
to all active and filtered transmitters, Atoll allocates neighbours only to the cells within the focus zone and considers as possi-
ble neighbours all the active and filtered cells whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation
zone. If there is no focus zone, Atoll allocates neighbours only to the cells within the computation zone.
selected.
neighbours to base stations or transmitters as you add them. You can use automatic allocation on all cells in the document,
or you can define a group of cells either by using a focus zone or by grouping transmitters in the explorer window. For infor-
mation on creating a focus zone, see "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61. For information on grouping transmitters
Atoll supports the following neighbour types in a UMTS network:
• Intra-technology Neighbours: Intra-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that also use UMTS. Intra-
technology neighbours can be divided into:
• Intra-carrier Neighbours: Cells defined as neighbours which perform handover using the same carrier.
• Inter-carrier Neighbours: Cells defined as neighbours which perform handover using a different carrier.
• Inter-technology Neighbours: Inter-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that use a technology
other than UMTS. See "Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation" on page 687.
• "Allocating and Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours per Cell" on page 616
606

b. Right-click the UMTS Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
c. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology from the context menu, then Open Table. The Neighbours table appears.

In Atoll, you can define neighbour constraints that will be taken into consideration during the automatic allocation of neigh-
4. Right-click the cell for which you want to define neighbour constraints. The context menu appears.
5. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The cell’s Properties dialog box appears.
7. Under Exceptional Pairs, create a new exceptional pair in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ):
a. Click the Edit button on the bottom-right of the dialog box. The exceptional pair list becomes editable.
b. Select the cell from the list in the Neighbours column.
• Forced: The selected cell will always be a neighbour of the reference cell.
• Forbidden: The selected cell will never be a neighbour of the reference cell.
9. Click OK.
You can also create exceptional pairs using the Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs table.
You can open this table by right-clicking the UMTS Transmitters folder and selecting
Neighbours > Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu.

You can define the relative importance of the factors that Atoll will use to evaluate possible intra-carrier and inter-carrier
neighbours (for information on how Atoll calculates importance, see Technical Reference Guide).
Weighting dialog box appears with two tabs: Intra-carrier Neighbours and Inter-carrier Neighbours.
607
4. Select the Intra- or Inter-carrier Neighbours tab and set the following importance factors:
• Distance Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell being located within the
maximum distance from the reference cell.
sons.
• Adjacency Factor (intra-carrier only): Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell
being adjacent to the reference cell. The Adjacency Factor will be used if you select the Adjacent cells as neigh-
bours check box when defining automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neigh-
bours, see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 608.
• Co-site Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell being located on the same
site as reference cell. The Co-site Factor will be used if you select the Co-site cells as neighbours check box when
defining an automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neighbours, see "Allo-
cating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 608.
5. Click OK.

Atoll can automatically allocate both intra- and inter-carrier neighbours in a UMTS network. Atoll allocates neighbours based
By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can prevent Atoll from allocating inter-carrier
neighbours to cells located on sites where the equipment does not support compressed
mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
To automatically allocate intra- and inter-carrier UMTS neighbours:

4. Click the Intra-carrier Neighbours tab or the Inter-carrier Neighbours tab and set the following parameters:
• Max. Inter-site Distance: Define the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour.
Manual.
• Max. No. of Neighbours: Set the maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours that can be allocated to a cell. This
maximum value can either be defined here for all cells, or defined for each cell in the Cells table.
• Carriers to allocate: Select the carriers on which you want to run the allocation. You can choose one or more car-
riers; Atoll will allocate neighbours to cells using the selected carriers.
• Use Coverage Conditions: Clear this check box to use the distance criterion between neighbours and reference
cells (and go to the next step), or select it and click the Define button to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box
and change the following parameters:
• Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neigh-
bour allocation.
• Global min RSCP: Enter the minimum RSCP to be provided by the reference cell and the potential neighbour.
608
• Min Ec⁄Io: Enter the minimum Ec⁄I0 which must be provided by reference cell A in an overlapping area. Refer-
ence cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the overlapping area.
• Ec⁄Io Margin: Enter the maximum difference of Ec⁄I0 between reference cell A and possible neighbour cell B
in the overlapping area.
• DL Load Contributing to Io: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
the properties for each cell (Defined per Cell) or on a percentage of the maximum power (Global Value).
• Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select this check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• % Min. Covered Area: Enter the minimum, in percentage, that a possible neighbour cell’s coverage area must
overlap the reference cell’s coverage area.
• Under Force, you can select additional calculation parameters:
• Co-sites cells as neighbours: Select this check box if you want cells located on the same site as the reference
cell to be automatically considered as neighbours.
• Adjacent cells as neighbours ("Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only) Select this check box if you want cells that
are adjacent to the reference cell to be automatically considered as neighbours. A cell is considered adjacent
if there is at least one pixel in the reference cell’s coverage area where the possible neighbour cell is the best
server, or where the possible neighbour cell is the second best server in the reference cell’s active set.
• Symmetric relations: Select this check box if you want the neighbour relations to be reciprocal. In other words,
a reference cell will be a possible neighbour of all of the cells that are its neighbours.
If the neighbours list of a cell is full, the reference cell will not be added as a neighbour of
that cell and that cell will be removed from the reference cell’s neighbours list. You can
force Atoll to keep that cell in the reference cell’s neighbours list by adding an option in
• Exceptional pairs: Select this check box if you want to be able to force or forbid neighbour relations defined
in the Exceptional Pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Defining Intra-technology Excep-
tional Pairs" on page 607.
• Delete existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want Atoll to delete all current neighbours when allo-
cating neighbours. If you do not select the Delete existing neighbours check box, Atoll will not delete any
existing neighbours when automatically allocating neighbours; it will only add new neighbours to the list.
5. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating intra-carrier neighbours. Atoll first checks to see whether the
path loss matrices are valid before allocating neighbours. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates
them.
• Cell: The name of the reference cell.
• Number: The total number of neighbours allocated to the reference cell.
• Maximum Number: The maximum number of neighbours that the reference cell can have.
• Neighbour: The cell that will be allocated as a neighbour to the reference cell.
• Importance (%): The importance. For information on defining neighbour importance, see "Configuring Impor-
tance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 607.
to force Atoll to prioritise individual distances between reference cells and their respective
neighbour candidates. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
• Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated the possible neighbour cell, as identified in the Neighbour column, to the
reference cell, as identified in the Cell column.
• Co-site
• Adjacency (intra-carrier only)
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Existing
• Relation type: The type of the neighbour relation: intra-carrier or inter-carrier.
609
• Coverage: The amount of reference cell’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and square
kilometres.
• Adjacency (intra-carrier only): The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the
neighbour cell is best server or second best server.
6. Select the Commit check box for each neighbour you want to assign to a cell. You can use many of Atoll’s table short-
cuts, such as filtering and sorting. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on
page 76.
At this stage you can compare the automatic allocation results proposed by Atoll with the current neighbour list (exist-
ing neighbours) in your document:
• Click Compare. The list of automatically allocated neighbours (those whose Commit check box is selected) is com-
pared with the existing list of neighbours. A report of the comparison is displayed in a text file called Neighbours-
DeltaReport.txt, which appears at the end of the comparison. This file lists:
• The document name and the neighbour allocation type
results compared to the existing neighbour relations) and the list of these relations
7. Click Commit. All the neighbours whose Commit check box is selected are assigned to the reference cells. Neighbours
are listed on the Intra- or Inter-carrier Neighbours tab of each cell’s Properties dialog box.
distance with the effective inter-cell distance. As a consequence, there can be cases where
the real distance between assigned neighbours is higher than the Max inter-site distance,
because the effective distance is smaller. You can force Atoll to compare the Max inter-
site distance with the real inter-site distance by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file. For
• When Exceptional pairs and Symmetric relations options are selected, Atoll con-
siders the constraints between exceptional pairs in both directions in order to
respect symmetry. On the other hand, if the neighbour relation is forced in one
direction and forbidden in the other, symmetry cannot be respected and Atoll dis-
plays a warning in the Event Viewer.

When you create a new base station, you can let Atoll allocate neighbours to it automatically. Atoll considers the cells of the
new base station and other cells whose coverage area intersects with the coverage area of the cells of the new base station.
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology Neighbours > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic
Neighbour Allocation dialog box appears.
610

When you add a new transmitter, you can let Atoll allocate neighbours to it automatically. Atoll considers the cells of the new
transmitters and other cells whose coverage area intersects the coverage area of the cells of the new transmitter.

• "Displaying the Coverage of Each Neighbour of a Cell" on page 615.

tion (in other words, Atoll indicates which is the reference cell and which is the neighbour) and whether the neighbour rela-
tion is symmetric.
In co-planning mode, you can also display inter-technology neighbour relations to study
handover possibilities.
To display the neighbour relations of a cell on the map:
appears.
611
3. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display Links check box and click the Browse button beside it. The
Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.

• Unique: Select this option if you want to colour all neighbour links of a cell with a unique colour.
table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, relation type, or neighbour carrier. In this case, you can view
intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbour relations on the map.
When "Cell" or "Neighbour" is selected in the Field list, a neighbour link colour is deter-
mined automatically according to the colour of the source or target cell.
612
You can display the number of handoff attempts for each cell-neighbour pair by first
creating a new field of the Type "Integer" in the Intra-Technology Neighbour table for
the number of handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the
new column, you can select this field from the Field list along with "Value Intervals" as
the Display Type. For information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to
a Data Table" on page 78.
b. Select the Add to legend check box to add the displayed neighbour links to the legend.
c. Click the Browse button next to Tip text and select the neighbour characteristics to be displayed in the tip text.
5. Under Advanced, select the neighbour relations that you want to display:
• Outwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected cell is the refer-
ence cell and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Inwards non-symmetrical: Select this option to display neighbour relations where the selected cell is neighbour
and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Symmetric links: Select this option to display neighbour relations that are symmetric between the selected cell
and the neighbour.
tions of the selected cell.
appears.
10. Select Neighbours from the menu. The neighbours of a cell will be displayed when you select a transmitter.
map. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a
context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on
page 45). Atoll displays the selected transmitter in the Neighbours table if it is open.
613
Atoll displays the following information for the selected cell (e.g. "Site22_3(0)" in Figure 7.39):
• Symmetric neighbour relations of the selected cell are indicated by a simple line, e.g. Site20_1(0).
• Outward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the neighbour, e.g. Site1_2(0).
• Inward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing to the reference cell, e.g. Site9_3(0).
As shown in Figure 7.39, neighbour links are coloured according to which cell is the neighbour:
• The symmetric and outward links for Site22_3(0) are coloured like the neighbours, i.e. Site20_1(0) and Site1_2(0).
• The inward links for Site22_3(0) are coloured like the reference cell, i.e. Site22_3(0) is a neighbour of Site9_3(0).
In Figure 7.40, neighbour links are displayed according to the neighbour carrier. You can view intra-carrier and inter-
carrier neighbour links. Here, all neighbour relations are symmetrical.
614
Figure 7.40: Intra-carrier and Inter-Carrier Neighbours of Site 14_3(0)
You can display either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow
( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and
selecting either Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours.
7.2.10.5.2 Displaying the Coverage of Each Neighbour of a Cell

age area of a cell’s neighbours and colour them according to any neighbour characteristic in the Neighbours table.
To display the coverage of each neighbour of a cell:
1. Create, calculate, and display a "Coverage by transmitter" prediction, with the Display Type set to "Discrete Values"
and the Field set to "Transmitter" (for information on creating a coverage by transmitter prediction, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 566).
appears.
page 612.
4. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display coverage areas check box.
• Unique: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of cells’ neighbours with a unique colour. When the
coverage areas of a cell’s neighbours are displayed with this setting, the coverage area of the source cell ap-
pears in yellow.
• Discrete values: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of cells’ neighbours automatically or according
to a value from the table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, or relation type. When "Cell" or "Neighbour"
is selected in the Field list, the coverage areas of cells’ neighbours are determined automatically according to
the colour of the source or target cell.
• Value Intervals: Select this option to colour the coverage areas of cells’ neighbours according their "Impor-
tance", as determined by the weighting factors.
7. Under Advanced in the Neighbour Display dialog box, specify which neighbour links you want to display:
615
and the neighbour.
• Keep transmitter labels: Select this option to display only cell labels, if any were defined in the Transmitters Prop-
erties dialog box.
appears.
14. Click a transmitter on the map to display the coverage of each neighbour. When there is more than one cell on the
transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want
(see "Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45).
Only intra-carrier neighbour coverage areas are displayed.
7.2.10.6 Allocating and Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours per Cell

or deleting neighbours per cell. You can allocate or delete neighbours directly on the map or using the Cells tab of the Trans-
mitter Properties dialog box.
• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Intra-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 617
• "Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table" on page 617
• "Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map" on page 619.
616
Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Intra-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box
To allocate or delete a cell’s neighbours using its Properties dialog box:

5. Click the Cells tab. On the Cells tab, there is a column (1, 2, 3, etc.) for each existing cell.
6. In the first column, look for Neighbours and click the Browse button for the cell you want. The cell’s Properties dialog
box appears with two tabs: Intra-technology Neighbours and Inter-technology Neighbours.
9. If desired, you can:
• enter the Max number of intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbours on the Intra-technology Neighbours tab.
• enter the Max number of neighbours on the Inter-technology Neighbours tab.
ii. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select in the drop-down list the cell that you want to define as a new neighbour.
distance between the new neighbour and the reference cell and display it under Distance, set the Importance
to "1", and set the Source to "manual".
neighbour relation now exists between the two cells.
neighbour relation no longer exists between the two cells.
Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table
To allocate or delete neighbours using the Neighbours table:

617
i. In the Cell column, click inside the cell on the row marked with . An arrow icon ( ) appears on the right-
hand side of the cell where you clicked.
ii. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select the reference cell in the drop-down list.
iv. Click the arrow icon ( ) and select in the drop-down list the cell that you want to define as a new neighbour.
late the distance between the reference cell and its neighbour and display it under Distance, set the Impor-
tance to "1", and set the Source to "manual".
lected indicating that a symmetric neighbour relation exists between the two cells
selected indicating in each row that a symmetric relation exists between the reference cell and its neighbour.

iii. Select Delete Symmetric Relation from the context menu. The symmetric neighbour relation between the cell
in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted.
iii. Select Delete Link from the context menu. The neighbour relation between the cell in the Neighbour column
and the cell in the Cell column is deleted.
618

tween the cell in the Neighbour column and the cell in the Cell column is deleted in both directions.
Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map
You can allocate or delete intra- and inter-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse.

ter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inward non-symmetric inter-technology neighbour relation.
619
inter-technology neighbour relation.
• When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the
map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see
"Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 45).
bours.

importance of each neighbour, i.e., the weight of each neighbour. This value is used to define a rank for different neighbours
in the automatic primary scrambling code allocation process.
Atoll calculates the importance for neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone.
possible neighbours.
Manual.
• Take into account the co-site factor: Select this check box to verify that neighbours are located on the same
site as their reference cell when calculating importance.
• Take into account transmitter adjacency ("Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): Select this check box to verify
that neighbours are adjacent to their reference transmitters when calculating importance.
Clear this box to use the distance criterion between neighbours and reference cells and go to the next step,
or select this box to use the coverage conditions between neighbours and their reference cells.
• Resolution: You can enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the automatic neighbour
allocation.
• Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec⁄Io which must be provided by reference cell in an area with overlapping cov-
erage. The reference cell must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping cov-
erage.
• Ec/Io Margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin to define the area of coverage overlapping between UMTS cells.
• DL Load Contributing to Io: Under DL Load Contributing to Io, select whether you want Atoll to base the interfer-
ence ratio on the total power used as defined in the properties for each cell (Defined per Cell) or on a percentage
of the maximum power (Global Value).
clutter class.
620
Once Atoll has finished calculating importance, the results are displayed in the table on each tab.
The table contains the following information:
• Cause: The reason Atoll has calculated the value in the Importance column.
• Co-site
• Adjacency
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Adjacency (Intra-carrier only): The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the
neighbour cell is best server or second best server.
• Distance: The distance in kilometres between the reference cell and the neighbour.
8. Click Commit to commit the importance values and the reasons for allocation to the Neighbours table.

To perform an audit of the intra-technology neighbour allocation plan:
• Neighbourhood Type: Select whether you want to perform an audit on Intra-Carrier or Inter-Carrier neighbour
relations.
• Average No. of Neighbours: Select this check box if you want to verify the average number of neighbours per cell.
• Empty Lists: Select this check box if you want to verify which cells have no neighbours (in other words, which cells
have an empty neighbour list).
• Full Lists: Which cells having the maximum number of neighbours allowed (in other words, which cells have a full
neighbour list). The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for
each transmitter in the Cells table.
• Lists > Max Number: Which cells having more than the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The maximum
number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells
table.
• Missing Co-sites: Select this check box if you want to verify which cells have no co-site neighbours.
• Missing Symmetrics: Select this check box if you want to verify which cells have non-symmetric neighbour rela-
tions.
• Exceptional Pairs: Select this check box if you want to verify which cells have forced neighbours or forbidden
neighbours.
• Distance Between Neighbours: Select this check box and enter the distance between neighbours that must not
be exceeded.
• Average Number of Neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per cell for the plan
audited.
• Empty Lists: x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list)
621
Syntax: |CELL|
• Full Lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having Y number of neighbours listed
in their respective neighbours lists.
Syntax: |CELL| |NUMBER| |MAX NUMBER|
• Lists > Max Number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having more than Y
number of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists.
If the field Maximum number of intra-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty,
the Full Lists check and the Lists > Max Number check use the Default Max Number value
defined in the audit dialog box.
Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Syntax: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |DISTANCE|
You can perform an audit of the inter-technology neighbour allocation plan by selecting
Neighbours > Inter-technology > Audit from the Transmitters folder context menu.

3. Select Neighbours > and then select the neighbour table containing the data you want to export from the context
menu:
• Intra-technology > Open Table: This table contains the data for the intra-technology (intra-carrier and inter-car-
rier) neighbours in the current Atoll document.
7.2.11 Planning Scrambling Codes

In UMTS, 512 scrambling codes are available, numbered from 0 to 511. Although UMTS scrambling codes are displayed in deci-
mal format by default, they can also be displayed and calculated in hexadecimal format, in other words using the numbers 0
to 9 and the letters A to F.
Atoll facilitates the management of scrambling codes by letting you create groups of scrambling codes and domains, where
each domain is a defined set of groups.
You can also assign scrambling codes manually or automatically to any cell in the network.
Once allocation is completed, you can audit the scrambling codes, view scrambling code reuse on the map, and make an anal-
ysis of scrambling code distribution.
622
The procedure for planning scrambling codes for a UMTS project is:
• Preparing for scrambling code allocation
• "Defining the Scrambling Code Format" on page 623
• "Creating Scrambling Code Domains and Groups" on page 623
• "Defining Exceptional Pairs for Scrambling Code Allocation" on page 624.
• Allocating scrambling codes
• "Automatically Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells" on page 625
• "Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells Manually" on page 627.
• "Checking the Consistency of the Scrambling Code Plan" on page 627.
• Displaying the allocation of scrambling codes
• "Using Find on Map to Display Scrambling Code Allocation" on page 628
• "Displaying Scrambling Code Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings" on page 628
• "Grouping Transmitters by Scrambling Code" on page 629
• "Displaying the Scrambling Code Allocation Histogram" on page 629
• "Making a Scrambling Code Collision Zones Prediction" on page 630.
• "Making a Scrambling Code Collision Analysis" on page 631
• Within the context of primary scrambling code allocation, "neighbours" refer to

intra-carrier neighbours.
• According to 3GPP specifications, the 512 possible scrambling codes can be broken
down into groups, each containing 8 codes. Because the term "group" in Atoll
refers to user-defined sets of scrambling codes, these groups of 8 codes each are
referred to as "clusters" in Atoll. As well, Atoll allows you to change the number of
codes in a cluster.
7.2.11.1 Defining the Scrambling Code Format

Scrambling codes can be displayed in decimal or hexadecimal format. The selected format is used to display scrambling codes
in dialog boxes and tables such as in the Domains and Groups tables, the Cells table, and the Scrambling Code Allocation
dialog box.
The decimal format is the default format in Atoll. The accepted decimal values are from 0 to 511. The decimal format is also
used, even if you have chosen the hexadecimal format, to store scrambling codes in the database and to display scrambling
code distribution or the results of a scrambling code audit.
The hexadecimal format uses the numbers 0 to 9 and the letters A to F for its base characters. In Atoll, hexadecimal values
are indicated by a lower-case "h" following the value. For example, the hexadecimal value "3Fh" is "63" as a decimal value.
You can convert a hexadecimal value to a decimal value with the following equation, where A, B, and C are decimal values
within the hexadecimal index ranges:
2
A  16 + B  16 + C
For example, the hexadecimal value "3Fh" would be calculated as shown below:
2
0  16 + 3  16 + 15 = 63
To define the scrambling code format for an Atoll document:

3. Right-click the Scrambling Codes folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Format from the context menu and select either Decimal or Hexadecimal.
7.2.11.2 Creating Scrambling Code Domains and Groups

Atoll facilitates the management of scrambling codes by letting you create domains, each containing groups of scrambling
codes.
The procedure for managing scrambling codes in a UMTS document consists of the following steps:
1. Creating a scrambling code domain, as explained in this section.
2. Creating groups, each containing a range of scrambling codes, and assigning them to a domain, as explained in this
section.
3. Assigning a scrambling code domain to a cell or cells. If there is no scrambling code domain, Atoll will consider all 512
possible scrambling codes when assigning codes.
623
To create a scrambling code domain:

3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Scrambling Codes folder.
4. Right-click Domains in the Scrambling Codes folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Domains table appears.
6. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter a Name for the new domain.
7. Click in another cell of the table to create the new domain and add a new blank row to the table.
8. Double-click the domain to which you want to add a group. The domain’s Properties dialog box appears.
9. Under Groups, enter the following information for each group you want to create.
• Name: Enter a name for the new scrambling code group.
• Min.: Enter the lowest available primary scrambling code in this group’s range. The minimum and maximum
scrambling codes must be entered in the format, decimal or hexadecimal, set for the Atoll document (for infor-
mation on setting the scrambling code format, see "Defining the Scrambling Code Format" on page 623).
• Max: Enter the highest available primary scrambling code in this group’s range.
• Step: Enter the separation interval between each primary scrambling code.
• Excluded: Enter the scrambling codes in this range that you do not want to use.
• Extra: Enter any additional scrambling codes (i.e., outside the range defined by the Min. and Max fields) you want
to add to this group. You can enter a list of codes separated by either a comma, semi-colon, or a space. You can
also enter a range of scrambling codes separated by a hyphen. For example, entering, "1, 2, 3-5" means that the
extra scrambling codes are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
10. Click in another cell of the table to create the new group and add a new blank row to the table.
7.2.11.3 Defining Exceptional Pairs for Scrambling Code Allocation

You can also define pairs of cells which cannot have the same primary scrambling code. These pairs are referred to as excep-
tional pairs. Exceptional pairs are used along with other constraints, such as neighbours, reuse distance, and domains, in allo-
cating scrambling codes.
To create a pair of cells that cannot have the same scrambling code:
3. Select Primary Scrambling Codes > Exceptional Pairs. The Exceptional Separation Constraints table appears. For
information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
4. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select one cell of the new exceptional pair in the Cell column and
the second cell of the new exceptional pair from the Cell_2 column.
5. Click in another cell of the table to create the new exceptional pair and add a new blank row to the table.
7.2.11.4 Allocating Scrambling Codes

Atoll can automatically assign scrambling codes to the cells of a UMTS network according to set parameters. For example, it
takes into account the definition of groups and domains of scrambling codes, the selected scrambling code allocation strategy
(clustered, distributed per cell, distributed per site and one cluster per site), minimum code reuse distance, and any
constraints imposed by neighbours.
You can also allocate scrambling codes manually to the cells of a UMTS network.
In this section, the following methods of allocating scrambling codes are described:
• "Defining Automatic Allocation Constraint Violation Costs" on page 624
• "Automatically Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells" on page 625
• "Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells Manually" on page 627.
Defining Automatic Allocation Constraint Violation Costs
You can define the costs of the different types of constraints used in the automatic scrambling code allocation algorithm.
To define the different constraint violation costs:
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3. Select Primary Scrambling Codes > Constraint Costs. The Constraint Violation Costs dialog box appears. In this dialog
box you can define the following costs of constraint violations for the automatic allocation process (the cost is a value
from 0 to 1):
• Under Intra-technology Neighbours, you can set the constraint violation cost for 1st Order, 2nd Order, and 3rd
Order neighbours.
• Under Distributed per Site Strategy, you can set the constraint violation cost for intra-technology neighbours that
are 1st or 2nd Order Using the Same Cluster.
• Reuse Distance: Enter the maximum cost for reuse distance constraint violations.
• Exceptional Pair: Enter the cost for exceptional pair constraint violations.
• Common Inter-technology Neighbour: Enter the cost for inter-technology neighbour constraint violations.
4. Click OK. The constraint violation costs are stored and will be used in the automatic allocation.
Automatically Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells
The allocation algorithm enables you to automatically allocate primary scrambling codes to cells in the current network. You
can choose among several automatic allocation strategies. The actual automatic allocation strategies available will depend on
your network and options selected in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on automatic allocation strategies, see the Technical Reference Guide.
• Clustered: The purpose of this strategy is to choose for a group of mutually constrained cells, scrambling codes among
a minimum number of clusters. In this case, Atoll will preferentially allocate all the codes from the same cluster.
• Distributed per Cell Allocation: This strategy consists in using as many clusters as possible. Atoll will preferentially
allocate codes from different clusters.
• One Cluster per Site: This strategy allocates one cluster to each base station, then, one code of the cluster to each cell
of each base station. When all the clusters have been allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allo-
cated, Atoll reuses the clusters at another base station.
• Distributed per Site: This strategy allocates a group of adjacent clusters to each base station in the network, then, one
cluster to each transmitter of the base station according to its azimuth and finally one code of the cluster to each cell
of each transmitter. The number of adjacent clusters per group depends on the number of transmitters per base sta-
tion you have in your network; this information is required to start allocation based on this strategy. When all the
groups of adjacent clusters have been allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses
the groups of adjacent clusters at another base station.
To automatically allocate primary scrambling codes:
3. Select Primary Scrambling Codes > Automatic Allocation. The Primary Scrambling Codes dialog box appears.
• Under Constraints, you can set the constraints on automatic scrambling code allocation.
• Existing Neighbours: Select the Existing Neighbours check box if you want to consider intra-carrier neighbour
relations and then choose the neighbourhood level to take into account:
Neighbours of a cell are referred to as the first order neighbours, neighbours’ neighbours are referred to as
the second order neighbours and neighbours’ neighbours’ neighbours as the third order neighbours.
First Order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours.
Second Order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours or its second order neigh-
bours.
Third Order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours or its second order neigh-
bours or its third order neighbours.
Atoll can only consider neighbour relations if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on al-
locating neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 606.
Atoll can take into account inter-technology neighbour relations as constraints when allo-
cating scrambling codes to the UMTS neighbours of a GSM transmitter. In order to
consider inter-technology neighbour relations in scrambling code allocation, you must
make the Transmitters folder of the GSM Atoll document accessible in the UMTS Atoll
document. For information on making links between GSM and UMTS Atoll documents, see
"Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 700
• Additional Overlapping Conditions: Select the Additional Overlapping Conditions check box, if you want to
set overlapping coverage criteria. If cells meet the overlapping conditions to enter the reference cell’s active
set, they will be not allocated the same scrambling code as the reference cell. Click Define to change the over-
lapping conditions. In the Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
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Min. Pilot Signal Level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
possible neighbour cell B.
Min. Ec⁄I0: Enter the minimum Ec⁄I0 which must be provided by reference cell A in an area with overlapping
coverage. Reference cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping
coverage.
Ec⁄I0 Margin: Enter the maximum difference of Ec⁄I0 between reference cell A and possible neighbour cell B
in the area with overlapping coverage.
DL Load Contributing to I0: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell
Edge Coverage Probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select the Indoor Coverage check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations.
Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
• Reuse Distance: Select the Reuse Distance check box, if you want to the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the reuse distance constraint. Enter the Default reuse distance within which two cells on the same carrier
cannot have the same primary scrambling code.
A reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialog box or in the
Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of the value
entered here.
• Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box, if you want to the automatic allocation process to
consider the exceptional pair constraints.
• From the Strategy list, you can select an automatic allocation strategy:
• Clustered
• Distributed per Cell
• One Cluster per Site
• Distributed per Site
• Carrier: Select the Carrier on which you want to run the allocation. You may choose one carrier (Atoll will assign
primary scrambling codes to transmitters using the selected carrier) or all of them.
• No. of Codes per Cluster: According to 3GPP specifications, the number of codes per cluster is 8. If you want, you
can change the number of codes per cluster.
When the allocation is based on a distributed strategy (Distributed per Cell or Distributed per Site), this parame-
ter can also be used to define the interval between the primary scrambling codes assigned to cells on a same site.
The defined interval is applied by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options
in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
• Use a Max of Codes: Select the Use a Max of Codes check box to make Atoll use the maximum number of codes.
For example, if there are two cells using the same domain with two scrambling codes, Atoll will assign the
remaining code to the second cell even if there are no constraints between these two cells (for example, neigh-
bour relations, reuse distance, etc.). If you do not select this option, Atoll only checks the constraints, and allocates
the first ranked code in the list.
• Delete Existing Codes: Select the Delete Existing Codes check box if you want Atoll to delete currently allocated
scrambling codes and recalculate all scrambling codes. If you do not select this option, Atoll will keep currently
allocated scrambling codes and will only allocate scrambling codes to cells that do not yet have codes allocated.
• Allocate Carriers Identically: Select the Allocate Carriers Identically check box if you want Atoll to allocate the
same primary scrambling code to each carrier of a transmitter. If you do not select this option, Atoll allocates
scrambling codes independently for each carrier.
4. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating scrambling codes.
Once Atoll has finished allocating scrambling codes, the codes are visible under Results. Atoll only displays newly allo-
cated scrambling codes.
• Site: The name of the base station.
• Cell: The name of the cell.
• Code: The primary scrambling code allocated to the cell.
• Cluster: The cluster the scrambling code belongs to.
5. Click Commit. The primary scrambling codes are committed to the cells.
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You can save automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configuration. For
information on saving automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configu-
ration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 105.
• If you need to allocate scrambling codes to the cells on a single transmitter, you can
allocate them automatically by selecting Allocate Scrambling Codes from the
transmitter’s context menu.
• If you need to allocate scrambling codes to all the cells on group of transmitters,
you can allocate them automatically by selecting Primary Scrambling Codes >
Automatic Allocation from the transmitter group’s context menu.
Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells Manually
When you allocate scrambling codes to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate scrambling codes automatically,
as described in "Automatically Allocating Scrambling Codes to UMTS Cells" on page 625. However, if you want to add a
primary scrambling code to one cell or to modify the primary scrambling code of a cell, you can do it by accessing the proper-
ties of the cell.
To allocate a scrambling code to a UMTS cell manually:
1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate a scrambling code. The context menu
appears.
4. Enter a Primary Scrambling Code in the cell’s column.
5. Click OK.
7.2.11.5 Checking the Consistency of the Scrambling Code Plan

Once you have completed allocating scrambling codes, you can verify whether the allocated scrambling codes respect the
specified constraints by performing an audit of the plan. The scrambling code audit also enables you to check for inconsisten-
cies if you have made some manual changes to the allocation plan.
For instance, a scrambling code audit will detect the following in a multi-RAT network:
• LTE inter-technology neighbour transmitters with identical physical cell IDs
• GSM inter-technology neighbour transmitters with identical BSIC-BCCH pairs. 
When such neighbours are detected, a message in the following form is displayed in the Events explorer: 
"Inter-technology (BSIC, BCCH) collision. Both of transmitters <Site9_GSM_2> and <Site8_GSM_2> are neighbours of
LTE transmitter <Site0_LTE_2>. Their BSIC is 2 and their BCCH is 726."
It is highly recommended to run scrambling code audits on a regular basis.
To perform an audit of the allocation plan:

3. Select Primary Scrambling Codes > Audit. The Code and Cluster Audit dialog box appears.
4. In the Code and Cluster Audit dialog box, select the allocation criteria that you want to check:
• No. of Codes per Cluster: Enter the number of scrambling codes per cluster.
• Neighbours: Select Neighbours to check scrambling code constraints between cells and their neighbours and then
choose the neighbourhood level to take into account:
• First Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours.
• Second Order Neighbours: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours
or any of the neighbours of its neighbours.
• Third Order Neighbours: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours or
any of the neighbours of its neighbours or any of the neighbours of its second order neighbours.
The report will list the cells and the neighbours that do not meet any of these constraints. In addition, it will indi-
cate the allocated primary scrambling code and the neighbourhood level.
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• Neighbours in Different Clusters: If you select the Neighbours in different clusters check box, Atoll will check that
neighbour cells have scrambling codes from different clusters. The report will list any neighbour cells that do have
scrambling codes from the same cluster.
• Domain Compliance: If you select the Domain Compliance check box, Atoll will check if allocated scrambling
codes belong to domains assigned to cells. The report will list any cells with scrambling codes that do not belong
to domains assigned to the cell.
• Site Domains Not Empty: If you select the Site Domains Not Empty check box, Atoll will check for and list base
stations for which the allocation domain (i.e., the list of possible scrambling codes) is not consistent with the "One
cluster per site" strategy. If there is a base station with N cells, Atoll will check that the domains assigned to the
cells contain at least one cluster consisting of N codes. If you plan to automatically allocate scrambling codes using
the "One Cluster per Site" strategy, you can perform this test beforehand to check the consistency of domains
assigned to cells of each base station.
• One Cluster per Site: If you select the One Cluster per Site check box, Atoll will check for and list base stations
whose cells have scrambling codes coming from more than one cluster.
• Distance: If you select the Distance check box and set a reuse distance, Atoll will check for and list the cell pairs
that do not respect the reuse distance condition. For any cell pair, Atoll uses the lowest of the reuse distance
values defined in the properties of the two cells and the value that you set in the Code and Cluster Audit dialog
box. Cell pairs that do not respect the reuse distance condition are listed in increasing order of the distance
between them. The primary scrambling code and the reuse distance are also listed for each cell pair.
• Exceptional Pairs: If you select the Exceptional Pairs check box, Atoll will check for and display pairs of cells that
are listed as exceptional pairs but still use the same scrambling code.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called CodeCheck.txt, which it opens at the end of the audit.
For each selected criterion, Atoll gives the number of detected inconsistencies and details each of them.
7.2.11.6 Displaying the Allocation of Scrambling Codes

Once you have completed allocating scrambling codes, you can verify several aspects of scrambling code allocation. You have
several options for displaying scrambling codes:
• "Using Find on Map to Display Scrambling Code Allocation" on page 628
• "Displaying Scrambling Code Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings" on page 628
• "Grouping Transmitters by Scrambling Code" on page 629
• "Displaying the Scrambling Code Allocation Histogram" on page 629
• "Making a Scrambling Code Collision Zones Prediction" on page 630.
• "Making a Scrambling Code Collision Analysis" on page 631
Using Find on Map to Display Scrambling Code Allocation
In Atoll, you can search for scrambling codes and scrambling code groups using the Find on Map tool. Results are displayed
in the map window in red.
If you have already calculated and displayed a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best server, with the results
displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. Scrambling codes and scrambling code
groups and any potential problems will then be clearly visible. For information on coverage predictions by transmitter, see
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 566.
To find scrambling codes or scrambling code groups using the Find on Map tool:
2. From the Find list, select "Scrambling Code."
3. Select what you what you want to search for:
• Scrambling code: If you want to find a scrambling code, select Scrambling code and select it from the list.
• SC Group: If you want to find a scrambling code group, select SC group and select it from the list.
4. Select the carrier you want to search on from the For carrier list, or select "(All)" to search in all carriers.
5. Click Search. Transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match
the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Find on Map window.
Displaying Scrambling Code Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings
You can use the display characteristics of transmitters to display scrambling code-related information.
To display scrambling code-related information on the map:
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• Primary scrambling code: To display the primary scrambling code of a transmitter’s cell, select "Discrete values"
as the Display Type and "Cells: Primary Scrambling Code" as the Field.
• Ranges of primary scrambling codes: To display ranges of primary scrambling codes, select "Value intervals" as
the Display Type and "Cells: Primary Scrambling Code" as the Field.
• Scrambling code domain: To display the scrambling code domain of a transmitter’s cell, select "Discrete values"
as the Display Type and "Cells: Scrambling Code Domain" as the Field.
You can display the following information in the transmitter label or tip text by clicking the Label or Tip Text Browse
button:
• Primary scrambling code: To display the primary scrambling code of a transmitter’s cell in the transmitter label or
tip text, "Cells: Primary Scrambling Code" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• Scrambling code domain: To display the primary scrambling code domain of a transmitter’s cell in the transmitter
label or tip text, "Cells: Scrambling Code Domain" from the Label or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
• Scrambling code reuse distance: To display the scrambling code reuse distance of a transmitter’s cell in the trans-
mitter label or tip text, "Cells: SC Reuse Distance" from the Label or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
5. Click OK.
Grouping Transmitters by Scrambling Code
You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their primary scrambling code, their scrambling code domain, or by
their scrambling code reuse distance.
To group transmitters by scrambling code:
4. On the General tab, click Group by. The Group dialog box appears.
5. Under Available Fields, scroll down to the Cell section.
6. Select the parameter you want to group transmitters by:
• Scrambling Code Domain
• Primary Scrambling Code
• SC Reuse Distance
7. Click to add the parameter to the Grouping Fields list. The selected parameter is added to the list of parameters
on which the transmitters will be grouped.
8. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select it in the Grouping Fields list and click
. The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
9. Arrange the parameters in the Grouping Fields list in the order in which you want the transmitters to be grouped:

If a transmitter has more than one cell, Atoll cannot arrange the transmitter by cell. Trans-
mitters that cannot be grouped by cell are arranged in a separate folder under the Trans-
mitters folder.
Displaying the Scrambling Code Allocation Histogram
You can use a histogram to analyse the use of allocated scrambling codes in a network. The histogram represents the scram-
bling codes or scrambling code clusters as a function of the frequency of their use.
To display the scrambling code histogram:
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3. Select Primary Scrambling Codes > Code Distribution. The Distribution Histograms dialog box appears.
Each bar represents a scrambling code or a cluster, its height depending on the frequency of its use.
4. Select Scrambling Codes to display scrambling code use and Clusters to display scrambling code cluster use.
5. Move the pointer over the histogram to display the frequency of use of each scrambling code or cluster. The results
are highlighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list.
You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the
selected values.
Making a Scrambling Code Collision Zones Prediction
You can make a scrambling code collision zone prediction to view areas covered by cells using the same scrambling code. Atoll
checks on each pixel if the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to enter the active set (without any active set
size limitation) have the same scrambling code. If so, Atoll considers that there is a scrambling code collision.
To make a scrambling code collision zone prediction:
4. Select Scrambling Code Collision Zones (DL) and click OK.
on page 100.
also select which Carrier is to be considered.
If you want the scrambling code collision zone prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
clutter class.
For a scrambling code collision zone prediction, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter"
is selected by default. Each pixel where there is scrambling code collision is displayed with the same colour as that
defined for the interfered transmitter. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are first arranged by
interfered transmitter and then by interferer. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties
630

• The number of interferers for each transmitter: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "No. of Inter-
ferers per Transmitter" as the Field. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged by inter-
fered transmitter.
• The total number of interferers on one pixel: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "No. of Interferers"
as the Field. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged according to the number of
interferers.
8. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar to calculate the scrambling code collision zone predic-
tion. The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer.
Making a Scrambling Code Collision Analysis
The SC Collisions tab of the Point Analysis window gives you information on reception for any point on the map where there
is scrambling code collision. Scrambling code collision occurs if the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to enter
the active set (without any active set size limitation) have the same scrambling code. When there is a scrambling code colli-
sion, Atoll displays the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) received from interfered and interferer transmitters.
The analysis is based on the UL load percentage and the DL total power of each cell. The analysis is provided for a user-defin-
able probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service.
You can make a scrambling code collision analysis to verify a scrambling code collision zone prediction. In this case, before you
make the scrambling code collision analysis, ensure the coverage prediction you want to use in the scrambling code collision
analysis is displayed on the map.
To make a scrambling code collision analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears.
2. At the top of the Point Analysis window, select the SC Collisions view.
3. At the top of the SC Collisions view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making a scrambling code collision analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions
of the coverage prediction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Select the Carrier studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. You can change the following:
• Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability, and, select
"Ec⁄I0" from the Shadowing Margin list.
class.
d. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
If you are making a scrambling code collision analysis to make a prediction on a defined
point, you can use the instructions in this step to define a user.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a scrambling code collision analysis for the current location of the pointer.
631

A UMTS network automatically regulates power on both uplink and downlink with the objective of minimising interference
and maximising network capacity. In the case of HSDPA, the network uses A-DCH power control in the uplink and downlink
and a fast link adaptation (in other words, the selection of an HSDPA bearer) in the downlink. Atoll can simulate these network
regulation mechanisms, thereby enabling you to study the capacity of the UMTS network.
In Atoll, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of R99 and HSPA users at a given point in time. The distribution of users
at a given moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various network parameters such as
the active set for each mobile, the required power of the mobile, the total DL power and DL throughput per cell, and the UL
load per cell. Simulations are calculated in an iterative fashion.
another.
• "Analysing the Results of a Simulation" on page 665.

The first step in making a simulation is defining how the network is used. In Atoll, this is accomplished by creating all of the
parameters of network use, in terms of services, users, and equipment used.
• R99 radio bearers: Bearer services are used by the network for carrying information. The R99 Radio Bearer table lists
all the available radio bearers. You can create new R99 radio bearers and modify existing ones by using the R99 Radio
Bearer table. For information on defining R99 radio bearers, see "Defining R99 Radio Bearers" on page 705.
• Services: Services are the various services, such as voice, mobile internet access, etc., available to subscribers. These
services can be either circuit-switched or packet-switched. For information on modelling end-user services, see "Mod-
elling Services" on page 569.
• Mobility type: In UMTS, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage the active set: a mobile
used by a driver moving quickly or a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same transmitters. Ec⁄I0
requirements and Eb⁄Nt targets per radio bearer and per link (uplink or downlink) are largely dependent on mobile
speed. For information on creating a mobility type, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 572.
• Terminals: In UMTS, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA,
or a car’s on-board navigation device. For information on creating a terminal, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 572.

Atoll provides three types of traffic maps.
• User density traffic map (number of users per km²)
These maps can be created using different types of traffic data sources as follows:
the number of users or the throughput in each cell and the traffic characteristics related to different services. Traffic
is spread over the best server coverage area of each transmitter and each coverage area is assigned either the
throughputs in the uplink and in the downlink or the number of users per activity status or the total number of users
(including all activity statuses). For more information, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on page 633.
each pixel has an assigned environment class. For more information, see "Creating a User Profile Traffic Map" on
page 635.
632
work statistics.
Each pixel has a user density assigned. The value either includes all activity statuses, or it corresponds to a particular
activity status. For more information, see "Creating a User Density Traffic Map" on page 640.

A coverage prediction by transmitter is required to create this traffic map. If you do not already have a coverage prediction
by transmitter in your document, you must create one and calculate it. You can also create a coverage by transmitter for each
technology of the network and assign the corresponding technology traffic. You can create as many maps as you want and
they can be combined in simulations if selected.
For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 283.
2. Right-click the Traffic Maps folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select the type of traffic information you want to input. You can choose between the following:
• Uplink and Downlink Throughputs
• Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses)
• Number of Users per Activity Status
AGD (Atoll Geographic Data) format files that you have exported from another Atoll docu-
ment.
• Uplink and Downlink Throughputs: enter the throughput demands in the uplink and downlink for each sector and
for each listed service.
• Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses): enter the number of connected users for each sector and for each
listed service.
• Number of Users per Activity Status: enter the number of inactive users, the number of users active in the uplink,
in the downlink and in the uplink and downlink, for each sector and for each service.
9. Click OK. The Sector Traffic Map N Properties dialog box appears.
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Figure 7.42: Traffic map properties dialog box - Traffic tab
10. Select the Traffic tab (see Figure 7.42).

Under Terminals (%), enter a percentage for each type of terminal used in the map. The total must equal 100.
Under Mobilities (%), enter a percentage for each mobility type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
11. Select the Clutter tab.
Under Distribution per clutter class, enter the following for each clutter class:
• A weight to spread the traffic over the vector.
• The percentage of indoor users.
12. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic Maps folder.
You can modify a sector traffic map after it has been created.
To modify a sector traffic map:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Traffic Maps folder.
3. Right-click the traffic map based on the live data that you want to update. The context menu appears.
• Under Terminals (%), enter a percentage for each type of terminal used in the map. The total must equal 100.
• Under Mobilities (%), enter a percentage for each mobility type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
• The percentage of indoor users for each clutter class.
You can update the information, throughput demands and the number of users, on the map afterwards. You can update
sector traffic maps if you add or remove a base station. You must first recalculate the coverage prediction by transmitter. For
more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 283. Once you have recalculated the coverage
prediction, you can update the traffic map.
To update a sector traffic map:
3. Right-click the sector traffic map that you want to update. The context menu appears.
If you want, you can update the values on the Traffic tab under Terminals (%) and Mobilities (%), and on the Clutter
tab under Distribution per clutter class.
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If you want to extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e. the density of users, taking into account

There might also be information about the type of terminal devices they use to access different services.
In Atoll, this type of data can be used to create user profile traffic maps.
are in turn defined by the terminal used, the calls per hour, and duration (for circuit-switched services) or uplink and downlink
volume (for packet-switched services).
The following sections describe how to use traffic data from the marketing department in Atoll to model traffic.
• "Modelling user profiles" on page 635
• "Modelling environments" on page 636.
Modelling user profiles
browsing.
To create or modify a user profile:
5. In the User Profiles: New Record Properties dialog box, you can modify the following parameters:
• Service: Select a service from the list. For details, see "Modelling Services" on page 569.
• Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For details, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 572.
• Calls/Hour: For circuit-switched services, enter the average number of calls per hour for the service. The number
of calls per hour is used to calculate the activity probability. For circuit-switched services, one call lasting 1000 sec-
onds presents the same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each.
For packet-switched services, the Calls/Hour value is defined as the number of sessions per hour. A session is like
a call in that it is defined as the period of time between when a user starts using a service and when he stops using
a service. In packet-switched services, however, he may not use the service continually. For example, with a web-
browsing service, a session starts when the user opens his browsing application and ends when he quits the
browsing application. Between these two events, the user might be downloading web pages and other times he
may not be using the application, or he might be browsing local files, but the session is still considered as open. A
session, therefore, is defined by the volume transferred in the uplink and downlink and not by the time.
• Duration: For circuit-switched services, enter the average duration of a call in seconds. For packet-switched ser-
vices, this field is left blank.
• UL Volume: For packet-switched services, enter the average uplink volume per session in kilobytes.
635
• DL Volume: For packet-switched services, enter the average downlink volume per session in kilobytes.
6. Click OK. The user profile is created.
Modelling environments
a weight to each clutter class for each environment class. You can also specify the percentage of indoor subscribers for each
clutter class. During Monte Carlo simulations, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to the path
losses of indoor mobiles.
To create or modify an environment:

a. Enter a Name for the new environment.
b. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), set the following parameters for each user profile/mobility com-
bination that this environment will describe:
• User Profile: Select a user profile.
• Density (Subscribers/km2): Enter a density in terms of subscribers per square kilometre for the combination
of user profile and mobility type.
a. For each clutter class, enter a weight that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:

Sk = Surface area of clutter k (in km²)
For example: An area of 10 km² with a subscriber density of 100/km². Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 sub-
scribers. The area is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and
for Building is "4." Given the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class
and 800 in the Building clutter class.
b. If you want you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simula-
tions, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to the path losses of indoor mobiles.
7. Click OK. The environment is created.
7.3.2.2.1 Importing a User Profile Density based Traffic Map

vector.
636
To import a user profile density based traffic map:

4. Select User profile traffic map.
5. Select User profile densities from the list.
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Density Traffic Map" on
page 640.

8. Click Open. The Vector Import dialog box appears.
a. Under Import to, you can choose to import your traffic map in a folder other than Traffic Maps (default folder).
b. Click the Import button. The imported traffic map appears under the folder you selected.
To modify the properties of a user profile density based traffic map:
3. Right-click the traffic map that you want to update. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box of the selected traffic map appears.
5. Select the Traffic tab. Under Traffic fields, you can specify the user profiles to be considered, their mobility type
(km⁄h), and their density. If the file you are modifying has this data, you can define the traffic characteristics by iden-
tifying the corresponding fields in the file. If the file you are modifying does not have data describing the user profile,
mobility, or density, you can assign values. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map.
• User profile: If you want to import user profile information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and
column.
consists of points.

a. Under Distribution per clutter class, enter a weight for each class that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
b. If you want, you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simula-
tions, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to indoor user path losses.
7. Click OK to finish modifying the user profile density based traffic map.
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7.3.2.2.2 Creating a User Profile Density based Traffic Map

To create a user profile density based traffic map:
6. Click the Create button. The User Profile Density Traffic Map N Properties dialog box appears.
7. Select the Traffic tab. Under Traffic fields, specify the user profiles to be considered, their mobility type (km⁄h), and
their density. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map:
• User profile: under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to
assign a user profile from the Traffic Parameters folder in the Parameters explorer, select "By value" and select
the user profile in the Choice column.
• Mobility: under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign
a mobility type from the Traffic Parameters folder in the Parameters explorer, select "By value" and select the
mobility type in the Choice column.
• Density: under Defined, select "By field" and select the source field from the Choice column. If you want to assign
a density of your choice, select "By value" and enter a density in the Choice column for the combination of user
profile and mobility type. In this context, the term "density" depends on the type of vector traffic map. It refers to
the number of subscribers per square kilometre for polygons, the number of subscribers per kilometre in case of
lines and the number of subscribers when the map consists of points.
a. Under Distribution per clutter class, enter a weight for each class that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
b. If you want, you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simula-
tions, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to indoor user path losses.
9. Click OK to finish creating the user profile density based traffic map.
7.3.2.2.3 Importing a User Profile Environment based Traffic Map

To import a user profile environment based traffic map:
5. Select User profile environments from the list.
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Click OK to finish importing the user profile
environments based traffic map." on page 638.
7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (8 bit): TIF, JPEG 2000, BIL,
IST, BMP, PlaNET©, GRC Vertical Mapper, and Erdas Imagine.
8. Click Open. The User Profile Environment Traffic Map N Properties dialog box appears.
In the imported map, each type of region is defined by a number. Atoll reads the numbers and lists them under Code.
The available environments are those available in the Environments folder, under Traffic Parameters in the Parame-
ters explorer. For more information, see "Modelling environments" on page 636.
page 47.
12. Click OK to finish importing the user profile environments based traffic map.
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7.3.2.2.4 Creating a User Profile Environment based Traffic Map

Atoll enables you to create a user profile environment based traffic map based on by drawing it in the map window.
Draw Map Delete Map

7.3.2.2.5 Displaying Statistics on a User Profile Environments based Traffic Map

You can display the statistics of a user profile environment traffic map. Atoll provides absolute (surface) and relative (percent-
age of the surface) statistics on the focus zone for each environment class. If you do not have a focus zone defined, statistics
are determined for the computation zone.
Si
-  100
 Sk
k

5. Click Close.
class.
7.3.2.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km²)

ants) or on 2G traffic statistics. User density traffic maps provide the number of connected users per unit of surface, i.e., the
density of users, as input. This can be either the density of users per activity status or the density of users including all activity
statuses.
User density traffic maps can be created from sector traffic maps in order to extract and display the exact number of users
per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic maps. for
639

The user density traffic map defines the density of users per pixel. For a traffic density of X users per km², Atoll will distribute
x users per pixel during the simulations, where x depends on the size of the pixels. These x users will have a terminal, a mobility
type, a service, and percentage of indoor users as defined on the Traffic tab of the traffic map’s properties dialog box.
To import a user density traffic map:
4. Select User density traffic map (no. users/km2).

5. Select the type of traffic information you input:
• All activity statuses: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users with any activity
status.
• Active in uplink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the uplink
only.
• Active in downlink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the down-
link only.
• Active in uplink and downlink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users with
both uplink and downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of inactive users.
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Density Traffic Map" on
page 640.
10. Click Import. Atoll imports the traffic map. The traffic map’s properties dialog box appears.
• Under Services (%), enter a percentage for each service type used in the map. The total must equal 100.


• All Activity Statuses: Select this option if the map you are drawing provides a density of users with any activity
status.
• Active in Uplink: Select this option if the map you are drawing provides a density of users active in the uplink only.
640
• Active in Downlink: Select this option if the map you are drawing provides a density of users active in the downlink
only.
• Active in Uplink and Downlink: Select this option if the map you are drawing provides a density of users with both
uplink and downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select this option if the map you are drawing provides a density of inactive users.
6. Click the Create button. The traffic map’s properties dialog box appears.
• Under Services (%), enter a percentage for each service type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
12. Use the tools available in the Vector Editor toolbar to draw contours. For more information on editing contours, see
"Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65.
Atoll creates an item called Density values in the User Density Map folder.
13. Right-click the Density values item in the User Density Map folder. The context menu appears.
15. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e., the number of users per km2) for each contour you have drawn.
16. Right-click the item. The context menu appears.
display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting
defined for the sector traffic maps.
To create a user density traffic map from a sector traffic map:
Atoll creates as many user density traffic maps as there are services present in the sector traffic map. The user density
map files use the resolution of the coverage prediction used for the sector traffic map and are embedded in the docu-
ment.

packet and circuit service traffic, and then import these maps as user density traffic maps into your UMTS document. These
maps can then be used in traffic simulations like any other type of map.
on importing user density traffic maps, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 639.
To import a 2G traffic map into a UMTS document:
for circuit-switched services. For more information on creating sector traffic maps, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map"
on page 320.
641
3. Import the traffic exported in step 2 in your UMTS document as a user density traffic map. For more information on
importing user density traffic maps, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 639.

Atoll converts any traffic map to user densities. The cumulated traffic is exported in 32-bit BIL, ArcView© Grid, or Vertical
then be imported as a user density traffic map.
• Service: Select the service that will be exported, select "All circuit services" to export traffic using any circuit ser-
vice, "All packet services" to export traffic using any packet service, or select the specific type of service: HSDPA,
HSUPA, mobile internet access, multimedia messaging service, video conferencing, or voice.
• All Activity Statuses: Select All Activity Statuses to export all users without any filter by activity status.
• Uplink: Select Uplink to export mobiles active in the uplink only.
• Downlink: Select Downlink to export mobiles active in the downlink only.
• Uplink/Downlink: Select Uplink/Downlink to export only mobiles with both uplink and downlink activity.
• Inactive: Select Inactive to export only inactive mobiles.
traffic.

6. Click Save.
642

lations of the same group.
the simulation and on the network interferences. A user can be either active or inactive. Both active and inactive users
Then, Atoll randomly assigns a shadowing error to each user using the probability distribution that describes the shad-
owing effect.
2. Modelling network power control: Atoll uses a power control algorithm for R99 users, and an algorithm mixing
A-DPCH power control and fast link adaptation for HSDPA bearer users and an additional loop modelling noise rise
scheduling for HSUPA bearer users. The power control simulation algorithm is described in "The Power Control Simu-
lation Algorithm" on page 643.
7.3.4.1 The Power Control Simulation Algorithm

The power control algorithm (see Figure 7.44) simulates the way a UMTS network regulates itself by using uplink and downlink
power controls in order to minimise interference and maximise capacity. HSDPA users are linked to the A-DPCH radio bearer
(an R99 radio bearer). Therefore, the network uses a A-DPCH power control on UL and DL and then it performs fast link adap-
tation on DL in order to select an HSDPA radio bearer. For HSPA users, the network first uses a E-DPCCH/A-DPCH power control
on UL and DL, checks that there is an HSDPA connection on downlink and then carries out noise rise scheduling in order to
select an HSUPA radio bearer on uplink. Atoll simulates these network regulation mechanisms with an iterative algorithm and
calculates, for each user distribution, network parameters such as cell power, mobile terminal power, active set and handoff
status for each terminal. During each iteration of the algorithm, all the users selected during the user distribution generation
(1st step) attempt to connect one by one to network transmitters. The process is repeated until the network is balanced, i.e.,
until the convergence criteria (on UL and DL) are satisfied.
643
Figure 7.44: Schematic view of simulation algorithm
As shown in Figure 7.44, the simulation algorithm is divided in three parts. All users are evaluated by the R99 part of the algo-
rithm. HSDPA and HSPA users, unless they have been rejected during the R99 part of the algorithm, are then evaluated by the
HSDPA part of the algorithm. Finally, HSPA users, unless they have been rejected during the R99 or HSDPA parts of the algo-
rithm, are then evaluated by the HSUPA part of the algorithm.
In the HSDPA portion of the Monte Carlo simulation, Atoll processes MC-HSPA users as DC-
HSPA users if they are connected to more than two carriers. Otherwise, they are consid-
ered as single-cell HSPA users.
On the same hand, a DB-MC-HSPA user will be managed:
• Either as a single-cell HSPA user if the best carrier and all the other carriers to
which he is connected are on two different frequency bands.
• Or as a DC-HSPA user if the best carrier and at least one of the other carriers are in
the same frequency band.
In the HSUPA portion, Atoll processes all users as single-cell HSPA users.
Therefore, we will only differentiate single-cell and DC-HSPA users in the next sections.
644
Description of the R99 Portion of the Simulation
The R99 part of the algorithm simulates power control, congestion and radio resource control performed for R99 bearers for
all users. Atoll considers each user in the order established during the generation of the user distribution and determines his
best server and his active set. Atoll first calculates the required terminal power in order to reach the Eb⁄Nt threshold
requested by the R99 bearer on UL, followed by the required traffic channel power in order to reach the Eb⁄Nt threshold
requested by the R99 bearer on DL. After calculating power control, Atoll updates the cell load parameters. Atoll then carries
out congestion and radio resource control, verifying the cell UL load, the total power transmitted by the cell, the number of
channel elements, the Iub throughput and OVSF codes consumed by the cell.
In DC-HSDPA, A-DPCH is only transmitted on one of the two carriers (called the anchor carrier). Therefore, DC-HSPA users
consume the same amount of R99 resources as single-cell HSDPA users. The R99 bearer is allocated to DC-HSPA users on their
best serving cell.
At this point, users can be either connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
• The signal quality is not sufficient:
• On the downlink, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot quality
is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): the status is "Ec⁄I0 < (Ec⁄I0)min"
• On the downlink, the power required to reach the user is greater than the maximum allowed: the status is "Ptch >
PtchMax"
• On the uplink, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax"
• Even if constraints above are respected, the network can be saturated:
• The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded (at admission or congestion): the status is either "Admission Rejec-
tion" or "UL Load Saturation"
• There are not enough channel elements on site: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput on site is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput Saturation"
• There is not enough power for cells: the status is "DL Load Saturation"
• There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "OVSF Code Saturation"
Description of the HSDPA Portion of the Simulation
In the HSDPA part, Atoll processes HSDPA and HSPA users. The HSDPA part of the algorithm simulates fast link adaptation,
the scheduling of HSDPA bearer users, and radio resource control on downlink.
For DC-HSPA users, fast link adaptation is done once for each carrier. For a DC-HSPA user, the first carrier is the one selected
in the R99 part according to the carrier selection method chosen in the site equipment, and the second carrier is the one that
provides the best CQI. Therefore, DC-HSPA users have two HSDPA bearers (possibly different ones depending on the available
HSDPA power in each cell), and consume HSDPA resources in both cells. Their throughputs are the sum of the throughputs
provided by the two HSDPA bearers.
HSDPA bearer selection is based on look-up tables, available by double-clicking the corresponding entry in the Reception
Equipment table, found in the Terminals context menu. HSDPA bearer selection depends on reported CQI, UE and cell capa-
bilities as detailed in the following diagramme.
[
Figure 7.45: HSDPA bearer selection
The HSDPA and HS-SCCH powers of a cell are evaluated before calculating HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt. The available HSDPA power (the
power dedicated to HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH of HSDPA bearer users) of a cell can be either fixed (statically allocated) or dynam-
ically allocated. If it is dynamically allocated, the power allocated to HSDPA depends on how much power is required to serve
R99 traffic. In other words, the power available after all common channels (including the power for downlink HSUPA channels)
and all R99 traffic have been served is allocated to HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. Similarly, the power per
HS-SCCH can be either fixed or dynamically allocated in order to attain the HS-SCCH Ec⁄Nt threshold. Using the HS-SCCH and
HSDPA powers, Atoll evaluates the HS-PDSCH power (the difference between the available HSDPA power and the HS-SCCH
power), calculates the HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt and, from that, the corresponding CQI (from the graph CQI=f(HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt) defined
for the terminal reception equipment and the user mobility). Then, Atoll reads the best HSDPA bearer associated to this CQI
(i.e., it reads the Best Bearer=f(HS-PDSCH CQI) from the table defined for the terminal reception equipment and the user
mobility) and checks if it is compatible with the user equipment and cell capabilities. If compatible, Atoll selects the HSDPA
bearer. Otherwise, it downgrades the HSDPA bearer to a lower one until the selected HSDPA bearer is compatible with the
user equipment and cell capabilities. For BE service users, the selected HSDPA bearer is the best HSDPA bearer that the user
can obtain.
For VBR service users, Atoll downgrades the HSDPA bearer to a lower one if the associated peak RLC throughput exceeds the
maximum throughput demand defined for the service. Downgrading occurs until the peak RLC throughput of the selected
HSDPA bearer is lower than the maximum throughput demand. Additionally, the selected HSDPA bearer must provide a peak
RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service.
645
For CBR service users, HS-SCCH-less operation (i.e., HS-DSCH transmissions without any accompanying HS-SCCH) is
performed. In this case, the UE is not informed about the transmission format and has to revert to blind decoding of the trans-
port format used on the HS-DSCH. Complexity of blind detections in the UE is decreased by limiting the transmission formats
that can be used (i.e., the HSDPA bearers available). Therefore, only HSDPA bearers using QPSK modulation and a maximum
of two HS-PDSCH channels can be selected and allocated to the user. Additionally, the selected HSDPA bearer must provide a
peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service.
Two CQI values are calculated for DC-HSPA users, one for each carrier, and two HSDPA bearers are determined.
CBR service users have the highest priority and are processed first, in the order established during the generation of the user
distribution. The scheduler manages the maximum number of users within each cell and shares the cell’s available HSDPA
power between the users. Atoll determines the HSDPA bearer for each user. The selected HSDPA bearer must provide a peak
RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service. To achieve the highest cell capacity,
the scheduler can hold several packets over a TTI (Transmission Time Interval). Atoll models this "intelligent scheduling" by
allowing several CBR service users to share the same HSDPA bearer. Then, Atoll calculates the HSDPA bearer consumption for
each user and takes into account this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by the user (i.e., the HSDPA
power used, the number of OVSF codes, and the Iub backhaul throughput). Atoll checks if enough codes and Iub backhaul
throughput are available for the user (taking into account the maximum number of OVSF codes defined for the cell and the
maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSDPA bearer ("down-
grading") which needs fewer OVSF codes and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput. If no OVSF codes are available, the
user is rejected. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is still
exceeded, the user is rejected.
At this point, CBR service users can be connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
• The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation"
• The lowest HSDPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Resource
Saturation"
After processing the CBR service users, Atoll processes the remaining HSDPA bearer users (i.e., HSDPA VBR and BE service
users, and HSPA VBR and BE service users), without exceeding the maximum number of users within each cell.
VBR service users have the highest priority and are managed before BE service users. For each type of service, the scheduler
ranks the users according to the selected scheduling technique:
• Max C/I: "n" users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA bearer users defined for the cell minus
the number of CBR service users in the cell) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random
order). Then, they are sorted in descending order by the channel quality indicator (CQI).
• Round Robin: Users are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order).
• Proportional Fair: "n" users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA bearer users defined for the
cell minus the number of CBR service users in the cell) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in
random order). Then, they are sorted in descending order according to a random parameter which corresponds to a
combination of the user rank in the simulation and the channel quality indicator (CQI).
Then, users are processed in the order defined by the scheduler and the remaining cell’s HSDPA power (i.e., the HSDPA power
available after all CBR service users have been served) is shared between them. Atoll checks if enough codes and Iub backhaul
throughput are available for the user (taking into account the maximum number of OVSF codes defined for the cell and the
maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSDPA bearer ("down-
grading") which needs fewer OVSF codes and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput.
For VBR services, if no OVSF codes are available, the user is rejected. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul through-
put allowed on the site in the downlink is still exceeded, the user is rejected.
At this point, VBR service users can be connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
• The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation"
• The lowest HSDPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• There are no more HS-SCCH channels available: the status is "HS-SCCH Channels Saturation"
• The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Resource
Saturation"
For BE services, if no OVSF codes are available, the user is delayed. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput
allowed on the site in the downlink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSDPA bearer, the user is delayed.
646
At this point, BE service users can be connected, rejected, or delayed. They are rejected if the maximum number of HSDPA
bearer users per cell is exceeded (status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation") and delayed if:
• They cannot obtain the lower HSDPA bearer: the status is "No Compatible Bearer"
• The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Power Saturation"
• There are no more HS-SCCH channels available: the status is "HS-SCCH Channels Saturation"
• There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "OVSF Code Saturation"
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation"
Description of the HSUPA Portion of the Simulation
In the HSUPA part, Atoll processes HSPA users who are connected to an HSDPA bearer or were delayed in the previous step.
It manages the maximum number of users within each cell. CBR service users have the highest priority and are processed first,
in the order established during the generation of the user distribution. Then, Atoll considers VBR service users in the order
established during the generation of the user distribution and lastly, it processes BE service users in the order established
during the generation of the user distribution. The HSUPA part of the algorithm simulates an admission control on the HSUPA
bearer users followed by noise rise scheduling and radio resource control.
Atoll first selects a list of HSUPA bearers that are compatible with the user equipment capabilities for each HSUPA bearer user.
For CBR service users, the list is restricted to HSUPA bearers that provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand. Then, during admission control, Atoll checks that the lowest compatible bearer in terms of the required
E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt does not require a terminal power higher than the maximum terminal power allowed.
Then, Atoll performs the noise rise scheduling on CBR service users, followed by a radio resource control. The noise rise sched-
uling algorithm attempts to evenly share the remaining cell load between the users admitted in admission control; in terms
of HSUPA, each user is allocated a right to produce interference. The remaining cell load factor on uplink depends on the maxi-
mum load factor allowed on uplink and how much uplink load is produced by the served R99 traffic. From this value, Atoll
calculates the maximum E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt allowed and can select an HSUPA bearer. The HSUPA bearer is selected based on the
values in a look-up table, and depends on the maximum E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt allowed and on UE capabilities.
You can open the HSUPA Bearer Selection table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to
expand the UMTS Network Settings folder in the Parameters explorer, and then right-
clicking the Reception Equipment folder and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
Atoll selects the best HSUPA bearer from the HSUPA compatible bearers, in other words, the HSUPA bearer with the highest
potential throughput where the required E-DPDCH Ec/Nt is lower than the maximum E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt allowed and the required
terminal power is lower than the maximum terminal power. In this section, the potential throughput refers to the ratio
between the peak RLC throughput and the number of retransmissions. When several HSUPA bearers are available, Atoll
selects the one with the lowest required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt.
Several CBR service users can share the same HSUPA bearer. Atoll calculates the HSUPA bearer consumption for each user
and takes into account this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by each user (i.e., the terminal power
used, the number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput).
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control on CBR service users. Atoll checks to see if enough channel elements and Iub
backhaul throughput are available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of
channel elements defined for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not,
Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul
throughput. If no channel elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul
throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSUPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, CBR service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
• The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSUPA Scheduler Saturation".
• The terminal power required to obtain the lowest compatible HSUPA bearer exceeds the maximum terminal power
in the admission control: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax".
• The lowest compatible HSUPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the min-
imum throughput demand: the status is "HSUPA Admission Rejection".
• There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation".
Then, Atoll processes VBR service users. For these users, the list of compatible bearers is restricted to HSUPA bearers that
provide a peak RLC throughput between the maximum and the minimum throughput demands. Atoll performs a new noise
rise scheduling and distributes the remaining cell load factor available after all CBR service users have been served. From this
value, Atoll selects an HSUPA bearer for each VBR service user.
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control on VBR service users. Atoll checks to see if enough channel elements and Iub
backhaul throughput are available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of
channel elements defined for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not,
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Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul
throughput. If no channel elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul
throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSUPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, VBR service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
• The lowest compatible HSUPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the min-
imum throughput demand: the status is "HSUPA Admission Rejection".
• There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation".
Saturation".
Then, Atoll processes BE service users. It performs a new noise rise scheduling and distributes the remaining cell load factor
available after all CBR and VBR service users have been served. From this value, Atoll selects an HSUPA bearer for each BE
service user. Then, Atoll checks that each BE service user has obtained the average requested throughput (defined in the
properties of the service).
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control, verifying whether enough channel elements and Iub backhaul throughput are
available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of channel elements defined
for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA
bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput. If no channel
elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site
in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSDPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, BE service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
• There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
Saturation".
Bearer Downgrading
If you select the option "Bearer Downgrading," when creating a simulation, R99, HSDPA and HSUPA service users can be down-
graded under certain circumstances. When the downgrading is allowed, Atoll does not reject R99, HSDPA and HSPA users
directly; it downgrades them first.
The R99 to R99 bearer downgrading occurs when:
• The cell resources are insufficient when the user is admitted
• The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded
• The cell resources are insufficient during congestion control
• The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded
• There is not enough power for cells
• There are not enough channel elements on the site
• The maximum Iub backhaul throughput on the site is exceeded
• There are no more OVSF codes available
• The user maximum connection power is exceeded during power control:
• On the downlink, the maximum traffic channel power is exceeded
• On the uplink, the maximum terminal power is exceeded
For all these reasons, the user’s R99 bearer will be downgraded to another R99 bearer of the same type (same traffic class).
Upon admission and during power control, downgrading is only performed on the user who causes the problem. During
congestion control, the problem is at the cell level and therefore, downgrading is performed on several users according to
their service priority. Users with the lowest priority services will be the first to be downgraded.
If R99 bearer downgrading does not fix the problem, the user will be rejected.
For an HSDPA bearer user, downgrading is triggered upon admission (into the R99 portion) when the best serving cell does
not support HSDPA traffic. When this happens, the HSDPA bearer user will not be able to get an HSDPA bearer and will be
downgraded to an R99 bearer of the same type as the A-DPCH bearer and the user will be processed as an R99 user.
For an HSUPA bearer user, downgrading is triggered upon admission (into the R99 portion) when the best serving cell does
not support HSUPA traffic. When this happens, the HSUPA bearer user will not be able to get an HSUPA bearer and will be
downgraded to an R99 bearer of the same type as the E-DPCCH/A-DPCH bearer and the user will be processed as an R99 user.
648

In Atoll, simulations enable you to study the capacity of your UMTS HSPA network and model the different network regulation
mechanisms in order to minimise interference and maximise capacity.
You can create one simulation or a group of simulations that will be performed in sequence. You must have at least one traffic
map or subscriber list in your document to be able to perform simulations.
4. On the General tab of the dialog box, enter a Name for this simulation or group of simulations, and some Comments
if you want.
5. Under Execution on the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Number of simulations: Enter the number of simulations to be carried out. All simulations created at the same
• Information to retain: You can select the level of detail that will be available in the output:
• Only the Average Simulation and Statistics: None of the individual simulations are displayed or available in
the group. Only an average of all simulations and statistics is available.
Some calculation and display options available for coverage predictions are not available
when the option "Only the Average Simulation and Statistics" is selected.
• No Information About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. For each of them, a prop-
erties window containing simulation output, divided among four tabs — Statistics, Sites, Cells, and Initial
Conditions — is available.
• Standard Information About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window for each simulation contains an additional tab with output related to mobiles.
• Detailed Information About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window for each simulation contains additional mobile-related output on the Mobiles and Mobiles (Shadow-
ing Values) tabs.
When you are working on very large radio-planning projects, you can reduce memory
consumption by selecting Only the Average Simulation and Statistics under Information
to retain.
6. Under Load constraints on the General tab, you can set the constraints that Atoll must respect during the simulation:
• Number of CEs: Select the Number of CEs check box if you want Atoll to respect the number of channel elements
defined for each site.
• Iub throughputs: Select the Iub throughputs check box if you want Atoll to respect the maximum Iub backhaul
throughputs defined for each site.
• Number of codes: Select the Number of codes check box if you want Atoll to respect the number of OVSF codes
available each cell.
• UL load factor: If you want the UL load factor to be considered in the simulation, select the UL load factor check
box.
• Max UL load factor: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum uplink cell load factor, click the button
( ) beside the box and select Global value. Then, enter a maximum uplink cell load factor. If you want to use the
maximum uplink cell load factor as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and
select Defined per cell.
• DL load (% Pmax): If you want the DL load to be considered in the simulation, select the DL load (% Pmax) check
box and enter a maximum downlink cell load in the Max DL load box.
• Max DL load (% Pmax): If you want to enter a global value for the maximum downlink cell load, as a percentage
of the maximum power, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Global value. Then, enter a maximum
downlink cell load, as a percentage of the maximum power. If you want to use the maximum downlink cell load
factor as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Defined per cell.
7. Under Bearer negotiation on the General tab, check the Bearer downgrading check box if you want to permit bearer
downgrading during the simulation. When a constraint is not respected, user radio bearers with services supporting
bearer downgrading are downgraded. If the constraint is still not satisfied after downgrading, users are rejected. If
649
downgrading is not selected, users will be rejected immediately, starting with users with the lowest service priority, if
a constraint can not be respected.
environment and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
• Generator initialisation, enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. If you enter "0", the default, the
user and shadowing error distribution will be random. If you enter any other integer, the same user and shadowing
error distribution will be used for any simulation using the same generator initialisation value.
Using the same generated user and shadowing error distribution for several simulations
can be useful when you want to compare the results of several simulations where only
one parameter changes.
• Under Convergence, enter the following parameters:

• Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to make conver-
gence.
• UL convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
uplink that must be reached between two iterations.
• DL convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
downlink that must be reached between two iterations.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer. You can now use the
completed simulations for specific UMTS and HSDPA coverage predictions (see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simula-
tion Results" on page 665) or for an AS analysis using the Point Analysis window (see "Making an AS Analysis of Simulation
Results" on page 665).

Atoll enables you to display on the map the distribution of the traffic generated by all simulations according to different
parameters. You can, for example, display the traffic according to service, activity status, pilot signal strength, or soft handover
gain.
vals that are to be displayed. You can also define the colours of the icon and the icon itself.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Handover Status" on page 650
For information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer
7.3.4.3.1 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Handover Status

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by the handover status.
650
To display the traffic distribution by the handover status:

4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "HO Status (Sites/No. Transmit-
ters Act. Set)" as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by handover status (see Figure 7.46).
Figure 7.46: Displaying the traffic distribution by handover status

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7.3.4.4 Displaying the User Active Set on the Map

Atoll enables you to display on the map the active set for each user generated by a simulation.
To display the active set for a user:
• On the map, click and hold the icon of the user whose best and second-best servers you want to display.
The servers in the user’s active set are connected to the user with lines the same colour as the serving transmitter.
The best server is indicated with the number "1", the second-best with number "2" and so on. Figure 7.49 shows a
user with three servers in his active set.
Figure 7.49: The active set of a user

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want to access.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and UL and DL through-
puts) is given.
network design.
• The number and the percentage of delayed users is given along with the reason for delay.
• The number and percentage of R99 bearer users connected to a cell, the number of users per frequency band
for a multi-band network, the number of users per activity status, and the UL and DL total throughputs they
generate. These figures include R99 users as well as HSDPA and HSPA users (since all of them request an R99
bearer); they are determined in the R99 part of the algorithm. This data is also provided by service.
• The total number and the percentage of connected users with an HSDPA bearer, the number of users per
frequency band for a multi-band network, the number of users per activity status, and the DL total throughput
that they generate. HSDPA and HSPA service users are considered because they all request an HSDPA bearer,
except Packet (HSPA - Constant Rate).
• The total number of connected HSUPA bearer users and the percentage of users with an HSUPA bearer, the
number of users per frequency band for a multi-band network, the number of users per activity status, and
the UL total throughput they generate. Only HSPA service users are considered, except Packet (HSPA -
Constant Rate).
• Max No. of DL and UL CEs: The maximum number of channel elements available on uplink and downlink for R99
bearers requested by the users.
• No. of DL and UL CEs Used: The number of channel elements required on uplink and downlink for R99 bearers to
handle the traffic of current simulation.
• No. of DL and UL CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handover, on
• Carrier Selection: The carrier selection method defined on the site equipment.
• Downlink and Uplink Overhead CEs/Cell: The overhead channel elements per cell on the downlink and on the
uplink, defined on the site equipment.
• AS Restricted to Neighbours: Whether the active set is restricted to neighbours of the reference cell. This option
is selected on the site equipment.
• Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on downlink.
• MUD Factor: The multi-user detection factor, defined on the site equipment, is used to decrease intra-cell inter-
ference on uplink.
• Compressed Mode: Whether compressed mode is supported. This option is defined on the site equipment.
• Max Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The maximum Iub backhaul throughput in the down-
link and uplink.
• Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput required on downlink and
uplink to handle the traffic of current simulation.
• Overhead Iub Throughput (kbps): the Iub throughput required by the site for common channels in the downlink.
It corresponds to the overhead Iub throughput per cell (defined on the site equipment) multiplied by the number
of cells on the site.
• HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): This parameter is defined on the site equipment. It corresponds to the per-
centage of the HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value cor-
responds to the Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer users for HS Channels in the downlink.
653
• Nb of Recommended E1/T1/Ethernet Link: The number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total Iub
backhaul throughput.
• Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps).
• Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps).
The Cells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and carrier:
• Max Power (dBm): The maximum power as defined in the cell properties.
• Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power as defined in the cell properties.
• SCH power (dBm): The SCH power as defined in the cell properties.
• Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels. It includes the other CCH power and the DL
HSUPA power as defined in the cell properties.
• Available HSDPA Power (dBm): The available HSDPA power as defined in the cell properties. This is the power
available for the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH. The value is either fixed by the user when the HSDPA power is allocated
statically, or by a simulation when the option HSDPA Power Dynamic Allocation is selected.
• AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold as defined in cell properties
• Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
• Reception Losses (dB): The reception losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Transmission Losses (dB): The transmission losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties
• Total Transmitted R99 Power (dBm): The total transmitted R99 power is the power transmitted by the cell on
common channels (Pilot, SCH, other CCH), HSUPA channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH) and R99 traffic-dedi-
cated channels.
• Transmitted HSDPA Power (dBm): The HSDPA power transmitted by the cell on HSDPA channels. It corresponds
to the HSDPA power used to serve HSDPA bearer users.
• Total Transmitted Power (dBm): The total transmitted power of the cell is the sum of the total transmitted R99
power and the transmitted HSDPA power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the total transmitted power
cannot exceed the maximum power minus the power headroom.
When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is statically allocated, the total
transmitted power cannot exceed the maximum DL load (defined either in the cell proper-
ties, or in the simulation). On the other hand, if HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the
control is carried out on the R99 transmitted power, which cannot exceed the maximum
DL load.
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The uplink total noise takes into account the total signal received at the transmitter on a
carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (uplink total interference)
and the thermal noise.
• Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor that the cell can support. It is defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box.
• Max DL Load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of power that the cell can use. It is defined either in the cell
• UL load factor (%): The uplink cell load factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interference and
the uplink total noise. If the constraint "UL load factor" has been selected, UL cell load factor is not allowed to
exceed the user-defined maximum UL load factor (either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog
box).
• DL Load Factor (%): The DL load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (DL average interference [due to trans-
mitter signals on the same and adjacent carriers] for terminals in the transmitter i area) ⁄ (DL average total noise
[due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter i area).
• UL and DL Noise Rise (dB): The uplink and downlink noise rises are calculated from uplink and downlink load fac-
tors. These data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
• DL R99 Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used for R99 channels is determined by the total transmitted
R99 power-maximum power ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is
allocated dynamically, the DL R99 Load can not exceed the user-defined Max DL Load (defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation).
• Reuse Factor (UL): The uplink reuse factor is the ratio between the uplink total interference and the intra-cell
interference.
• Reuse Efficiency Factor (UL): The uplink reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the uplink reuse factor.
• Number of UL and DL Radio Links: The number of radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on uplink and on downlink and indicates the number of users con-
nected to the cell on uplink and downlink. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio links.
• Connection Success Rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users over the total
number of users in the cell.
• HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSDPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
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• Min. HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the lowest
of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this is the
lower of the two minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
• Max HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the highest
higher of the two maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
• Avg. Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The average instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the
average number of kbits per second that the cell supports on downlink to provide one connected user with an
HSDPA bearer. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the number of kbits per
second that the cell supports on downlink to provide simultaneous connected users with an HSDPA bearer. The
HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps) that the cell
carries. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• No. of Simultaneous HSDPA Users: The number of simultaneous HSDPA users corresponds to the number of
HSDPA bearer users that the cell supports at one time, i.e. within one time transmission interval. All these users
are connected to the cell at the end of the HSDPA part of the simulation; they have a connection with the R99
bearer and an HSDPA bearer. DC-HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
• No. of HSDPA Users: The number of connected and delayed HSDPA bearer users. DC-HSPA users are considered
once in each cell they are connected to.
• No. of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users connected to the cell.
• HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSUPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
• HSUPA UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load contribution due to HSUPA traffic.
• No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of 512-bit OVSF codes used per cell.
• The types of handover as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handover types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handover status, no handover (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2), softer-soft
(2⁄3) and soft-soft (3⁄3) handovers; the other handover status (other HO) are grouped.
• R99 UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers of kbits per
second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer. All the radio
links in the cell, i.e., links due to handover, are taken into account in the throughput calculation.
• R99 UL and DL Throughput Without HO (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers
of kbits per second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer.
Only the links with the best server are taken into account in the calculation of throughput.
• Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Non-connected users: The number of rejected and delayed users per cell. Rejected users are sorted by the fol-
lowing values: Pmob > PmobMax, Ptch > PtchMax, Ec⁄Io < (Ec⁄Io)min., UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation,
DL Load Saturation, Code Saturation, Admission Rejection, HSDPA Scheduler Saturation, HSDPA Resource Sat-
uration, HSUPA Admission Rejection, HSUPA Scheduler Saturation and Iub Throughput Saturation. Delayed
users are regrouped under HSDPA Delayed.
• Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Mobiles tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating
Simulations" on page 649, you select either "Standard information about mobiles" or
"Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
random trial).
the user profile.
• User Profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
bution.
• Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection. DC-HSPA users are connected to two carriers.
Details can be displayed per carrier by selecting Actions > Detailed Display.
• Frequency Band: the frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
• DL and UL Total Requested Throughput (kbps): For R99 users, the DL and UL total requested throughputs corre-
spond to the DL and UL peak throughputs of the R99 bearer associated to the service.
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For HSDPA users, the uplink requested throughput corresponds to the peak throughput of ADPCH R99 radio bear-
er and the downlink requested throughput is the sum of the ADPCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak
RLC throughput(s) that the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide. Here, the user is treated as if he is the only
user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSDPA bearer the user would obtain by considering the entire HS-
DPA power available of the cell.
For HSPA users, the uplink requested throughput is equal to the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak
throughput and the peak RLC throughput of the requested HSUPA radio bearer. The requested HSUPA radio bear-
er is selected from the HSUPA bearers compatible with the user equipment. Here, the user is treated as if he is the
only user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSUPA bearer the user would obtain by considering the entire
remaining load of the cell. The downlink requested throughput is the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak
throughput and the peak RLC throughput(s) that the requested HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide.
• DL and UL Total Obtained Throughput (kbps): For R99 service users, the obtained throughput is the same as the
requested throughput if he is connected without being downgraded. Otherwise, the obtained throughput is lower
(it corresponds to the peak throughput of the selected R99 bearer). If the user is rejected, the obtained throughput
is zero.
In the downlink, HSDPA bearer users can be connected to a single cell or to two cells of the same transmitter when
the user has a DC-HSPA-capable terminal and when the transmitter supports the multi-cell HSDPA mode.
For a single-carrier HSDPA service user connected to an HSDPA bearer, the downlink obtained throughput corre-
sponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the A-DPCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak
RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource control. If the
user is delayed (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer), downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the
downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer. Finally, if the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the
HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated), the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
For a dual-carrier HSDPA service user connected to two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained throughput corre-
sponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the A-DPCH radio
bearer in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughputs provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearers after sched-
uling and radio resource control. If the user is connected to one cell and delayed in the other cell, the downlink
obtained throughput is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the A-DPCH radio bearer in the anchor cell
and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource
control. If the user is delayed in the two cells (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer in the anchor cell), the
downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer in the
anchor cell. Finally, if the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA
scheduler is saturated), the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
In the uplink, HSDPA service users can only have a single-carrier connection. When the user is either connected or
delayed, the uplink obtained throughput corresponds to the uplink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer.
If the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated),
the uplink obtained throughput is zero.
For single-carrier HSPA VBR and BE service users, on downlink, if the user is connected to an HSDPA bearer, the
downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the instantaneous throughput. The instantaneous throughput is
the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak RLC throughput provided by the se-
lected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource control. If the user is delayed, the downlink ob-
tained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer. If the user is
rejected, the downlink obtained throughput is "0".
For dual-carrier HSPA VBR and BE service users connected to two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained through-
put corresponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the ADPCH-
EDPCCH radio bearer in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughputs provided by the selected HSDPA radio bear-
ers after scheduling and radio resource control. If the user is connected to one cell and delayed in the other cell,
the downlink obtained throughput is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bear-
er in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling
and radio resource control. If the user is delayed in the two cells (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer in
the anchor cell), the downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH-
EDPCCH radio bearer in the anchor cell. Finally, if the user is rejected, the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
In uplink, HSPA VBR and BE service users can only have a single-carrier connection. When the user is connected to
an HSUPA bearer, the uplink obtained throughput is the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput
and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSUPA radio bearer after noise rise scheduling. If the user
is rejected, the uplink obtained throughput is zero.
For a connected HSPA CBR service user, the uplink and downlink total obtained throughputs are the sum of the
ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput and the minimum throughput demand defined for the service. If
the user is rejected, the uplink and downlink total obtained throughputs are "0".
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• Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected, delayed or rejected at the end
of the simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection
cause is given. If delayed (for HSDPA and HSPA users only), the status is "HSDPA delayed".
• Best Server: The best server among the transmitters in the mobile active set.
• HO Status (Sites/No. Transmitters Act. Set): The HO status is the number of sites compared to the number of
transmitters in the active set.
• AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is given in a
separate column for each cell in the active set.
• Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, (dB): Ec⁄Io is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/Io AS 1
column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
• Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
• Active Compressed Mode: This field indicates whether active compressed mode is supported by the mobile or
not.
The following columns only appear if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating Simulations" on
page 649, you select "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain:
• DL and UL Requested Peak RLC Throughputs (kbps): Downlink and uplink requested peak RLC throughputs are
not calculated for R99 users.
For HSDPA users, the uplink peak RLC throughput is not calculated and the downlink requested peak RLC through-
put is the throughput that the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide.
For HSPA users, the requested uplink peak RLC throughput is the throughput of the requested HSUPA radio bearer.
The requested HSUPA radio bearer is selected from the HSUPA bearers compatible with the user equipment. Here,
the user is treated as if he is the only user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSUPA bearer the user would
obtain by considering the entire remaining load of the cell. If the user is connected to one or two HSDPA bearers
in the downlink, the downlink requested peak RLC throughput is the throughput that the requested HSDPA radio
bearer(s) can provide. The requested HSDPA radio bearer is determined as explained in the previous paragraph.
• DL and UL Obtained Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): Downlink and uplink obtained peak RLC throughputs are not
calculated for R99 users.
For HSDPA users connected to one or two HSDPA bearers, the uplink obtained peak RLC throughput is not calcu-
lated, and the downlink obtained peak RLC throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio
bearer(s) after scheduling and radio resource control.
For connected HSPA BE and VBR service users, on uplink, if the user is connected to an HSUPA bearer, the obtained
uplink peak RLC throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSUPA radio bearer after noise rise sched-
uling. On downlink, if the user is connected to one or two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained peak RLC
throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) after scheduling and radio resource
control.
For a connected HSPA CBR service user, the uplink and downlink obtained peak RLC throughputs are the uplink
and downlink minimum throughput demands defined for the service.
• HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSDPA application throughput is the net HSDPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the instantaneous HSDPA throughput (i.e.,
the DL obtained throughput), the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
• Served HSDPA Power (dBm): This is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA bearer user with the down-
link obtained throughput.
• Required HSDPA Power (dBm): The required HSDPA power is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA
bearer user with the downlink requested throughput. If the HSDPA bearer allocated to the user is the best one,
the required HSDPA power corresponds to the available HSDPA power of the cell. On the other hand, if the HSDPA
has been downgraded in order to be compliant with cell and UE capabilities, the required HSDPA power will be
lower than the available HSDPA power of the cell.
• No. of HSUPA Retransmissions (Required): The maximum number of retransmissions in order to have the
requested HSUPA radio bearer with a given BLER.
• No. of HSUPA Retransmissions (Obtained): The maximum number of retransmissions in order to have the
obtained HSUPA radio bearer with a given BLER.
• HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSUPA application throughput is the net HSUPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the UL obtained throughput, the BLER, the
HSUPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
• Cell TCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the downlink is given for each link
between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
• DL Ntot AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (dBm): The total noise on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a trans-
mitter in the active set.
• Load Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (%): The load factor on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a
transmitter in the active set. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference on the downlink and total
noise at the terminal.
657
• Noise Rise AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dB): The noise rise on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a
transmitter in the active set.
• Reuse Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL): The DL reuse factor for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in
the active set. It is calculated from the interference received at the terminal from the intra cell area and the total
interference received at the terminal from all the transmitters (intra and extra-cell and inter-carrier).
• Iintra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The intra-cell interference for each cell (I) of the active set.
 
I int ra  P DL
DL
tot
ic   Fortho   P DL
tot
ic   PSCH 

i  i LT 
• Iextra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The extra-cell interference for each cell (I) of the active set.
 
I extra 
DL
 P DL
tot
ic   Fortho   P DL
tot
ic   PSCH 

Tx ,iTx  LT 
• Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in
the active set.
• Iub UL Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput consumed on the uplink by the mobile.
• Iub DL Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput consumed on the downlink by the mobile.
• No. of UL CEs: The number of channel elements consumed on the uplink by the mobile.
• No. of DL CEs: The number of channel elements consumed on the downlink by the mobile.
• Name: The name of the mobile, as assigned during the random user generation.
• Clutter: The clutter class on which the mobile is located.
• Orthogonality Factor: The orthogonality factor used in the simulation. The orthogonality factor is the remaining
orthogonality of the OVSF codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
• % Pilot Finger: The percentage pilot finger used in the simulation, defined per clutter class or globally for all clutter
classes.
• UL SHO Gain (dB): The uplink soft handover gain is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on DL or on
UL and DL.
• DL SHO Gain (dB): The downlink soft handover gain is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on DL or
on UL and DL.
• No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of OVSF codes used per mobile.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab: The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab contains information on the shadowing
margin for each link between the receiver and up to ten closest potential transmitters:
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as
explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 649, you select "Detailed information about
mobiles" under Information to Retain.
• Name: The name assigned to the mobile.

• Value at Receiver (dB): The value of the shadowing margin at the receiver.
• Path To: The name of the potential transmitter.
• Value (dB): The shadowing value for the potential link in the corresponding Path To column. These values depend
on the model standard deviation per clutter type on which the receiver is located and are randomly distributed on
a gaussian curve.
• The global transmitter parameters:
• The spreading width
• Whether the power values on the downlink are absolute or relative to the pilot
• The default uplink soft handover gain
• Whether the MRC in softer/soft is defined or not
• The methods used to calculate I0 and Nt
• Parameters for compressed mode
• The methods used to calculate Nt and CQI for HSDPA.
• The uplink and downlink convergence thresholds
• The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the maxi-
mum Iub throughputs, the uplink load factor and the maximum load
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3. Right-click the group of simulations whose results you want to access.
4. Select Average Simulation from the context menu. A properties dialog box appears.
lation results for all simulations, both averaged and as a standard deviation.
• Request: Under Request, you will find data on the connection requests:
• During the first random trial, each user is assigned a service. The UL and DL throughputs that all users could
theoretically generate are provided.
puts) is given.
• Results: Under Results, you will find data on the connection results:
network design.
• The number and the percentage of delayed users is given along with the reason for delay.
• The number and percentage of R99 bearer users connected to a cell, the number of users per frequency band
for multi-band networks, the number of users per activity status, and the total UL and DL throughputs they
generate. These figures include R99 users as well as HSDPA and HSPA users (since all of them request an R99
bearer); they are determined in the R99 part of the algorithm. This data is also provided by service.
• The total number and the percentage of connected users with an HSDPA bearer, the number of users per
frequency band for multi-band networks, the number of users per activity status, and DL total throughput that
they generate. HSDPA and HSPA service users are considered since they all request an HSDPA bearer.
• The total number of connected HSUPA bearer users and the percentage of users with an HSUPA bearer, the
number of users per frequency band for multi-band networks, the number of users per activity status, and UL
and DL total throughputs they generate. Only HSPA service users are considered.
The Sites (Average) and Sites (Standard Deviation) tabs: The Sites (Average) and Sites (Standard Deviation) tabs
contains the following average and standard deviation information, respectively, per site:
• Max No. of DL and UL CEs: The maximum number of channel elements available on uplink and downlink for R99
bearers requested by the users.
• No. of DL and UL CEs Used: The number of channel elements required on uplink and downlink for R99 bearers to
handle the traffic of current simulation.
• No. of DL and UL CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handover, on
• Downlink and Uplink Overhead CEs/Cell: The overhead channel elements per cell on the downlink and on the
uplink, defined on the site equipment.
• Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on downlink.
ference on uplink.
• Compressed Mode: Whether compressed mode is supported. This option is defined on the site equipment.
• Max Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The maximum Iub backhaul throughput in the down-
link and uplink.
• Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput required on downlink and
uplink to handle the traffic of current simulation.
• Overhead Iub Throughput/Cell (kbps): The Iub throughput required by the cell for common channels in the down-
link, defined on the site equipment.
659
• HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): This parameter is defined on the site equipment. It corresponds to the per-
centage of the HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value cor-
responds to the Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer user for HS Channels in the downlink.
• Nb of Recommended E1/T1/Ethernet Link: The number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total Iub
backhaul throughput.
• Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps).
• Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps).
• DL and UL Throughput for Each Service: The throughput in kbits⁄s for each service.
The Cells (Average) and Cells (Standard Deviation) tabs: The Cells (Average) and Cells (Standard Deviation) tabs
contains the following average and standard deviation information, respectively, per site, transmitter, and carrier:
• SCH power (dBm): The SCH power as defined in the cell properties.
• Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels. It includes the other CCH power and the DL
HSUPA power as defined in the cell properties.
• Available HSDPA Power (dBm): The available HSDPA power as defined in the cell properties. This is the power
available for the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH. The value is either fixed by the user when the HSDPA power is allocated
statically, or by a simulation when the option HSDPA Power Dynamic Allocation is selected.
• AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold as defined in cell properties
• Reception Losses (dB): The reception losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Transmission Losses (dB): The transmission losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Total Transmitted R99 Power (dBm): The total transmitted R99 power is the power transmitted by the cell on
common channels (Pilot, SCH, other CCH), HSUPA channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH) and R99 traffic-dedi-
cated channels.
• Transmitted HSDPA Power (dBm): The HSDPA power transmitted by the cell on HSDPA channels. It corresponds
to the HSDPA power used to serve HSDPA bearer users.
• Total Transmitted Power (dBm): The total transmitted power of the cell is the sum of the total transmitted R99
power and the transmitted HSDPA power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the total transmitted power
cannot exceed the maximum power minus the power headroom.
When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is statically allocated, the total
transmitted power cannot exceed the maximum DL load (defined either in the cell proper-
ties, or in the simulation). On the other hand, if HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the
control is carried out on the R99 transmitted power, which cannot exceed the maximum
DL load.
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The uplink total noise takes into account the total signal received at the transmitter on a
carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (uplink total interference)
and the thermal noise.
• Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor that the cell can support. It is defined either in the cell
• Max DL Load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of power that the cell can use. It is defined either in the cell
• UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interference and
the uplink total noise. If the constraint "UL load factor" has been selected, UL cell load factor is not allowed to
exceed the user-defined maximum UL load factor (either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog
box).
• UL Load Factor due to HSUPA (%): The uplink cell load caused by HSUPA traffic.
• DL Load Factor (%): The DL load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (DL average interference [due to trans-
mitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area) ⁄ (DL average total noise [due to trans-
mitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter i area).
• UL and DL Noise Rise (dB): The uplink and downlink noise rises are calculated from uplink and downlink load fac-
tors. These data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
• DL R99 Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used for R99 channels is determined by the total transmitted
R99 power-maximum power ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is
allocated dynamically, the DL R99 Load can not exceed the user-defined Max DL Load (defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation).
• Reuse Factor (UL): The uplink reuse factor is the ratio between the uplink total interference and the intra-cell
interference.
• Reuse Efficiency Factor (UL): The uplink reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the uplink reuse factor.
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on uplink and on downlink and indicates the number of users con-
nected to the cell on uplink and downlink. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio links.
660
• HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSDPA application throughput is the net HSDPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the instantaneous HSDPA throughput (i.e.,
the DL obtained throughput), the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
• Min. HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the lowest
lower of the two minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
• Max HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughput: It corresponds to the
highest of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this
is the higher of the two maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
• Avg. Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The average instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the
average number of kbits per second that the cell supports on downlink to provide one connected user with an
HSDPA bearer. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the number of kbits per
second that the cell supports on downlink to provide simultaneous connected users with an HSDPA bearer. The
HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps) that the cell
carries. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
• No. of Simultaneous HSDPA Users: The number of simultaneous HSDPA users corresponds to the number of
HSDPA bearer users that the cell supports at a time, i.e. within one time transmission interval. All these users are
connected to the cell at the end of the simulation HSDPA part; they have a connection with the R99 bearer and an
HSDPA bearer. DC-HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
• No. of HSDPA Users: The number of HSDPA users include the connected and delayed HSDPA bearer users. DC-
HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
• No. of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users connected to the cell.
• HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSUPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
• HSUPA UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load caused by HSUPA traffic.
• No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of OVSF codes used per cell.
• The types of handover as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handover types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handover status, no handover (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2), softer-soft
(2⁄3) and soft-soft (3⁄3) handovers; the other handover status (other HO) are grouped.
• R99 UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers of kbits per
second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer. All the radio
links in the cell, i.e., links due to handover, are taken into account in the throughput calculation.
• R99 UL and DL Throughput Without HO (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers
of kbits per second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer.
Only the links with the best server are taken into account in the calculation of throughput.
• Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Avg TCH Pwr: The average power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
• Non-connected users: The number of rejected and delayed users per cell. Rejected users are sorted by the fol-
lowing reasons: Pmob > PmobMax, Ptch > PtchMax, Ec⁄Io < (Ec⁄Io)min., UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation,
DL Load Saturation, Code Saturation, Admission Rejection, HSDPA Delayed, HSDPA Scheduler Saturation,
HSDPA Resource Saturation, HSUPA Admission Rejection, HSUPA Scheduler Saturation and Iub Throughput Sat-
uration. Delayed users are regrouped under HSDPA Delayed.
• Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
• Whether the power values on the downlink are absolute or relative to the pilot
• The default uplink soft handover gain
• The methods used to calculate I0 and Nt
• Parameters for compressed mode
• The methods used to calculate Nt and CQI for HSDPA.
• The input parameters specified when creating the group of simulations:
• The uplink and downlink convergence thresholds
• The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the uplink
load factor and the maximum load
661


update values for each cell with the results calculated during the simulation. The following values are updated:
• Total Transmitted Power
• UL Load Factor
• UL Reuse Factor
• Available HSDPA Power
• Number of HSDPA Users
• UL Load Factor due to HSUPA
• Number of HSUPA Users.
To update cell values with simulation results:
you want to access.
2. Click the Cells tab.
3. On the Cells tab, click Commit Results. The following values are updated for each cell:
• Total Transmitted Power
• UL Load Factor
• UL Reuse Factor
• Available HSDPA Power
• Number of HSDPA Users
• UL Load Factor due to HSUPA
• Number of HSUPA Users.

input (radio, traffic, and simulation parameters) as those used to generate the group. It then generates a new user
distribution and performs the power control simulation.
To add one or more simulations to a group, see "Adding a Simulation to a Group of Simulations" on page 663.
distribution between simulations is different. Traffic parameter changes (such as maximum and minimum traffic
channel powers allowed, Eb/Nt thresholds, etc.) can be taken into account. Finally, radio data modifications (new
transmitters, changes to the antenna azimuth, etc.) are always taken into account during the power control (or
throughput/power control) simulation.
To replay a group of simulations, see "Replaying a Group of Simulations" on page 663.
662
However, any modifications to traffic parameters (such as, maximum and minimum traffic channel powers allowed,
Eb⁄Nt thresholds, etc.) and radio data (new transmitter, azimuth, etc.) are taken into account during the power control
simulation.
eter changes make.


Replaying a Group of Simulations
To replay a group of simulations:

• From the Information to retain list, select the level of detail that will be available in the output as explained in
• Under Load constraints, you can set the constraints that Atoll must respect during the simulation as explained in
• Under Bearer Negotiation, check the Bearer downgrading check box if you want to permit bearer downgrading
during the simulation.
traffic parameter changes (such as maximum and minimum traffic channel powers allowed, Eb/Nt thresholds, etc.) in
the replayed simulation.
663

• Max Number of Iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to make convergence.
• UL Convergence Threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
• DL Convergence Threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the


When you create a simulation or a group of simulations, you are basing it on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situ-
of the network against an increased traffic load without changing traffic parameters or maps by using the global scaling factor.
For example, setting the global scaling factor to "2" is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment
and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
1. Create a simulation or group of simulations by:
• Creating a new simulation or group of simulations as described in "Creating Simulations" on page 649.
• Duplicating an existing simulation or group of simulations as described in "Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Doc-
ument" on page 662.
2. Click the Source Traffic tab of the properties dialog box.
3. Enter a Global Scaling Factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to "2" is the same as doubling the initial
maps).
664
7.3.5 Analysing the Results of a Simulation

In Atoll, you have several methods available to help you analyse simulation results. You can make an active set analysis of a
real-time probe user or you can make a prediction where each pixel is considered as a probe user with a defined terminal,
mobility, and service. The analyses are based on a single simulation or on an averaged group of simulations.
You can find information on the analysis methods in the following sections:
• "Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results" on page 665
• "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 665.
7.3.5.1 Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results

The Point Analysis window gives you information on reception for any point on the map. The AS Analysis view gives you infor-
mation on the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) (which is the main parameter used to define the mobile active set), the connection status,
and the active set of the probe mobile. Analysis is based on the UL load percentage and the DL total power of cells. In this
case, these parameters can be either outputs of a given simulation, or average values calculated from a group of simulations.
The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
Before you make an AS analysis:
• Ensure the simulation or group of simulations you want to use in the AS analysis is displayed on the map.
• Replay the simulation or group of simulations you want to use if you have modified radio parameters since you made
the simulation.
The AS analysis does not take possible network saturation into account. Therefore, there
is no guarantee that a simulated mobile with the same receiver characteristics can verify
the point analysis, simply because the simulated network can be saturated.
To make an AS analysis of simulation results:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears. (see Figure 7.14).
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select the simulation or group of simulations you want to base the AS analysis on
from the Load Conditions list.
4. Select the Terminal, Service, and Mobility.
5. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
6. Select or clear the following options:
• Whether shadowing is to be taken into account (and, if so, the cell edge coverage probability).
• Whether indoor coverage is to be taken into account.
• Whether downgrading is allowed.
7. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 7.27
on page 598).
Information on the current position is given on the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 7.28 on
page 598 for an explanation of the displayed information.
7.3.5.2 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results

When no simulations are available, Atoll uses the UL load factor, the DL total power, the UL reuse factor, the available HSDPA
power, the number of HSDPA bearer users, the number of HSUPA bearer users, and the UL load factor due to HSUPA defined
for each cell to make coverage predictions. For information on cell properties, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537;
for information on modifying cell properties, see "Cell Description" on page 533.
Once you have made simulations, Atoll can use this information instead of the defined parameters in the cell properties to
make coverage predictions where each pixel is considered as a probe user with a terminal, mobility, profile, and service. For
665
each coverage prediction based on simulation results, you can base the coverage prediction on a selected simulation or on a
group of simulations, choosing either an average analysis of all simulations in the group or a statistical analysis based on a
defined probability. To be able to base a coverage prediction on a simulation or group of simulations, the simulation must
have converged.
The coverage predictions that can use simulation results are:
• Coverage predictions on the pilot or on a service:
• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL): For information on making a pilot quality analysis, see "Studying Pilot Signal Quality"
on page 576.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL): For information on making a coverage prediction on the downlink service area,
see "Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 577.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL): For information on making a coverage prediction on the uplink service area,
see "Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 577.
• Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL): For information on making a effective service area analysis, see
"Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 579.
• Coverage predictions on noise and interference:
• Coverage by Total Noise Level (DL): For information on making a coverage by total noise level, see "Studying the
Total Noise Level on the Downlink" on page 582.
• Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL): For information on making a coverage by pilot polluter, see "Studying Pilot Pollution"
on page 583.
• A handover status coverage prediction to analyse macro-diversity performance:
• Handoff Zones (DL): For information on making a Handoff Zones (DL), see "Making a Handoff Status Coverage Pre-
diction" on page 585.
• An HSDPA prediction to analyse A-DPCH qualities, HS-SCCH power or quality per HS-SCCH channel and to model fast
link adaptation.
• HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (DL): For information on making an HSDPA coverage prediction, see
"HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 587.
• An HSUPA predictions prediction to analyse the required E-DPDCH Ec/Nt, the required terminal power, and the
obtained HSUPA bearer.
• HSUPA Quality and Throughput Analysis (UL): For information on making an HSUPA coverage prediction, see
"HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 589.
The procedures for the coverage predictions assume that simulation results are not available. When no simulations are avail-
able, you select "(Cells Table)" from the Load Conditions list, on the Conditions tab. However, when simulations are available
you can base the coverage prediction on one simulation or a group of simulations.
To base a coverage prediction on a simulation or group of simulations, when setting the parameters:
2. From the Load Conditions list, select the simulation or group of simulations on which you want to base the coverage
prediction.
3. If you select a group of simulations from the Load Conditions list, select one of the following:
• All: If you select All to make a statistical analysis of all simulations based on the defined Probability (the probability
must be from 0 to 1). This will make a global analysis of all simulations in a group and with an evaluation of the
network stability in terms of fluctuations in traffic.
• Average: Select Average make the coverage prediction on the average of the simulations in the group.

Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) enables radio engineers designing UMTS networks to automatically calculate the optimal
network settings in terms of network coverage and quality. The ACP can also be used to add sites from a list of candidate sites
or to remove unnecessary sites or sectors. Atoll ACP can also be used in co-planning projects where networks using different
radio access technologies must be taken into consideration when calculating the optimal network settings.
remotely controlled by operators: antenna electrical tilt and cell pilot power. ACP can also be used during the initial planning
stage of a UMTS network by enabling the selection of the antenna, and its azimuth, height, and mechanical tilt. ACP not only
takes transmitters into account in optimisations but also any repeaters and remote antennas.
transmitters.
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ACP uses user-defined objectives to evaluate the optimisation, as well as to calculate its implementation cost. Once you have
defined the objectives and the network parameters to be optimised, Atoll ACP uses an efficient global search algorithm to test
many network configurations and propose the reconfigurations that best meet the objectives. The ACP presents the changes
ordered from the most to the least beneficial, allowing phased implementation or implementation of just a subset of the
suggested changes.
The ACP is technology-independent and can be used to optimise networks using different radio access technologies. Chapter
how you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to UMTS networks are explained:
• "UMTS Optimisation Objectives" on page 667
• "UMTS Quality Parameters" on page 667
• "UMTS Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 669.
7.4.1 UMTS Optimisation Objectives

tives are dependent on the technology used by the project and are consistent with the corresponding coverage predictions in
Atoll. In projects using UMTS, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following objectives are proposed by
default:
• UMTS RSCP coverage
• UMTS EcIo
• HSDPA EcNt
• UMTS RSSI
• UMTS Pilot Pollution
• UMTS Soft Handover
• UMTS 1st-Nth Difference
• HSDPA RLC Peak Rate
• Custom Coverage
7.4.2 UMTS Quality Parameters

defined in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own maps. However, if you have saved the display options
of an ACP prediction as default, or if you are using a configuration file for ACP, these defined ranges and colours will be used
as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage prediction.
In projects using UMTS, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following Quality parameters are proposed
in the Pixel Rules frame of the objectives’ properties pages:
• RSCP
• EcIo
• Overlap
• HSDPA EcNt
• RSSI
• HSDPA RLC Peak Rate
To define the quality parameters for UMTS:
page 1783.
3. Under Parameters, expand UMTS.
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4. Click on HSDPA EcNt to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by HSDPA EcNt:
able, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
• The Service, Terminal, and Mobility that will be used during the calculation of HSDPA EcNt through gain and
losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
5. Click on RSSI to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RSSI:
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RSSI through gain and losses (i.e., the
service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
6. Click on RSCP to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RSCP.
uate the coverage by RSCP using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
7. Click on EcIo to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by Ec⁄Io.
uate the coverage by Ec/Io using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
able, default values are used. Macro diversity is also taken into account during Ec⁄Io calculation. Additionally, you
can specify:
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of Ec⁄Io through gain and losses (i.e., the
• Manual configuration: If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal level and an Overlap threshold
margin.
Since there is no coverage prediction type in Atoll equivalent to ACP’s UMTS 1st-Nth Difference objective, the
• Manual configuration: If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal level and the No. servers.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the UMTS 1st-Nth Difference objec-
tive. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be automatically
selected by default in the Quality column of the UMTS 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
9. Click on HSDPA RLC peak Rate to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by HSDPA RLC
Peak Rate:
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• The Service, Terminal, and Mobility that will be used during the calculation of HSDPA RLC Peak Rate through
gain and losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise
factor).
7.4.3 UMTS Quality Analysis Predictions

The quality analysis predictions enable you to display the RSCP and Ec⁄Io quality predictions in the Atoll map window. These
predictions are the same as those displayed on the Quality tab of the optimisation’s Properties dialog box.

HSDPA EcNt HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analisys (DL) (1)

"HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt (dB)"
RSSI Total Noise Level Analysis (DL) (2)

"Max Noise Level (dBm)"
RSCP Coverage by Signal Level (DL) (3)

EcIo Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) (4)

"Ec/Io (dB)"

"Number of Servers"
HSDPA RLC Peak Rate HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analisys (DL) (1)
"Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)"
(1) For more information, see "HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 587.
(2) For
more information, see "Studying the Total Noise Level on the Downlink" on page 582 and the "Atoll and ACP
Prediction Matching" section in the Technical Reference Guide.
(3) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 564.
(4)
For more information, see "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on page 576.
(5) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 567.
• You should verify the results with a different coverage prediction, such as the pilot pollution analysis.
• Multiple-carrier optimisation is supported in UMTS. However the predictions are provided separately for each carrier.
• Even after committing the optimisation results, differences can remain between the ACP predictions and the predic-
tions resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
You can view the exact RSCP and Ec⁄Io values on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The RSCP or Ec⁄Io value is
then displayed in tip text.
• specify a best server threshold:
• or by setting the param.umts.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] sec-
tion of the ACP.ini file.
• specify a threshold margin:
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• or by setting the param.umts.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final states.

Data
An important step in the process of creating a UMTS HSPA network is to analyse the network’s performance using drive test
data. This is done using measurements of the strength of the pilot signal and other parameters in different locations within
the area covered by the network. This collection of measurements is called a drive test data path.
network.

FMT).
• Information identifying scanned cells (for example, serving cells, neighbour cells, or any other cells). Cells can be iden-
tified by their IDs or scrambling codes.
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desired.
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d. If you are importing data that uses the ID as cell identifier:

i. Under Server identification, select By ID.
ii. In the By ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name identifying the cell IDs of scanned cells.
For example, if the string "Cell_ID" is found in the column names identifying the cell ID of scanned cells, enter
it here. Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name.
e. If you are importing data that uses scrambling codes as cell identifiers:
i. Under Server identification, select By scrambling code.
ii. In the Scrambling code identifier box, enter a string that is found in the column names identifying the scram-
bling code of scanned cells. For example, if the string "SC" is found in the column names identifying the scram-
bling code of scanned cells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for columns with this string in the column
name.
iii. In the Scrambling code format list, select the scrambling code format, "Decimal" or "Hexadecimal."
iv. In the Scrambling code group identifier box, enter a string that must be found in the column names identifying
the scrambling code group of scanned cells. For example, if the string "SC_Group" is found in the column
names identifying the scrambling code group of scanned cells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for columns
with this string in the column name.
If there is no scrambling code group information contained in the drive test data file, leave the Scrambling
code group identifier box empty.
v. If you are importing drive test data for a specific carrier, select the carrier for which you are importing the drive
test data in the Carrier number list. If you are importing drive test data for more than one carrier, select "All".
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with
"<Ignore>", it will not be imported.
• The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the scram-
bling code group and the scrambling code are placed before the data columns for
each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be able to properly import the file.
figuration:
c. Enter a Configuration Name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
select this import configuration from the Configuration list.
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• When importing a CW measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini
file by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configura-
tion to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appro-
priate configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the
bottom of the dialog box.

you can select individual drive test data points to see information about the active set at that location.
displayed.
4. Click and hold the drive test data point on which you want active set information. Atoll displays an arrow pointing
towards the serving cells (see Figure 7.55 on page 679), with a number identifying the server as numbered in the drive
test data. If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and the arrow are displayed in the same
colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Automatic," see "Defining the Display
Type" on page 48.

You can manage the display of drive test data paths using the Display dialog box. The points on a drive test data path can be
displayed according to any available attribute. You can also use the Display dialog box to manage permanent labels on the
map, tip text and the legend. In other words, the display of measurement paths can be defined in the same way as for sites,
transmitters, etc.
To display the Display tab of a drive test data path’s Properties dialog box:
3. Right-click the drive test data path whose display you want to manage. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu,
Each point can be displayed by a unique attribute or according to:
In addition, you can display points by more than one criterion at a time using the Advanced option in the Display Type list.
When you select Advanced from the Display Type list, a dialog box opens in which you can define the following display for
each single point of the measurement path:
• a symbol according to any attribute
You can, for example, display a signal level in a certain colour, choose a symbol type for Transmitter 1 (a circle, triangle, cross,
etc.) and a symbol size according to the altitude.
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• Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
ticularly useful when you have a very large number of points.
• You can not use Advanced Display if the Fast Display check box has been selected.
right-clicking the Drive Test Data Path folder and selecting Sort Alphabetically

The imported drive test data is used to verify the UMTS HSPA network. To improve the relevance of the data, Atoll allows you
to filter out incompatible or inaccurate points. You can then use the data for coverage predictions, either by comparing the
imported measurements with previously calculated coverage predictions, or by creating new coverage predictions using the
imported drive test data.
• "Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points" on page 676
• "Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points" on page 676

When using a drive test data path, some measured points may present values that are too far outside of the median values
to be useful in calibration. As well, test paths may include test points in areas that are not representative of the drive test data
path as a whole. For example, a test path that includes two heavily populated areas might also include test points from the
more lightly populated region between the two.
2. In the Network explorer, right-click the Drive Test Data on which you want to filter out incompatible points:
• All drive test data measurements: Right-click the Drive Test Data folder.
• Only one drive test data path: Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder and right-click
the drive-test data path on which you want to filter out incompatible points.
3. Select Filter from the context menu. The Drive Test Data Filter dialog box appears.
4. In the Clutter classes window, under Filter, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to filter out. Only the
5. If you want to keep the measurement points inside the focus zone, select the Use focus zone to filter check box.
6. If you want to permanently remove the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete points outside filter
check box.
If you permanently delete measurement points and later want to use them, you will have to re-import the original
measurement data.
the drive-test data path on which you want to filter out incompatible points.
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b. Under Values to include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next
a. In the Column row, select the name of the column to be filtered on from the list. Select as many columns as you
want (see Figure 7.51).
b. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the follow-
ing table:

*X text objects which end with X
Filters are combined first horizontally, then vertically. For more information on filters, see "Advanced Data Filtering"
on page 102.
8. Click OK to apply the filter and close the dialog box.
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data Paths folder.
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7.5.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points

(see Figure 7.52).
Figure 7.53: Selecting Measured Signal Levels for which Errors will be Calculated
predicted values.
Figure 7.54: Drive Test Data Table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with Error Calculations)
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• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (UL)
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be calculated. Under Server, you can
select whether to calculate the signal level from all transmitters, or only the best or second-best signal. If you
choose to calculate the best or second-best signal, you can enter a Margin. If you select the Shadowing taken
into account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability. You can select the Indoor Cover-
age check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class. Finally, you can
select the Carrier to be studied.
• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL): Click the Conditions tab.
• On the Conditions tab, you can select which simulation to study in the Load Conditions list. Or you can select
a group of simulations and either select All to perform an average analysis of all simulations in the group based
on a Probability (from 0 to 1) or select Average to perform statistical analysis of all simulations.
• If you want to perform the coverage prediction without a simulation, you can select "(Cells Table)" from Load
conditions. In this case, Atoll calculates the coverage prediction using the UL load factor and the DL total
power defined in the cell properties.
• You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 569.
You must also select which Carrier is to be considered.
• If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
per clutter class.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL): Click the Conditions tab.
• If you want the service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing
taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
per clutter class.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (UL): Click the Conditions tab.
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taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
per clutter class.
prediction.
agation Models).

Assuming some predictions have been calculated along a drive test data path, you can display the statistics between the meas-
ured and the predicted values on a specific measurement path.
To display the statistics for a specific drive test data path:
appears.
5. Select one or more transmitters from the For the following transmitters list.
6. Select the fields that you want to use for predictions from the Select the predicted values list. Only one type of value
can be compared at a time (signal level or quality).
7. Select the fields that you want to use for predictions the Select the measured values list. Only one type of value can
be compared at a time (signal level or quality). The measured and the selected values have to match up.
8. Enter the minimum and maximum Measured Values. Statistics are done with drive test data points where the meas-
9. Click OK.
Atoll opens a dialog box in which the global statistics between measurements and predictions are given over all the filtered
(or not) points of the current drive test data path through the mean error, its standard deviation, the root mean square and
the error correlation factor. The statistics are also given per clutter class.
You can extract a specific field for a specific transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path. The extracted infor-
mation will be added to a new column in the table for the drive test data.
4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Select for a Given Transmitter dialog box appears.
7. Select the check box beside the field you want to extract for the selected transmitter.
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Atoll can display the best server and up to six other servers in the active set. If you want to
display for example, the point signal level, remember to select the check box for the point
signal level for all servers in the For the Fields list. The new column will then display the
point signal level for the selected transmitter for all servers if a value exists.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.

4. Select Open the Analysis Tool from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window appears (see Figure 7.55).
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• If you want, you can change the display colour by clicking the colour in the Colour column and selecting a new
tifying the best server (see Figure 7.55 on page 679). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number
and the arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to
"Automatic," see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
ways:
• Zoom in or out:

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a. Select one or more transmitters from the For the following transmitters list.
b. Select the field that contains the information that you want to export to CW measurements from the Select the
measured signal levels list.
6. Under Extraction Parameters of CW Measurement Paths:
a. Enter the Min. number of points to extract per measurement path. CW measurements are not created for trans-
For more information about CW measurements, see the Model Calibration Guide.

page 679).
7.6 Co-planning UMTS Networks with Other Networks

Atoll is a multi-technology radio network planning tool. You can work on several technologies at the same time, and several
network scenarios can be designed for any given area: a country, a region, a city, etc. For example, you can design a UMTS
and a GSM network for the same area in Atoll, and then work with Atoll’s co-planning features to study the mutual impacts
of the two networks.
Before starting a co-planning project in Atoll, the Atoll administrator must perform the
pre-requisite tasks that are relevant for your project as described in the Administrator
Manual.
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Sectors of both networks can share the same sites database. You can display base stations (sites and sectors), geographic data,
and coverage predictions, etc., of one network in the other network’s Atoll document. You can also study inter-technology
handovers by performing inter-technology neighbour allocations, manually or automatically. Inter-technology neighbours are
allocated on criteria such as the distance between sectors or overlapping coverage. In addition, you can optimise the settings
of the two networks using the Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) module.
• "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 682
• "Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project" on page 683
• "Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation" on page 687
• "Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 700
• "Using ACP in a Co-planning Project" on page 701
• "Ending Co-planning Mode" on page 702
7.6.1 Switching to Co-planning Mode

Before starting a co-planning project, you must have two networks designed for a given area, i.e., you must have a UMTS Atoll
document and an Atoll document for the other network. Atoll switches to co-planning mode as soon as the two documents
are linked together. In the following sections, the UMTS document will be referred to as the main document, and the other
document as the linked document. Atoll does not establish any restriction on which is the main document and which is the
linked document.
Before starting a co-planning project, make sure that your main and linked documents
have the same geographic coordinate systems.
To switch to co-planning mode:

1. Open the main document.
• Select File > Open or File > New > From an Existing Database.
2. Link the other document with the open main document.
a. Click the main document’s map window. The main document’s map window becomes active and the explorer win-
dow shows the contents of the main document.
b. Select Document > Link With > Browse. The Link With dialog box appears.
c. Select the document to be linked.
d. Click Open.
The selected document is opened in the same Atoll session as the main document and the two documents are linked.
The explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where
[linked document] is the name of the linked document and another folder named Predictions in [linked document].
By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear
in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the
main document as well, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and Atoll’s co-planning features
are now available.
When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll syncronises the display for the following:
• Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select
or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
• Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones.
If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
• Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the
zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document.
• Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document
and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the
linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
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Displaying Both Networks in the Same Atoll Document
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 682, transmitters and
predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders
from the explorer window of the linked document to the explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in a UMTS document).
To display sites from the linked document in the main document:
1. Click the linked document’s map window. The linked document’s map window becomes active and the explorer
window shows the contents of the linked document.
4. Select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select the name of the main document from the submenu that
opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The explorer window of the main document
now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you
want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data,
Clutter classes, Traffic Maps, and DTM, etc., in the other document.
Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the
two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main docu-
ments. However, the only changes in the working document that are taken into account in the linked document are changes
made to the linked folders (e.g., the Transmitters and Predictions folders).
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main document’s explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters
in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a
configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main docu-
ment transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 109. You can also set
the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see
"Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the
explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the explorer window, see "Working with Layers
Figure 7.57 shows an example of UMTS transmitters with labels, and GSM transmitter data displayed in tip text.
Figure 7.57: GSM and UMTS Transmitters displayed on the map
7.6.2 Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project

Atoll provides you with features that enable you to work with coverage predictions in your co-planning project. You can
modify the properties of coverage predictions in the linked document from within the main document, and calculate coverage
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predictions in both documents at the same time. You can also study and compare the coverage predictions of the two
networks.
• "Updating Coverage Predictions" on page 684
• "Analysing Coverage Predictions" on page 684.
7.6.2.1 Updating Coverage Predictions

You can access the properties of the coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder in the main document’s explorer
window. After modifying the linked coverage prediction properties, you can update them from the main document.
To update a linked coverage prediction:
1. Click the main document’s map window. The main document’s map window becomes active and the explorer window
shows the contents of the main document and the linked folders from the linked document.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions in [linked document] folder, where [linked document] is the
name of the linked document.
4. Right-click the linked coverage prediction whose properties you want to modify. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
6. Modify the calculation and display parameters of the coverage prediction.
7. Click OK to save your settings.
8. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.

When you click the Calculate button, Atoll first calculates uncalculated and invalid path loss matrices and then
unlocked coverage predictions in the main and linked Predictions folders.
When you have several unlocked coverage predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders, Atoll calculates
them one after the other. For information on locking and unlocking coverage predictions, see "Locking Coverage Predictions"
on page 232.
If you want, you can make Atoll recalculate all path loss matrices, including valid ones, before calculating unlocked coverage
predictions in the main and linked Predictions folders.
• Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar.

When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then
calculates unlocked coverages predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders.
To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you
can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
7.6.2.2 Analysing Coverage Predictions

In Atoll, you can analyse coverage predictions of the two networks together. You can display information about coverage
predictions in the main and the linked documents in the Legend window, use tip text to get information on displayed coverage
predictions, compare coverage areas by overlaying the coverage predictions in the map window, and study the differences
between the coverage areas by creating coverage comparisons.
If several coverage predictions are visible on the map, it might be difficult to clearly see the results of the coverage prediction
you want to analyse. You can select which predictions to display or to hide by selecting or clearing the display check box. For
information on managing the display, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on page 42.
• "Co-Planning Coverage Analysis Process" on page 684
• "Comparing Coverage Prediction Results Using Tip Text" on page 685
• "Comparing Coverage Areas by Overlaying Coverage Predictions" on page 686
• "Studying Differences Between Coverage Areas" on page 687.
7.6.2.2.1 Co-Planning Coverage Analysis Process

The aim of coverage analysis in a co-planning project is to compare the coverage areas of the two networks and to analyse
the impact of changes made in one network on the other. Changes made to the sectors of one network might also have an
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impact on sectors in the other network if the sectors in the two networks share some antenna parameters. You can carry out
a coverage analysis with Atoll to find the impact of these changes.
The recommended process for analysing coverage areas, and the effect of parameter modifications in one network on the
other, is as follows:
1. Create and calculate a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) (best server with 0 dB margin) coverage prediction and a Cover-
age by Signal Level (DL) coverage prediction in the main document. For more information, see "Making a Coverage
Prediction by Transmitter" on page 566 and "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 562.
2. Create and calculate a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) (best server with 0 dB margin) coverage prediction and a Cov-
erage by Signal Level (DL) coverage prediction in the linked document.
3. Choose display settings for the coverage predictions and tip text contents that will allow you to easily interpret the
predictions displayed in the map window. This can help you to quickly assess information graphically and using the
mouse. You can change the display settings of the coverage predictions on the Display tab of each coverage predic-
tion’s Properties dialog box.
4. Make the two new coverage predictions in the linked document accessible in the main document as described in "Dis-
playing Both Networks in the Same Atoll Document" on page 683.
5. Optimise the main network by changing parameters such as antenna azimuth and tilt or the pilot power. You can use
a tool such as the Atoll ACP to optimise the network.
Changes made to the shared antenna parameters will be automatically propagated to the linked document.
6. Calculate the coverage predictions in the main document again to compare the effects of the changes you made with
the linked coverage predictions.
For information on comparing coverage predictions, see "Comparing Coverage Areas by Overlaying Coverage Predic-
tions" on page 686 and "Studying Differences Between Coverage Areas" on page 687.
7. Calculate the linked coverage predictions again to study the effects of the changes on the linked coverage predictions.

When you create a coverage prediction, you can add the displayed values of the coverage prediction to the legend by selecting
tion in the main and linked Predictions folders, identified by the name of the coverage prediction.
7.6.2.2.3 Comparing Coverage Prediction Results Using Tip Text

You can compare coverage predictions by placing the pointer over an area of the coverage prediction to read the information
displayed in the tip text. Atoll displays information for all displayed coverage predictions in both the working and the linked
documents. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab when you created the coverage
prediction (step 3. of "Analysing Coverage Predictions" on page 684).
After a brief pause, the tip text appears with the information defined on all displayed coverage predictions in both the
working and the linked documents (see Figure 7.24). The tip text for the working document is on top and the tip text
for the linked document, with the linked document identified by name is on the bottom.
Figure 7.58: Comparing coverage prediction results using tip text
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7.6.2.2.4 Comparing Coverage Areas by Overlaying Coverage Predictions

You can compare the coverage areas of the main and linked documents by overlaying coverage predictions in the map
window.
To compare coverage areas by overlaying coverage predictions in the map window:
4. Select the visibility check box to the left of the coverage prediction of the main document you want to display in the
map window. The coverage prediction is dislayed on the map.
5. Right-click the coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
8. Modify the display parameters of the coverage prediction. For information on defining display properties, see "Display
10. Select the visibility check box to the left of the linked coverage prediction you want to display in the map window. The
coverage prediction is dislayed on the map.
13. Modify the display parameters of the coverage prediction.
14. Calculate the two coverage predictions again, if needed.
Figure 7.59 and Figure 7.60 show an example of overlayed UMTS and GSM coverage predictions.
To more easily view differences between the coverage areas, you can also change the order of the Predictions folders in the
Figure 7.59: UMTS coverage by transmitter – pink contours with no interior
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Figure 7.60: GSM coverage by transmitter – high transparency with full interior coloured by BCCH, with BCCH/BSIC
information available in tip text
7.6.2.2.5 Studying Differences Between Coverage Areas

You can compare coverage predictions to find differences in coverage areas.
To compare coverage predictions:
4. Right-click the coverage prediction of the main document you want to compare. The context menu appears.
5. Select Compare With > [linked coverage prediction] from the context menu, where [linked coverage prediction] is
the coverage prediction in the linked document you want to compare with the coverage prediction of the main doc-
ument. The Comparison Properties dialog box opens.
6. Select the display parameters of the comparison and add a comment if you want.
7. Click OK.
The two coverage predictions are compared and a comparison coverage prediction is added to the main document’s Predic-
tions folder.
For more information on coverage prediction comparison, see "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 599.
7.6.3 Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation

The following sections describe the features available in Atoll that help the RF planner to carry out inter-technology neighbour
planning. For example, handovers between a UMTS and a GSM network in Atoll by allocating neighbour GSM sectors to UMTS
cells.
• "Importing Inter-technology Neighbours" on page 688
• "Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs" on page 688
• "Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map" on page 688
• "Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map" on page 689
• "Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours" on page 690
• "Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 690
• "Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map" on page 692
• "Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell" on page 693
• "Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours" on page 697
• "Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan" on page 699.
In the sections listed above, it is assumed that Atoll is already in co-planning mode, and the Atoll documents corresponding
to the two networks have already been linked. For more information on switching to co-planning mode, see "Switching to Co-
planning Mode" on page 682.
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7.6.3.1 Importing Inter-technology Neighbours

You can import inter-technology neighbours in the form of ASCII text files (in TXT and CSV formats) into the current Atoll docu-
ment using the Neighbours table.
To import inter-technology neighbours using the inter-technology neighbours tables:
b. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
c. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Inter-technology Neighbours ta-
ble appears.
7.6.3.2 Defining Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs

You can set inter-technology neighbour constraints by defining exceptional pairs in Atoll. These constraints can be taken into
account when inter-technology neighbours are automatically or manually allocated.
To define inter-technology exceptional pairs between the main document and the linked document:
1. Click the main document’s map window.
4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu. The Inter-technology Exceptional
Pairs table appears.
5. Enter one exceptional pair per row of the table. A cell can have more than one exceptional pair.
6. For each exceptional pair, select:
a. Cell: The name of the cell in the main document as the first part of the exceptional pair. The names of all the cells
in the main document are available in the list.
b. Neighbour: The name of the neighbour in the linked document as the second part of the exceptional pair. The
names of all the transmitters/cells in the linked document are available in the list.
c. Status: The status indicates whether the neighbour should always (forced) or never (forbidden) be considered as
a neighbour of the cell.
d. Atoll fills the Number and Distance (m) fields automatically.
In GSM, neighbours and exceptional pairs are allocated by transmitter (i.e., by sector).
You can access a cell’s inter-technology neighbours and exceptional pairs by using its Properties dialog box.
To open a cell’s Properties dialog box:
4. Double-click the row corresponding to the cell whose properties you want to access. The cell’s Properties dialog box
appears.
5. Click the Inter-technology Neighbours tab.
In GSM, the Inter-technology Neighbours tab is found on the transmitter’s Properties dialog box.
7.6.3.3 Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map

You can display inter-technology exceptional pairs on the map in order to study the forced and forbidden neighbour relations
defined in the Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs table.
To display exceptional pairs defined between the main and the linked documents:
2. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. A menu
appears.
3. Select Display Options from the menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears.
4. Under Inter-technology Neighbours, select the Display Links check box.
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5. Under Advanced, select which exceptional pair links to display:

• Outwards Non-Symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main docu-
ment that has an exceptional pair defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document. These links are repre-
sented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the main document.
• Inwards Non-Symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each transmitter/cell in the
linked document that has an exceptional pair defined with a cell in the main document. These links are repre-
sented with straight dashed lines of the same colour as the transmitter in the linked document.
• Symmetric Links: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main document that has
an exceptional pair defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document only if the transmitter/cell in the linked
document also has the cell of the main document in its exceptional pair list. These links are represented with
straight black lines.
appears.
7. Select Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours from the menu. The exceptional pair of a cell will be displayed
when you select a transmitter.
8. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. Exceptional pairs are now displayed
on the map. Exceptional pairs will remain displayed until you click the Visual Management button again.
9. Click a transmitter on the map to show its exceptional pair links. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter,
clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see
The exceptional pair links can be displayed even if you do not have neighbours allocated. If you also select the Display Links
check box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both intra- and inter-technology exceptional pairs on the map.
7.6.3.4 Adding and Removing Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map

You can set inter-technology exceptional pairs using the mouse. Atoll adds or removes forced or forbidden exceptional pairs
depending on the display option set, i.e., Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours.
Before you can add or remove exceptional pairs using the mouse, you must activate the display of exceptional pairs on the
map as explained in "Displaying Inter-technology Exceptional Pairs on the Map" on page 688.
To add a symmetric forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
1. Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations.
2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds both transmitters to
the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter.
To remove a symmetric forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes both
transmitters from the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter.
To add an outwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
2. Press CTRL and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds the reference trans-
mitter to the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter.
To remove an outwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
2. Press CTRL and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the ref-
erence transmitter from the list of inter-technology exceptional pairs of the other transmitter.
To add an inwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
• Click the reference transmitter on the map. Atoll displays its neighbour relations.
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• If the two transmitters already have a symmetric exceptional pair relation, press CTRL and click the other trans-
mitter. Atoll converts the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric exceptional pair relation.
• If there is no existing exceptional pair relation between the two transmitters, first create a symmetric exceptional
pair relation between the two transmitters, and then press CTRL and click the other transmitter. Atoll converts
the symmetric relation to an inwards non-symmetric exceptional pair relation.
To remove an inwards forced or forbidden exceptional pair:
2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the
transmitter from the inter-technology exceptional pairs list of the other transmitter.
When there is more than one cell on the transmitter, clicking the transmitter in the map
window opens a context menu allowing you to select the cell you want (see "Selecting One
out of Several Transmitters" on page 45).
7.6.3.5 Configuring Importance Factors for Inter-technology Neighbours

You can define the relative importance of the factors that Atoll will use to evaluate possible inter-technology neighbours. For
information on how Atoll calculates importance, see Technical Reference Guide.
To configure the importance factors for inter-technology neighbours:
3. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Configure Importance from the context menu. The Neighbour Importance
Weighting dialog box appears with a single tab: Inter-technology Neighbours.
Figure 7.61: Inter-technology Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box
4. On this tab, you can set the following importance factors:

• Distance Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell or transmitter being
located within the maximum distance from the reference cell.
sons.
The Adjacency factor is not used when calculating the importance of inter-technology
neighbours.
• Co-site Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell or transmitter being
located on the same site as reference cell. The Co-site Factor will be used if you select the Co-sites as neighbours
check box when defining automatic allocation of inter-technology neighbours. For more information, see "Allo-
cating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 690.
7.6.3.6 Allocating Inter-technology Neighbours Automatically

Atoll can automatically determine handover relations between networks of different technologies, for example, UMTS and
GSM. In this case, inter-technology handovers from UMTS to GSM may occur when the UMTS coverage is not continuous. The
network’s overall coverage is extended by a UMTS-to-GSM handover. Atoll can automatically determine neighbours in the
linked document for cells in the main document and vice versa. Inter-technology neighbours are stored in the database.
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By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can prevent Atoll from allocating inter-tech-
nology neighbours to cells located on sites where the equipment does not support the
compressed mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
To automatically allocate neighbours in the linked document for cells in the main document:
4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic Neighbour
Allocation dialog box appears with a single tab: Inter-technology Neighbours.
5. Define the Max inter-site distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour.
Manual.
6. Define the Max number of neighbours (inter-technology neighbours) that can be allocated to a cell. This value can be
either set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table.
7. Clear the Use coverage conditions check box to base neighbour allocation on a distance criterion and go to next step. 
Or select it to base neighbour allocation on coverage conditions, as follows:
a. Click the first Define button. The UMTS Coverage Conditions dialog box appears:
bour allocation.
• Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io to be provided by the reference cell.
• Ec/Io margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the
best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set.
• Max Ec/Io: You can select this check box and specify a maximum Ec/Io that the reference cell must not exceed.
• DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global Value (% Pmax) of the downlink
load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per Cell.
• Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell
edge coverage probability.
• Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are
Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialog box.
b. Click the second Define button. The Coverage Conditions dialog box for the linked document appears:
If the linked document is a GSM document, the GSM Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the GSM Cover-
age Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Global reception threshold: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be provided by GSM transmitters.
• Margin: Enter the margin relative to the BCCH signal level of the best server. The BCCH signal level of the
neighbour transmitter is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest one.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select this check box and add indoor losses. These are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
If the linked document is an LTE document, the LTE Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the LTE Coverage
Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Margin: Enter the margin relative to the reference signal level of the best server. The reference signal level of
the neighbour transmitter is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest one.
• Shadowing Taken into Account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a
Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are
c. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialog box.
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8. In the % Min. Covered Area box, enter the minimum percentage of the cell’s coverage area that the neighbour’s cov-
erage area should also cover to be considered as a neighbour.
9. On the right-hand side of the dialog box, define the following:
• Carriers to allocate: Select the carrier(s) on which you want to run the allocation. You can choose one or more
carriers; Atoll will allocate neighbours only to cells using the selected carrier(s).
• Co-sites as neighbours: Select this check box to include co-site transmitters/cells in the neighbours list of the
UMTS cell. The check box is automatically selected when neighbour allocation is based on distance.
• Exceptional pairs: Select this check box to apply the inter-technology exceptional pair criteria on the neighbours
list of the UMTS cell.
• Delete existing neighbours: Selecting the Delete existing neighbours check box will delete all existing neighbours
in the neighbours list and perform a clean neighbour allocation. If the Delete existing neighbours check box is not
selected, Atoll keeps the existing neighbours in the list.
10. Click the Calculate button to start calculations.
11. Once the calculations finish, Atoll displays the list of neighbours in the Results section. The results include the names
of the neighbours, the number of neighbours of each cell, and the reason they are included in the neighbours list. The
reasons include:
Reason Description When

Exceptional pairs
Exceptional pair Neighbour relation is defined as an exceptional pair.
is selected
Co-sites as neighbours
Co-site The neighbour is located at the same site as the reference cell.
is selected
The neighbour is within the maximum distance from the Use coverage conditions
Distance
reference cell. is NOT selected
Use coverage conditions

Coverage Neighbour relation that fulfils coverage conditions.
is selected
The neighbour relation existed before calculating the automatic Delete existing neighbours
Existing
allocation. is NOT selected
12. Select the check box in the Commit column of the Results section to choose the inter-technology neighbours you want
to assign to cells.
port.txt which appears at the end of the comparison. This file lists:
13. Click the Commit button. The allocated neighbours are saved in the Inter-technology Neighbours tab of each cell.
14. Click Close.
7.6.3.7 Displaying Inter-technology Neighbours on the Map

You can display inter-technology neighbours on the map in order to study the inter-technology handover scenarios.
To display neighbours in the linked document for cells in the main document:
3. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box
appears.
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5. Under Advanced, select the neighbour links to display:

• Outwards Non-Symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour
defined with a transmitter/cell in the linked document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of
the same colour as the transmitter in the main document.
• Inwards Non-Symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each transmitter/cell in the linked document that has a
neighbour defined with a cell in the main document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the
same colour as the transmitter in the linked document.
• Symmetric Links: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour defined with a
transmitter/cell in the linked document only if the transmitter/cell in the linked document also has the cell of the
main document in its neighbours list. These links are represented with straight black lines.
appears.
8. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. Neighbours are now displayed on
the map. Neighbours are displayed until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again.
9. Click a transmitter on the map to show its neighbour links. When there is more than one cell on the transmitter,
If you select the Display Links check box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both intra- and inter-technology
neighbours on the map. The figure below shows the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of the transmitter Site22_2.
7.6.3.8 Allocating and Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours per Cell

Although you can let Atoll allocate inter-technology neighbours automatically, you can adjust the overall allocation of inter-
technology neighbours by allocating or deleting inter-technology neighbours per cell. You can allocate or delete inter-tech-
nology neighbours directly on the map, or using the Cells tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box, or using the Inter-tech-
nology Neighbours table.
• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Inter-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 694.
• "Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Inter-technology Neighbours Table" on
page 695.
• "Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map" on page 696.
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Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Inter-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box

9. If desired, enter the Max number of inter-technology neighbours.
In GSM, the Inter-technology Neighbours tab is available in each transmitter’s Properties

dialog box.
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Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Inter-technology Neighbours Table
To allocate or delete inter-technology neighbours between transmitters/cells in the linked document and cells in the main
document using the Inter-technology Neighbours table:
3. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Inter-technology Neighbours table
appears.

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dialog box.
Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map
You can allocate or delete inter-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse.
To add or remove inter-technology neighbours using the mouse, you must activate the display of inter-technology neighbours
on the map. To do so, select the Display links check box in the Inter-technology neighbours frame of the Neighbour Display
dialog box.

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bours.
7.6.3.9 Calculating the Importance of Existing Inter-technology Neighbours

After you have imported inter-technology neighbours into the current Atoll document or manually defined inter-technology
neighbours, Atoll can calculate the importance of each inter-technology neighbour, i.e., the weight of each neighbour.
Atoll calculates the importance for inter-technology neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone and
in the selected folder.
To calculate the importance of existing inter-technology neighbours:
3. Right-click the UMTS Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Calculate Importance from the context menu. The Neighbour Importance
Calculation dialog box appears with a single tab: Inter-technology Neighbours.
• Enter the Max inter-site distance. Sites outside the defined maximum inter-site distance will not be considered as
Manual.
• Select the Take into account the co-site factor check box if you want Atoll to verify that neighbours are located
on the same site as their reference cell when calculating importance.
a. Click the first Define button to open the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialog box and change these parameters:
bour allocation.
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• Ec/Io Margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin relative to the Ec/Io of the best server. The reference cell is either the
• Max Ec/Io: If desired, select this check box and enter the max Ec/Io that the reference cell must not exceed.
• DL Load Contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global Value (% Pmax) of the downlink
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. These are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
b. Click the second Define button to change the coverage conditions for transmitters/cells in the linked document.
bour allocation.
• Global Reception Threshold: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be provided by the GSM transmitter.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
bour allocation.
per clutter class.
7. If you cleared the Use coverage conditions check box, enter the maximum distance between the reference cell and a
possible neighbour in the Max Inter-site Distance box.
Manual.
Atoll indicates the number of neighbours to be calculated and displays the neighbours with their initial attributes
(importance and reason) in a table.
on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76. In addition, by
clicking Filter, you can define advanced filtering conditions to restrict the neighbours to be
calculated.
• Co-site
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Distance: If you calculated neighbour importance using inter-site distance, Atoll gives the distance in kilometres
between the reference cell and the neighbour.
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• Coverage: If you calculated neighbour importance using coverage overlapping, Atoll gives the amount of refer-
ence transmitter’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square kilometres.
7.6.3.10 Checking the Consistency of the Inter-technology Neighbour Plan

You can perform an audit of the current inter-technology neighbour allocation plan. When you perform an audit of the current
inter-technology neighbour allocation plan, Atoll lists the results in a text file. You can define what information Atoll provides
in the audit.
To perform an audit of the inter-technology neighbour plan:
3. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Audit from the context menu. The Neighbour Audit dialog box appears.
number of neighbours per cell.
• Empty Lists: Select the Empty Lists check box if you want to verify which cells have no neighbours (in other words,
which cells have an empty neighbour list).
• Full Lists: Which cells having the maximum number of neighbours allowed (in other words, which cells have a full
neighbour list). The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for
each transmitter in the Cells table.
• Lists > Max Number: Which cells having more than the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The maximum
number of neighbours can be either set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells
table.
• Missing Co-sites: Select the Missing Co-sites check box if you want to verify which cells have no co-site neigh-
bours.
• Missing Symmetrics: Select the Missing Symmetrics check box if you want to verify which cells have non-sym-
metric neighbour relations.
• Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box if you want to verify which cells have forced neighbours
or forbidden neighbours.
audited.
Syntax: |CELL|
If the field Maximum number of inter-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty,
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• Distance Between Neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours in the audited neighbour plan that are located
at a distance greater than Y.
7.6.3.11 Exporting Inter-technology Neighbours

To export inter-technology neighbour data:
• Inter-technology > Open Table: This table contains the data for the inter-technology neighbours in the current
Atoll document.
• Inter-technology > Exceptional Pairs: This table contains the data for the inter-technology exceptional pairs
7.6.4 Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network

You can create a new sector in the main document based on an existing sector in the linked document. To create a new sector
in the main document based on an existing sector in the linked document:
2. In the map window, right-click the linked transmitter from which you want to create a new UMTS transmitter. The
3. Select Copy in [main document] from the context menu.
The following parameters of the new sector in the main document will be the same as the sector in the linked document it
was based on: antenna position relative to the site (Dx and Dy), antenna height, azimuth, and mechanical tilt. The new sector
will be initialised with the radio parameters from the default station template in the main document.
If the sector in the linked document is located at a site that does not exist in the main document, the site is created in the main
document as well.
If the sector in the linked document is located at a site that also exists in the main document, and the coordinates of the site
in the linked and main documents are the same, the sector is created in the main document at the existing site. The site coor-
dinates in the linked and main documents will always be the same if the Atoll administrator has set up site sharing in the data-
base. For more information about site sharing in databases, see the Administrator Manual.
If the sector in the linked document is located at a site that exists in the main document, but at a different location (geographic
coordinates), the sector is not created in the main document.
To update the display settings of the new sector:
3. Right-click the Transmitters folder of the main document. The context menu appears.
4. Select Update Folder Configuration from the context menu.
Figure 7.62: New sector – Before and after applying the configuration
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas or remote antennas are not
included when you select Update Folder Configuration and have to be set up manually.
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7.6.5 Using ACP in a Co-planning Project

Atoll ACP enables you to automatically calculate the optimal network settings in terms of network coverage and capacity in
co-planning projects where networks using different technologies, for example, UMTS and GSM, must both be taken into
consideration.
When you run an optimisation setup in a co-planning environment, you can display the sites and transmitters of both
networks in the document in which you will run the optimisation process, as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode"
on page 682. While this step is not necessary in order to create a co-planning optimisation setup, it will enable you to visually
analyse the changes to both networks in the same document.
Afterwards you can create the new optimisation setup, but when creating an optimisation setup in a co-planning environ-
ment, you can not run it immediately; you must first import the other network into the ACP setup.
This section explains how to use ACP to optimise network settings in a co-planning project:
• "Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup" on page 701
• "Importing the Other Network into the Setup" on page 701.
7.6.5.1 Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup

Once you have displayed both networks in the main document as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 682,
you can create the new co-planning optimisation setup.
To create a new co-planning optimisation setup:
3. Right-click the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. A dialog box appears in which you can set the parameters for the optimisation
process.
For information on the parameters available, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 1784.
5. After defining the optimisation setup, click the Create Setup button to save the defined optimisation.
The optimisation setup has now been created. The next step is to add the GSM network to the ACP optimisation setup you
have just created.
7.6.5.2 Importing the Other Network into the Setup

Once you have created the co-planning optimisation setup, you must import the linked network.
To import the linked network:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder.
4. Right-click the setup you created in "Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup" on page 701. The context menu
appears.
5. Select Import Project from the context menu and select the name of the linked document you want to import into the
newly created setup.
The setup has been modified to include the linked network.
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You can modify the parameters for the optimisation setup by right-clicking it in the Network explorer and selecting Properties
from the context menu. For information on the parameters available, see "Defining Optimisation Parameters" on page 1784.
After defining the co-planning optimisation setup:
• Right-click the setup in the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder and select Run from the context menu to run the
optimisation. For information on running the optimisation, see "Running an Optimisation Setup" on page 1825. For
information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 1829.
7.6.6 Ending Co-planning Mode

once you have linked two Atoll documents for the purposes of co-planning, Atoll will maintain the link between them.
However, you might want to unlink the two documents at some point, either because you want to use a different document
in co-planning or because you want to restore the documents to separate, technology-specific documents.
To unlink the documents and end co-planning mode:
1. Select File > Open to open the main document.
Atoll informs you that this document is part of a multi-technology environment and asks whether you want to open
the other document.
2. Click Yes to open the linked document as well.
3. Select Document > Unlink to unlink the documents and end co-planning mode.
The documents are no longer linked and co-planning mode is ended.

• "Modelling Inter-Carrier Interference" on page 702
• "The Global Network Settings" on page 703
• "Defining Radio Bearers" on page 705
• "Defining Site Equipment" on page 707
• "Defining Receiver Equipment" on page 709
• "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 711
• "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 712
• "Conditions for Entering the Active Set" on page 713
• "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 714.
7.7.1 Modelling Inter-Carrier Interference

If you want Atoll to take into account the interference between two carriers, you must create a carrier pair with an interfer-
ence reduction factor. Atoll will take the interference reduction factor into account on both the uplink and the downlink.
To create a pair of carriers with an interference reduction factor:
4. Right-click the Intra-technology Interference Reduction Factors folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Inter-Carrier Interference Reduction Factor table appears.
6. For each carrier pair for which you want define inter-carrier interference:
a. Enter the first carrier of the pair in the 1st Carrier column.
b. Enter the second carrier of the pair in the 2nd Carrier column.
c. Enter an interference reduction factor in the Reduction Factor (dB) column. When Atoll is calculating interfer-
ence, it subtracts the interference reduction factor from the calculated interference. If the interference reduction
factor is set to "0," Atoll assumes that the carriers in the defined pair generate as much interference as cells with
the same carrier interference.
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The interference reduction factor must be a positive value.
For every pair of carriers that is not defined, Atoll assumes that there is no inter-carrier interference.
d. Press ENTER to create the carrier pair and to create a new row in the table.
7.7.2 Defining Frequency Bands

To define frequency bands:
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Frequency Bands table appears.
6. In the Frequency Bands table, enter one frequency band per row. For information on working with data tables, see
"Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For each frequency band, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency, for example, "Band 2100." This name will appear in other dialog boxes
• Bandwidth (MHz): Enter the bandwidth for each carrier in the frequency band.
• DL Start Frequency (MHz): Enter the downlink start frequency.
• First Carrier: Enter the number of the first carrier in this frequency band.
• Last Carrier: Enter the number of the last carrier in this frequency band. If this frequency band has only one carrier,
enter the same number as entered in the First Carrier field.
• Step: Enter the step between any two consecutive carrier numbers in the frequency band.
• Excluded Carriers: Enter the carrier numbers which do not belong to the frequency band. You can enter non-con-
secutive carrier numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of carrier numbers separating the first
and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
When you have more than one frequency band, the carriers must be numbered
sequentially, contiguously (i.e., you cannot skip numbers in a range of carriers, and the
range of carriers in one band cannot overlap the range of carriers in another), and
uniquely (i.e., you can only use each number once).
For example: Band 2100: First carrier: 0; Last carrier 1 and Band 900: First carrier: 2 and
Last carrier: 2
7. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button ( ).
For example, if you wish to define the UTRA Band I and UARFCNs corresponding to the centre frequencies of the carriers
(10562, 10587, 10612), you can set:
• Name: UTRA Band I
• DL start frequency: 2110
• First carrier: 10562
• Last carrier: 10612
• Step: 25
You can also access the properties dialog box of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the row
with the frequency band.
7.7.3 The Global Network Settings

In the Network Settings Properties dialog box, you can define many calculation parameters that are used in predictions and
in Monte Carlo simulations.
This section explains the options available in the Network Settings Properties dialog box, and explains how to access the
dialog box:
• "The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 704
• "Modifying Global Network Settings" on page 705.
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7.7.3.1 The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box

The Network Settings Properties dialog box has two tabs: the Global Parameters Tab and the Calculation Parameters tab.
• "The Global Parameters Tab" on page 704
• "The Calculation Parameters Tab" on page 705
7.7.3.1.1 The Global Parameters Tab

The Global Parameters tab has the following options:
• DL Powers: Under DL Powers, you can define whether the power values on the downlink are Absolute or offset from
the pilot (Pilot Offset). The power values affected are the synchronisation channel, other common channel, HS-SCCH,
and HSUPA powers defined in the cell properties, as well as the minimum and maximum traffic channel powers per
R99 radio bearer. Atoll automatically converts the power values defined in the cell properties (i.e., synchronisation
channel, other common channel, HS-SCCH, and HSUPA powers) when you change the option. On the other hand, the
values for the minimum and maximum traffic channel powers have to be modified manually.
• DL Load: Under DL Load, you can define whether the total power values on the downlink are Absolute or a percentage
of the maximum power (% Pmax). Atoll automatically converts the total power values when you change the option.
• Interferences: Under Interferences, you can define the method used to calculate interference on the downlink (I0 and
Nt):
• I0: You can select "Total noise" and Atoll will calculate I0 using the noise generated by all transmitters plus thermal
noise or you can select "Without pilot" and Atoll will calculate I0 using the total noise less the pilot signal and
orthogonal part of traffic channels and other common channels.
• Nt: You can select "Total noise" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the noise generated by all transmitters plus thermal
noise or you can select "Without useful signal" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the total noise less the signal of the
studied cell.
• Handoff: Under Handoff, you can define the parameters used to model soft handoff on the uplink.
• Default UL Macro-Diversity Gain: You can set a default value for the uplink gain due to macro-diversity on soft
and soft-soft handovers. If you clear the Shadowing taken into account check box on the Conditions tab when
defining a coverage prediction or during a point analysis, Atoll uses this value. If you select the Shadowing taken
into account check box on the Conditions tab, Atoll calculates the UL macro-diversity gain, based on the standard
deviation value of Eb⁄Nt on the uplink defined per clutter class.
• +MRC (maximal ratio combining) in Softer/Soft: If you select the +MRC in Softer/Soft check box, Atoll selects the
serving cell during a softer/soft handover by recombining the signal of co-site transmitters and multiplying the
resulting signal by the rake efficiency factor and then comparing this value to the signal received at transmitters
located on the other sites of the active set. Atoll chooses the greatest value and multiplies it by the macro-diver-
sity gain.
• Compressed Mode: Under Compressed Mode, you can define the parameters related to compressed mode. Com-
pressed mode is used when a mobile supporting compressed mode is connected to a cell located on a site with a com-
pressed-mode-capable equipment and either the pilot RSCP, or the received Ec⁄I0, or both of them are lower than the
defined activation thresholds.
• Pilot RSCP Activation Threshold: You can select the RSCP Active check box and enter a Pilot RSCP Activation
Threshold.
• Ec⁄I0 Activation Threshold: You can select the Ec⁄I0 Active check box and enter a Ec⁄I0 Activation Threshold.
You must select either the RSCP Active check box or the Ec⁄I0 Active check box or both.
• Eb⁄Nt UL and DL Target Increase: When compressed mode is activated, Eb⁄Nt requirements in UL and DL are
increased. In order to take this into account, Atoll adds UL and DL Eb⁄Nt target increase values to the UL and DL
Eb⁄Nt requirements set for each radio bearer.
• HSDPA: Under HSDPA, you can define how total noise is calculated and how the CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) is
evaluated for HSDPA.
studied cell.
• CQI: You can select “Based on CPICH quality” and Atoll will measure the CQI based on the pilot Ec⁄Nt or you can
select “Based on HS-PDSCH quality” and Atoll will measure the CQI based on the HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt. Depending on
the option selected, you will have to define either a CQI=f(CPICH Ec/Nt) graph, or a CQI=f(HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt) graph
in the Properties dialog box of the terminal equipment. The calculated CQI will be used to determine the best
bearer.
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7.7.3.1.2 The Calculation Parameters Tab

The Calculation Parameters tab has the following options:
• Calculation limitation: Under Calculation limitation, you can define the following data:
• Min. interferer reception threshold: This value is used by Atoll to limit the influence of interferers in calculations.
The performance of UMTS-specific coverage predictions and Monte Carlo simulations can be improved by setting
a high minimum interferer reception threshold. This value is used as a filter criterion on the signal level received
from interferers. Atoll will discard all interferers with a signal level lower than this value.
• Default min. pilot RSCP threshold: The default minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the
cell. The RSCP is compared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
A minimum pilot RSCP threshold can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties
dialog box or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific minimum pilot RSCP threshold will
be used instead of the value entered here.
• Receiver: Under Receiver, you can enter the Height of the receiver.
• Default max range: The maximum coverage range of transmitters in the network.
7.7.3.2 Modifying Global Network Settings

You can change global network settings in the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
To change global network settings:
2. Right-click the Network Settings folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Network Settings Properties dialog box appears.
4. Modify the parameters described in "The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 704.
5. Click OK.
7.7.4 Defining Radio Bearers

Bearer services are used by the network for carrying information. In this section, the following are explained:
• "Defining R99 Radio Bearers" on page 705
• "Defining HSDPA Radio Bearers" on page 706
• "Defining HSUPA Radio Bearers" on page 706.
7.7.4.1 Defining R99 Radio Bearers

Bearer services are used by the network for carrying information. The R99 Radio Bearer table lists all the available radio bear-
ers. You can create new R99 radio bearers and modify existing ones by using the R99 Radio Bearer table.
Only the following R99 radio bearer parameters are used in predictions:
• The type of bearer.
To create or modify an R99 radio bearer:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Bearers folder.
4. Right-click the R99 Radio Bearers folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The R99 Radio Bearers table appears.
6. In the R99 Radio Bearers table, you can enter or modify the following fields:
• Name: You can modify the name of the bearer. If you are creating a new R99 radio bearer, enter a name in the
row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
• Uplink Peak Throughput (Kbps): Enter or modify the uplink peak throughput in kilobytes per second.
• Downlink Peak Throughput (Kbps): Enter or modify the downlink peak throughput in kilobytes per second.
• Type: Select or modify the service type. There are four classes: Conversational, Streaming, Interactive, and Back-
ground. This field corresponds to the QoS (quality of service) class or traffic class that the bearer will belong to.
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• UL DPCCH/DPCH Power Ratio: Enter or modify the uplink DPCCH (Dedicated Physical Control Channel)/DPCH
(Dedicated Physical Channel) power ratio. The DPCH power is the combination of the DPCCH and the DPDCH (Ded-
icated Physical Data Channel) power.
• DL DPCCH/DPCH Power Ratio: Enter or modify the downlink DPCCH (Dedicated Physical Control Channel)/DPCH
(Dedicated Physical Channel) power ratio.
• Min. TCH Power (dBm): Enter or modify the minimum traffic channel power. The minimum and maximum traffic
channel power make up the dynamic range for downlink power control.
• Max TCH Power (dBm): Enter or modify the maximum traffic channel power.
The maximum and minimum traffic channel powers can be either absolute values or values
relative to the pilot power; this depends on the option defined on the Global Parameters
tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box. These values have to be manu-
ally modified when the option is changed.
• DL Spreading Factor (Active Users): Enter or modify the downlink spreading factor for active users. This parameter
is used to estimate the number of OVSF codes required by an active user using the R99 radio bearer.
• DL Spreading Factor (Inactive Users): Enter or modify the downlink spreading factor for inactive users. This
parameter is used to estimate the number of OVSF codes required by an inactive user with the R99 radio bearer.
7.7.4.2 Defining HSDPA Radio Bearers

In each cell, the scheduler selects the HSDPA resource per UE and per TTI. This HSDPA resource is called a TFRC (Transport
Format Resource Combination) and is the set of parameters such as the transport format, the modulation scheme, and the
number of used HS-PDSCH channels. In Atoll, the TFRC are referred to as HSDPA radio bearers.
During a simulation, and for the HSDPA coverage prediction, Atoll selects a suitable HSDPA radio bearer and uses its peak RLC
throughput. The HSDPA radio bearer selection is based on UE capabilities (maximum number of HS-PDSCH channels, transport
block size, modulation supported), cell capabilities (HSPA or HSPA+, MIMO system used, maximum number of HS-PDSCH
channels), and reported CQI.
The HSDPA Radio Bearers table lists the available HSDPA radio bearers. They can be classified into two categories:
• HSDPA bearers using QPSK and 16QAM modulations. They can be selected for users connected to HSPA and HSPA+
capable cells.
• HSDPA bearers using 64QAM modulation (following improvements introduced by release 7 of the 3GPP UTRA speci-
fications, referred to as HSPA+). These HSDPA bearers can be allocated to users connected to cells with HSPA+ capa-
bilities only.
You can create new HSDPA radio bearers and modify existing ones by using the HSDPA Radio Bearers table.
To open the HSDPA Radio Bearers table:
4. Right-click the HSDPA Radio Bearers folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The HSDPA Radio Bearers table appears with the following information:
• Radio Bearer Index: The bearer index number.
• Transport Block Size (Bits): The transport block size in bits.
• Number of Used HS-PDSCH Channels: The number of HS-PDSCH channels used.
• Peak RLC Throughput (bps): The peak RLC throughput represents the peak throughput without coding (redun-
• Modulation: The modulation used. You can choose between QPSK, 16QAM or 64QAM.
7.7.4.3 Defining HSUPA Radio Bearers

In each cell, the scheduler selects the HSUPA resource per UE, per Node B, and per user service. This HSUPA resource is called
a TFC (Transport Format Combination) and requires a defined ratio of E-DPDCH power over DPCCH power. This ratio is
modelled as the required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt. The combination of the TFC and the power offset is modelled in Atoll as HSUPA radio
bearers.
During a simulation, and for the HSUPA coverage prediction, Atoll selects a suitable HSUPA radio bearer. The HSUPA radio
bearer selection is based on UE capabilities (maximum number of E-DPDCH codes, smallest spreading factor, TTI length, and
modulation supported), cell capabilities (HSPA or HSPA+), and the required E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt.
The HSUPA Radio Bearers table lists the available HSUPA radio bearers. They can be classified into two categories:
• HSUPA bearers using QPSK modulation. They can be selected for users connected to HSPA and HSPA+ capable cells.
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• HSUPA bearers using 16QAM modulation (following improvements introduced by release 7 of the 3GPP UTRA speci-
fications, referred to as HSPA+). These HSUPA bearers can be allocated to users connected to cells with HSPA+ capa-
bilities only.
To open the HSUPA Radio Bearers table:
4. Right-click the HSUPA Radio Bearers folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The HSUPA Radio Bearers table appears with the following information:
• Radio Bearer Index: The bearer index number.
• TTI Duration (ms): The TTI duration in ms. The TTI can be 2 or 10 ms.
• Transport Block Size (Bits): The transport block size in bits.
• Number of E-DPDCH Codes: The number of E-DPDCH channels used.
• Min. Spreading Factor: The minimum spreading factor used.
• Peak RLC Throughput (bps): The peak RLC throughput represents the peak throughput without coding (redun-
• Modulation: The modulation used. You can choose between QPSK or 16QAM.
7.7.5 Defining Site Equipment

• "Creating Site Equipment" on page 707
• "Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and R99 Radio Bearer" on page 708
• "Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and HSUPA Radio Bearer" on page 708.
7.7.5.1 Creating Site Equipment

To create a new piece of UMTS site equipment:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Resource Management folder.
4. Right-click Site Equipment. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Site Equipment table appears.
6. In the Equipment table, each row describes a piece of equipment. For information on working with data tables, see
"Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For the new piece of UMTS equipment you are creating, enter the following:
• Name: The name you enter will be the one used to identify this piece of equipment.
• Manufacturer: The name of the manufacturer of this piece of equipment.
• MUD factor: Multi-User Detection (MUD) is a technology used to decrease intra-cell interference in the uplink.
MUD is modelled by a coefficient from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in the UL interference calculation. In case
MUD is not supported by equipment, enter 0 as value.
• Rake factor: The rake receiver efficiency factor enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on UL. Atoll uses this
factor to calculate the uplink SHO gain and uplink signal quality in simulations, point-to-point handover analysis
and coverage predictions. This parameter is considered in the uplink for softer and softer-softer handovers; it is
applied to the sum of signals received on the same site. The factor value can be from 0 to 1. It models losses due
to the imperfection of signal recombination.
The rake receiver efficiency factor used to model the recombination in downlink can be set
in terminal properties.
• Carrier selection: Carrier selection refers to the carrier selection method used during the transmitter admission
control in the mobile active set. The selected strategy is used in simulations when no carrier is specified in the
properties of the service (all the carriers can be used for the service) or when the carrier specified for the service
is not used by the transmitter. On the other hand, the specified carrier selection mode is always taken into account
in predictions (AS analysis and coverage predictions). Choose one of the following:
• Min. UL Load Factor: The carrier with the minimum UL noise (carrier with the lowest UL load factor) is select-
ed.
• Min. DL Total Power: The carrier with the minimum DL total power is selected.
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• Random: The carrier is randomly chosen.

• Sequential: Carriers are sequentially loaded. The first carrier is selected as long as it is not overloaded. Then,
when the maximum uplink load factor is reached, the second carrier is chosen and so on.
• Downlink and Uplink Overhead Resources for Common Channels/Cell: The uplink and downlink overhead
resources for common channels/cell correspond to the numbers of channel elements that a cell uses for common
channels in the uplink and downlink. This setting is also used for OVSF code allocation; it indicates the number of
OVSF codes to be allocated to control channels per cell.
• AS restricted to neighbours: Select this option if you want the other transmitters in the active set to belong to the
neighbour list of the best server.
• Compressed Mode: If you select this option, cells located on sites with this equipment are able to manage com-
pressed mode when radio conditions require it. Compressed mode is generally used to prepare the hard handover
of users with single receiver terminals.
and inter-technology neighbours to cells located on sites whose equipment does not
support the compressed mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
• Overhead Iub Throughput/Cell (kbps): The overhead Iub throughput per cell corresponds to the Iub throughput
required by the cell for common channels in the downlink.
• HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): The HSDPA Iub backhaul overhead corresponds to the percentage of the
HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value corresponds to the
Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer user for HS Channels in the downlink.
• Throughput Supported per E1/T1/Ethernet Link (kbps): The throughput supported per E1/T1/Ethernet link cor-
responds to the throughput carried by an E1/T1/Ethernet link. This parameter is used to calculate the required Iub
capacity, i.e. the number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total throughput.
• Dual-band HSDPA: Select Active if the site supports the dual-band HSDPA mode. Otherwise, select Inactive. When
dual-band HSDPA is active, HSDPA bearer users with suitable terminals can simultaneously connect to two co-site
transmitters using different frequency bands. If the two co-site transmitters work on the same frequency band,
then HSDPA bearer users can only connect to the HSDPA cells of one transmitter.
• Scheduler Algorithm: The scheduling technique used by the Node B to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be served
when the Node B supports the multi-cell HSDPA mode. You can select the scheduler from the list of schedulers
available in the Schedulers table. For more information, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 711.
7. Click the Close button ( ) to close the table.
7.7.5.2 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and R99 Radio
Bearer
The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput consumed by an R99 bearer user depend on the site equip-
ment, on the R99 radio bearer, and on the link direction (up or down). The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul
throughput consumed can be defined for UMTS simulations.
To define channel element and Iub backhaul throughput consumption during UMTS simulations:
4. Right-click R99 Resource Consumption. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The R99 Resource Consumption table appears.
6. For each equipment-R99 radio bearer pair, enter in the R99 Resource Consumption table the number of UL and DL
channel elements and the UL and DL Iub backhaul throughputs that Atoll will consume during the power control sim-
ulation.
7.7.5.3 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and HSUPA Ra-
dio Bearer
The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput consumed by a HSUPA bearer user in the uplink depend
on the site equipment and on the HSUPA radio bearer. The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput
consumed can be defined for UMTS simulations.
To define channel element and Iub backhaul throughput consumption during UMTS simulations:
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4. Right-click HSUPA Resource Consumption. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The HSUPA Resource Consumption table appears.
6. For each equipment-HSUPA radio bearer pair, enter in the HSUPA Resource Consumption table the number of UL
channel elements and the UL Iub backhaul throughput that Atoll will consume during the power control simulation.
7.7.6 Defining Receiver Equipment

• "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 709
• "HSDPA UE Categories" on page 710
• "HSUPA UE Categories" on page 711.
7.7.6.1 Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment

In Atoll, reception equipment models the reception characteristics of user terminals and is used when you create a terminal.
The graphs defined for each reception equipment entry are used for quality predictions and for selecting HSDPA and HSUPA
bearers.
To create or modify reception equipment:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Reception Equipment folder.
4. Double-click the reception equipment type you want to modify. The reception equipment type’s Properties dialog box
appears.
You can create a new reception equipment type by right-clicking the Reception Equipment
folder and selecting New from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
6. Click the R99 Bearer Selection tab. On the R99 Bearer Selection tab, you can define downlink and uplink Eb⁄Nt
requirements. These are the thresholds (in dB) that must be reached to provide users with the service. These param-
eters depend on the mobility type.
Using transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) diversity results in a quality gain on received downlink and uplink Eb⁄Nt. You can
specify gains on received downlink and uplink Eb⁄Nt for each diversity configuration. Atoll will consider them when Tx
or Rx diversity configurations are assigned to transmitters.
• R99 Bearer: Select an R99 bearer from the list.
• Mobility: Select a mobility type from the list.
• UL Target (dB): Enter or modify the uplink (Eb⁄Nt) threshold.
• Uplink 2RX Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the two-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
• Uplink 4RX Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the four-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
• DL Target (dB): Enter or modify the downlink (Eb⁄Nt) threshold.
• Downlink Open Loop Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink open loop diversity gain in dB.
• Downlink Closed Loop Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink closed loop diversity gain in dB.
8. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each R99 Bearer. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
The DL and UL Quality Indicator tables describe the variation of the quality indicator as a function of the measured
parameter (as defined in the Quality Indicators table). The Uplink and Downlink Quality Graphs are used for quality
predictions.
9. Click the HSDPA Bearer Selection tab.
10. Ensure that the values for each Mobility in the CQI Table and the Best HSDPA Bearer Table have been entered. You
can edit the values in the CQI Table and the Best HSDPA Bearer Table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by
selecting the Mobility and clicking the CQI Graph or the Best Bearer Graph buttons.
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The CQI table describes the variation of the CPICH CQI as a function of the CPICH Ec/Nt (or the variation of HS-PDSCH
CQI as a function of the HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt); the values displayed depend on the calculation parameter you have selected
in the Global Parameters tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box (for more information, see "The
Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 704).
The HS-PDSCH CQI table describes the index of the best HSDPA bearer as a function of the HS-PDSCH CQI.
The CQI graphs and best bearer graphs are used in the simulation and in the HSDPA prediction to model fast link adap-
tation (selection of the HSDPA bearer).
The supplier RRM (radio resource management) strategy can be taken into account using the HS-PDSCH CQI table, for
example:
• You can define several pieces of reception equipment with a separate table for each. You can reserve low bearer
indexes for poor-performance reception equipment and higher bearer indexes for high-performance equipment.
• You can specify a graph for each mobility. Here, you can reserve low bearer indexes for high speeds and higher
bearer indexes for low speeds.
• You can also give priority to either one user by assigning him a high bearer index or to all users by assigning them
low bearer indexes.
11. Click the HSDPA Quality Graphs tab.
12. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Radio Bearer Index. You can edit the values in the DL Quality
Indicator Table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graph button.
The HSDPA BLER table describes the variation of the BLER as a function of the HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt. It is used to calculate
the application throughput for the HSDPA coverage prediction.
13. Click the HSUPA Bearer Selection tab.
14. Ensure that, for each Radio Bearer Index and Mobility pair, you have entered a value for the Number of Retransmis-
sions and for the Requested Ec⁄Nt Threshold. You can edit the values in the Early Termination Probabilities table by
clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Radio Bearer Index and clicking the Early Termination Proba-
bility Graph button.
The Number of Retransmissions and the Requested Ec⁄Nt Threshold values are used in the simulation and in the
HSUPA prediction to model noise rise scheduling and in the selection of the HSUPA radio bearer.
The Early Termination Probabilities table describes the variation of the early termination probability as a function of
the number of retransmissions. It is used in the HSUPA prediction to calculate the average RLC throughput and the
average application throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
15. Click the HSUPA Quality Graphs tab.
16. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Radio Bearer Index and that there is a value defined for the
Number of Retransmissions. You can edit the values in the UL Quality Indicator Table by clicking directly on the table
entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Uplink Quality Graph button.
The HSUPA BLER table describes the variation of the BLER as a function of the E-DPDCH Ec⁄Nt. It is used to calculate
the application throughput for the HSUPA coverage prediction.
17. Click the MIMO tab.
18. Ensure that, for each HSDPA Radio Bearer Index and Mobility pair, you have entered a value for the Number of Trans-
mission Antennas Ports, for the Number of Reception Antennas Ports and for the Transmit Diversity Gain. You can
edit the values in the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gains table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the
Mobility and clicking the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gain Graph button.
The Max Spatial Multiplexing Gains table describes the variation of the maximum spatial multiplexing gain as a func-
tion of the HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt (dB).
For more information on the different MIMO systems, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 712.
No MIMO gain (diversity, spatial multiplexing) is applied if N TX RX

Ant = N Ant = 1 .
7.7.6.2 HSDPA UE Categories

HSDPA user equipment capabilities are standardised into 36 different categories according to 3GPP specifications.
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To edit a UE category:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the UE Categories folder.
4. Right-click HSDPA UE Categories. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The HSDPA User Equipment Categories table appears.
6. The HSDPA User Equipment Categories table has the following columns:
• Index: Each HSDPA UE category is a separate record in the table and has a unique index.
• Category Name: Name of the HSDPA UE category.
• Max. Number of HS-PDSCH Channels: The maximum number of HS-PDSCH channels allowed for the category.
• Min. Number of TTI Between Two Used TTI: The minimum number of TTI (Transmission Time Interval) between
two TTI used.
• Max. Transport Block Size (bits): The maximum transport block size allowed for the category.
• Highest Modulation: Select the highest modulation supported by the category. You can choose between QPSK,
16QAM (if you select 16QAM, 16QAM and QPSK modulations can be used) or 64QAM (if you select 64QAM,
64QAM, 16QAM and QPSK modulations can be used).
• MIMO Support: Select whether the category supports MIMO systems or not.
• DL Multi-cell Mode: Select the type of multi-cell mode supported by the category, i.e., the maximum number of
cells to which an HSDPA bearer user can simultaneously connect. If the category does not support multi-cell
HSDPA, select None.
7.7.6.3 HSUPA UE Categories

HSUPA user equipment capabilities are standardised into 9 different categories according to 3GPP specifications.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the UE Categories folder.
4. Right-click HSUPA UE Categories. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The HSUPA User Equipment Categories table appears.
6. The HSUPA User Equipment Categories table has the following columns:
• Index: Each HSUPA UE category is a separate record in the table and has a unique index.
• Category Name: Name of the HSUPA UE category.
• TTI 2 ms: Select the check box if a TTI of 2 ms is supported. If a 2 ms TTI is not selected, a 10 ms TTI is used.
• Min Spreading Factor: Enter the minimum spreading factor supported.
• Max Block Size for a 2 ms TTI (bits): The maximum transport block size allowed for a 2 ms TTI.
• Max Block Size for a 10 ms TTI (bits): The maximum transport block size allowed for a 10 ms TTI.
• Highest Modulation: Select the highest modulation supported by the category. You can choose between QPSK
or16QAM. If 16QAM modulation is selected, 16QAM and QPSK modulations can be used.
• UL Multi-cell Mode: Select 2C (dual-cell) whether the category supports multi-cell. If the category does not sup-
port multi-cell, select None.
• Max Number of E-DPDCH Codes: The maximum number of E-DPDCH codes allowed for the category.
7.7.7 Defining HSDPA Schedulers

The scheduler ranks the HSDPA bearer users to be served in the HSDPA section of the Monte Carlo simulation. The scheduler
manages a single queue of users at the Node B. All users belonging to the transmitter, i.e., DC-HSPA and single-carrier HSDPA
users, are ranked together in a single list. DC-HSPA users are considered twice in the list because they might be assigned two
different HSDPA bearers in the two cells.
Atoll supports the following algorithms:
• Max C/I: "n" HSDPA bearer users (where "n" corresponds to the sum of the maximum numbers of HSDPA bearer users
defined for all HSDPA cells) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are
sorted in descending order by the channel quality indicator (CQI).
• Round Robin: HSDPA bearer users are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order).
• Proportional Fair: "n" HSDPA bearer users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA bearer users
defined) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are sorted in
descending order according to a random parameter which corresponds to a combination of the user rank in the sim-
ulation and the channel quality indicator (CQI).
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The random parameter is calculated by giving both the user simulation rank and the CQI a
weight of 50%. You can change the default weights by setting the appropriate options in
The Schedulers table lists the available schedulers. You can add, remove, and modify scheduler properties, if you want.
To define schedulers:
3. In the UMTS Network Settings folder, right-click Schedulers. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Schedulers table appears.
5. In the table, enter one scheduler per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data
Tables" on page 76. For each scheduler, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the scheduler. This name will appear in the cell properties.
• Scheduling method: Select the scheduling method used to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be served.
You can open a scheduler’s properties dialog box by double-clicking the corresponding row in the Schedulers table. In
the properties dialog box, a MUG tab is available for Proportional fair schedulers. On the MUG tab, you can define
the throughput gain due to multi-user diversity. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than with a
single user. It is used to calculate the peak gross throughput per cell when the scheduling algorithm is "Proportional
Fair" and if you have set the peak HSDPA throughput option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
Note that you can enter MUG graphs for different configurations in terms of numbers of cells to which the users are
connected.
6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Schedulers table.
7.7.8 Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems which are supported by some HSDPA bearers (following improvements intro-
duced by release 7 of the 3GPP UTRA specifications, referred to as HSPA+) use different transmission and reception diversity
techniques. MIMO diversity systems can be roughly divided into the types described in the following sections, all of which are
modelled in Atoll.
Transmit and Receive Diversity
Transmit or receive diversity uses more than one transmission or reception antenna to send or receive more than one copy
of the same signal. The signals are constructively combined (using optimum selection or maximum ratio combining) at the
receiver to extract the useful signal. As the receiver gets more than one copy of the useful signal, the signal level at the receiver
after combination of all the copies is more resistant to interference than a single signal would be. Therefore, diversity
improves the quality at the receiver. It is often used for the regions of a cell that have bad quality conditions.
In Atoll, you can define whether a cell supports transmit diversity by selecting HSPA+ and Transmit Diversity in cell properties
(see "Cell Description" on page 533). Diversity gains on downlink can be defined in the reception equipment for different
numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types and HSDPA bearers. For more information on downlink
diversity gains, see "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 709. Additional gain values can be defined per clut-
ter class. For information on setting the additional downlink diversity gain for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see
"Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
During calculations in Atoll, a user (mobile, pixel, or point receiver) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell
that supports HSPA+ with transmit diversity, will benefit from the downlink diversity HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt gain.
Spatial Multiplexing
Spatial multiplexing uses more than one transmission antenna to send different signals (data streams) on each antenna. The
receiver can also have more than one antenna for receiving different signals. When spatial multiplexing is used with M trans-
mission and N reception antenna ports, the throughput over the transmitter-receiver link can be theoretically increased M or
N times, depending on which is smaller, M or N. Spatial multiplexing improves the throughput (i.e., the channel capacity) for
a given HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, and is used for the regions of a cell that have sufficient HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt conditions.
In Atoll, you can define whether a cell supports spatial multiplexing by selecting HSPA+ and Spatial Multiplexing in the cell
properties (see "Cell Description" on page 533). Spatial multiplexing capacity gains can be defined in the reception equipment
for different numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types, and HSDPA bearers. For more information
on spatial multiplexing gains, see "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 709.
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During calculations in Atoll, a user (mobile, pixel, or point receiver) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell
that supports HSPA+ with spatial multiplexing, will benefit from the spatial multiplexing gain in its throughput depending on
its HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt.
Because spatial multiplexing improves the channel capacity or throughputs, the HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt of a user is determined first.
Once the HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt is known, Atoll determines the corresponding CQI and calculates the user throughput based on the
bearer available at the user location. The obtained user throughput is then increased according to the spatial multiplexing
capacity gain and the Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor of the user’s clutter class. The capacity gains defined in Max Spatial
Multiplexing Gain graphs are the maximum theoretical capacity gains using spatial multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing requires
a rich multipath environment, without which the gain is reduced. In the worst case, there is no gain. Therefore, you can define
a Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor per clutter class whose value can vary from 0 to 1 (0 = no gain, 1 = 100% gain). For infor-
mation on setting the Spatial multiplexing Gain Factor for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter
Class Properties" on page 153.
The spatial multiplexing capacity gain vs. HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt graphs available in Atoll by default have been generated based on
the maximum theoretical spatial multiplexing capacity gains obtained using the following equations:
CC MIMO
G MIMO = ---------------------
-
CC SISO
  Ec
------- 
TX RX   Nt  HS – PDSCH 
Where CC MIMO = Min  N Ant N Ant   Log 2  1 + ------------------------------------------ is the channel capacity at a given HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt for a
TX RX
 Min  N Ant N Ant 
 
Ec
MIMO system using N Ant transmission and N Ant reception antenna ports. CC SISO = Log 2  1 +  -------  is the chan-
TX RX
Nt HS – PDSCH
nel capacity for a single antenna system at a given HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt. HS-PDSCH Ec⁄Nt is used as a ratio (and not dB) in these
formulas. You can replace the default spatial multiplexing capacity gain graphs with graphs extracted from simulated or meas-
ured values.
7.7.9 Conditions for Entering the Active Set

The mobile active set is the list of the transmitters to which the mobile is connected. The active set may consist of one or more
transmitters; depending on whether the service supports soft handover and on the terminal active set size. Transmitters in
the mobile active set must use a frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and the pilot signal level received from
these transmitters must exceed the defined minimum RSCP threshold.
It is, however, the quality of the pilot (Ec⁄I0) that finally determines whether or not a transmitter can belong to the active set.
In order for a given transmitter to enter the mobile active set as best server, the pilot quality from this transmitter must
exceed an upper threshold defined in the properties of the mobility type. In addition, the pilot quality must be the highest one.
In order for a transmitter to enter the active set:
• It must use the same carrier as the best server transmitter. In Atoll, carriers are modelled using cells. For information
on accessing cell properties, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537. For a description of the properties of a
cell, see "Cell Description" on page 533.
• The pilot quality difference between the cell and the best server must not exceed the AS-threshold set per cell. For
information on accessing the AS threshold defined for a given cell, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 537.
• If you have selected to restrict the active set to neighbours, the transmitter must be a neighbour of the best server.
You can restrict the active set to neighbours by selecting the AS Restricted to Neighbours option in the Site Equip-
ment table. For an explanation of how to set the AS Restricted to Neighbours option, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 707.
The active set for HSDPA users is different in the following way: HSDPA physical channels do not support soft handover, there-
fore the user is never connected to more than one transmitter at a time.

agation model.
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In UMTS projects, the standard deviation of the propagation model is used to calculate shadowing margins on signal levels.
You can also calculate shadowing margins on Ec⁄I0 and Eb⁄Nt values and the macro-diversity gain. For information on setting
the model standard deviation and the Ec⁄I0 and Eb⁄Nt standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level, Ec⁄I0, and Eb⁄Nt for:
• A coverage prediction (see "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 562).
Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo-based UMTS simulation.
You can display the shadowing margins and the macro-diversity gain per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the
Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter Class" on page 714.
7.7.10.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter
Class
To display the shadowing margins and macro-diversity gain per clutter class:
3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins and Gains dialog box appears.
• Standard Deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin or macro-
diversity gains:
• Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin of the signal level.
• Ec⁄I0: The Ec⁄I0 standard deviation. Atoll will display the Ec⁄I0 shadowing margin and the resulting DL pilot
macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the values you enter in 1st - 2nd Best
Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
• UL Eb⁄Nt: The Eb⁄Nt UL standard deviation. Atoll will display the Eb⁄Nt UL shadowing margin and the resulting
UL macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the values you enter in 1st - 2nd
Best Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
• DL Eb⁄Nt: The Eb⁄Nt DL standard deviation. Atoll will display the Eb⁄Nt DL shadowing margin.
5. If you select "Ec⁄I0" or "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, you can enter the differences
that will be used to calculate the macro-diversity gain under Macro-Diversity Parameters:
• 1st - 2nd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "Ec⁄I0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Ec⁄I0 difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate DL macro-
diversity gains. If you selected "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter the allowed
Eb/Nt difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate UL macro-diversity
gains.
• 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "Ec⁄I0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Ec⁄I0 difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate DL
macro-diversity gains. If you selected "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter the
allowed Eb/Nt difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate UL
macro-diversity gains.
6. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed. If you selected "Ec⁄I0" or "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard
deviation under Standard Deviation, Atoll also displays the macro-diversity gains for two links and for three links.

Analyses of UMTS networks co-existing with other technology networks can be carried out in Atoll. Inter-technology interfer-
ence may create considerable capacity reduction in a UMTS network. Atoll can take into account interference from co-existing
networks in Monte Carlo simulations and coverage predictions.
The following inter-technology interference scenarios are modeled in Atoll:
• Interference received by mobiles on the downlink: Interference can be received by mobiles in a UMTS network on
the downlink from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
714
ration between the uplink frequency used by the external network and the downlink frequency used by your UMTS
in Atoll using the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the UMTS network. This noise rise is taken
into account in all downlink interference-based calculations. However, this noise rise does not impact the calculation
of the mobile reuse factor. For more information on the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise, see "Cell Description" on
page 533.
You can study the downlink inter-technology interference by carrying out an Inter-technology Downlink Interference
coverage prediction as explained in "Studying Inter-technology Downlink Interference" on page 584.
• Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of a UMTS network on the uplink
from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-uplink interference) can be created by insufficient
separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your
UMTS network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-uplink interference) can be created by the use of same or
nearby frequencies for uplink in both networks. Unless the exact locations of external mobiles is known, it is not possi-
ble to separate interference received from external base stations and mobiles on the uplink. The effect of this inter-
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Inter-technology UL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the UMTS network.
This noise rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in the simulation. However, this noise
rise is not taken into consideration in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predictions) and does not have an impact
on the calculation of the cell reuse factor. For more information on the Inter-technology UL Noise Rise, see "Cell
Description" on page 533.
Figure 7.64: Interference received by cells on the uplink

Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your UMTS network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses
715
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
An IRF depends on:

• The interfering technology (TDMA, CDMA, or OFDM)
nal base stations is linked to your UMTS document, i.e., when Atoll is in co-planning mode. For more information on how to
switch to co-planning mode, see "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 682.
3. Right-click Inter-technology Interference Reduction Factors. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Inter-technology Interference Reduction Factors table appears.
• Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separation,

• Click OK. The interference reduction factors are stored.

You can, if you want, link more than one Atoll document with your main document following the procedure described in
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 682. If the linked documents model networks using different technologies, you can
define the interference reduction factors in your main document for all these technologies, and Atoll will calculate interfer-
ence from all the external base stations in all the linked documents.
716
Chapter 8
CDMA2000 Networks
analyse, and optimise a CDMA2000 network.
• "Planning and Optimising CDMA Base Stations" on
page 719
page 842
on page 845
• "Co-planning CDMA Networks with Other Networks" on
page 857
718
AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 8: CDMA2000 Networks
8 CDMA2000 Networks
Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of CDMA2000 1xRTT (1st eXpansion Radio Telephone Technology) and
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (1xEvolution Data Only) Rev. 0, Rev. A and Rev. B networks. Once you have created the network, Atoll
offers many tools to let you verify the network. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the parameters defin-
ing the network.
Planning the CDMA network and creating the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising CDMA Base
Stations" on page 719. Allocating neighbours is explained in "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 790 and allocat-
ing PN offsets is explained in "Planning PN Offsets" on page 805. In this section, you will also find information on how you can
display information on base stations on the map and how you can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying Network Capacity" on page 813, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained. Creating simulations
using the traffic map information and analysing the results of simulations is also explained.
page 845. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
A Note on the Terminology Used in This Chapter
The terminology used in CDMA is slightly different from the standard terminology used in Atoll. Therefore, the terminology
used in explanations reflects the standard CDMA terminology with the equivalent Atoll terminology given when references
are made to the user interface.
CDMA Atoll
handoff handover
radio configuration terminal
reverse link uplink (UL)
forward link downlink (DL)
8.1 Planning and Optimising CDMA Base Stations

TMA, feeder cables, etc. In a CDMA project, you must also add cells to each transmitter. A cell refers to the characteristics of
a carrier on a transmitter.
A n te n n a
- A z im u t h
- M e c h a n i c a l t i lt
TMA
A n te n n a
- H e ig h t
F e e d e r C a b le
T r a n s m it t e r
- N o is e fig u r e
- P ow er
S it e
- X , Y c o o r d in a t e s
Figure 8.1: A transmitter
719
Chapter 8: CDMA2000 Networks © 2014 Forsk
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once by creating a station template. Using a
station template, you can create one or more base stations at the same time. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its
transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells.
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or analysed.
nals. This data can be then used to make quality coverage predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handoff status
predictions, on the network.
• "Creating a CDMA Base Station" on page 720
• "Creating a Dual-Band and Tri-Band CDMA Network" on page 738
• "Planning PN Offsets" on page 805.
8.1.1 Creating a CDMA Base Station

When you create a CDMA site, you create only the geographical point; you must add the transmitters and cells afterwards.
The site, with the transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells is called a base station.
• "Duplicating of an Existing Base Station" on page 734.

ple, cells. You will usually create a new base station using a station template, as described in "Placing a New Station Using a
Station Template" on page 728. This section describes the following elements of a base station and their parameters:
• "Cell Definition" on page 724.
720

The parameters of a site can be found in the site’s Properties dialog box. The Properties dialog box has two tabs:
the site here.
page 46.
culations.
• The CDMA2000 tab:
• Max Number of Uplink Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of physical radio resources on the
reverse link per carrier for the current site. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
• Max Number of Downlink Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of physical radio resources on
the forward link per carrier for the current site. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
• Max Number of EV-DO Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of EV-DO radio resources on the
reverse link per carrier for the current site. This parameter is used only with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. By default Atoll
enters the maximum possible (96).
With 1xEV-DO, only one user on the forward link can be served at a given time. This user consumes only one chan-
nel element. On the reverse link, there can be more than one user with each user consuming one channel element,
therefore, the maximum number of EV-DO radio resources applies only to the reverse link.
• Equipment: You can select equipment from the list. To create new site equipment, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 882.
If no equipment is assigned to the site, Atoll uses the following default values:
• Rake efficiency factor = 1
• MUD factor = 0
• Carrier selection = reverse link minimum noise
• Forward link and reverse link overhead resources for common channels = 0
• The option AS Restricted to Neighbours is not selected, the option Pool of Shared CEs is not selected, the
option Power Pooling Between Transmitters is not selected and Atoll uses one channel element on the
forward link or reverse link for any service during power control simulation.

erties dialog box has three additional tabs: the Cells tab (see "Cell Definition" on page 724), the Propagation tab (see "Assign-
721
ing a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 749), and the Display tab (see "Display Properties of Objects" on
page 47).
• Frequency Band: You can select a Frequency Band for the transmitter. Once you have selected the frequency
band, you can click the Browse button to access the properties of the band. For information on the frequency band
Properties dialog box, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 878.
antenna.
location, and enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
• Max Range: You can define a maximum coverage range from the transmitter.
in red in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
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• Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can define the total losses and the noise figure in
the Real text boxes. Atoll can calculate losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter; the calculated values are indicated in the Computed text boxes. Atoll always considers the
values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
You can update the values in the Real boxes with the values in the Computed text boxes. For information, see
"Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter Equipment Noise Figure" on page 190.
You can assign equipment by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the
Equipment button.
you define are used to set the transmitter noise figure and the total transmitter reverse link and forward link
losses:
must be positive.
• Receiver Antenna Diversity Gain: You can enter a receiver antenna diversity gain. The value you enter must
be positive.
reception losses.
• Antennas:
723
page 185
page 76.
8.1.1.1.3 Cell Definition

In Atoll, a cell is defined as a carrier, with all its characteristics, on a transmitter; the cell is the mechanism by which you can
configure a CDMA multi-carrier network. In other words, a transmitter has one cell for every carrier.
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates one cell for the transmitter. The following explains the Parameters
of a CDMA cell. As you create a cell, Atoll calculates appropriate values for some fields based on the information you have
entered. You can, if you want, modify these values.
The properties of a CDMA cell are found on Cells tab of the Properties dialog box of the transmitter to which it is assigned.
The following 1xEV-DO Rev B options apply to all the 1xEV-DO cells of the transmitter:
• Under EV-DO Rev B, the following 1xEV-DO Rev B options are available:
• Multi-carrier support: You can define whether the transmitter supports the multi-carrier EV-DO operation. When
multi-carrier EV-DO is active, multi-carrier EV-DO users can simultaneously connect with two or more EV-DO car-
riers of transmitters that support the mode (i.e., multi-carrier EV-DO users receive the data on several separate
carriers. In Atoll, a multi-carrier EV-DO user is referred to as a user with multi-carrier EV-DO-based services and a
multi-carrier terminal.
• MUG Table: You can access the MUG (Multi-User Gain) table by clicking the Browse button. The MUG table is a
graph of gain as a function of the number of users. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than
with a single user. This is modelled by the MUG graph. It is used to calculate the downlink average cell throughput.
For transmitters that support multi-carrier EV-DO, this MUG graph is used in calculations instead of the MUG
graph set per cell.
• Min Ec/Nt (UL): You can enter or modify the minimum Ec/Nt to operate multi-carrier EV-DO in the reverse link.
The following parameters can be set for each individual cell of the transmitter:
• Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding the carrier number in parentheses. If you change
transmitter name or carrier, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake
of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
• Carrier: The number of the carrier and the type of carrier. You can choose 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO as the carrier type.
724
When transmitters that contain multiple cells are grouped by carrier, Atoll sorts the cells
by carrier, which groups together transmitters that use the same set of carriers. However,
it is sometimes necessary to differentiate transmitters by the order in which channel
numbers are assigned to the cells. For instructions on how to force Atoll to consider the
cell order when grouping by carrier capability, contact technical support.
• The following parameters are available for 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO carriers:
• Active: If this cell is active, you must select the Active check box.
• PN Offset Domain: The Pseudo Noise (PN) offset domain to which the cell belongs. The PN offset domain is a set
of groups, with each group containing several PN offsets.
• Co-PN Reuse Distance (m): The distance within which the PN offset defined for this cell cannot be reused.
• PN Offset: The PN offset is a time offset used by a cell to shift a Pseudo Noise sequence.
• Ec/Io Threshold (dB): Enter the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from the cell to be the best server in the active set.
• T_Drop: Enter the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from the cell not to be rejected from the active set.
• Min RSCP (dBm): The minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The pilot RSCP is com-
pared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
• Inter-technology UL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles and base stations
of an external network on this cell on the uplink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all uplink interference-
based calculations involving this cell in simulations. It is not used in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predic-
tions). In predictions, Atoll calculates the uplink total interference from the UL load factor which includes inter-
technology uplink interference. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-
technology Interference" on page 887.
• Inter-technology DL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external net-
work on the mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink
interference-based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 887.
• Max Number of Intra-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours for this cell. This
value is used by the intra-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Max Number of Inter-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-carrier neighbours for this cell. This
value is used by the inter-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-technology neighbours for this cell.
This value is used by the inter-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
• Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology (intra-carrier and inter-carrier)
and inter-technology neighbours by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see
"Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 790.
• The following parameters are available for 1xRTT carriers:

• Max Power (dBm): The maximum available forward link power for the cell.
• Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power.
• Synchro Power (dBm): The synchronisation power.
• Paging Power (dBm): The paging power.
By default, the synchronisation power and paging power are set as absolute values. You
can set these values as relative to the pilot power by right-clicking the Network Settings
folder in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then,
on the Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Powers, you can
select Relative to Pilot. The synchronisation power and paging power values are automat-
ically converted and set as relative to the pilot power.
• Max DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum forward link power (set in Max Power) not to be
exceeded. This limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the options DL Load and Max DL Load
defined per cell are selected. If these options are not selected during a simulation, this value is not taken into con-
sideration.
• Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum reverse link load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into
account during the simulation. This limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the options UL Load
Factor and Max UL Load Factor defined per cell are selected. If these options are not selected during a simulation,
this value is not taken into consideration.
• Total Power (dBm or %): The total transmitted power on forward link. This value can be a simulation result or can
be entered by the user.
725
By default, the total power is set as absolute value. You can set this value as a percentage
of the maximum power of the cell by right-clicking the Network Settings folder in the
Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then, on the Global
Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Load, you can select % Pmax. The
total power value is automatically converted and set as a percentage of the maximum
power.
• UL Load Factor (%): The reverse link cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the reverse link
total interference and the reverse link total noise. This is the global value of reverse link load factor including the
reverse link inter-technology interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
• Power Reserved for Pooling (dB): The power reserved for pooling is the maximum amount of power that can be
allocated to this cell by other transmitters on the site using the same carrier. This value is only used if the site
equipment allows power pooling between transmitters.
• The following parameters are available for 1xEV-DO carriers:
• Max Power (dBm): The power transmitted by a 1xEV-DO cell when there is at least one user. For 1xEV-DO carriers,
the transmitter equipment always transmits at maximum power (the DL maximum power) unless it has no user to
support. When there is no user, the transmitter equipment transmits a very low level of power during idle traffic
slots (DL maximum power + Idle gain).
• Idle Power Gain (dB): The gain applied to the DL power when there is no active user connected to the cell. It must
be a negative value.
• MUG Table: You can access the MUG (Multi-User Gain) table by clicking the Browse button. The MUG table is a
graph of gain as a function of the number of users. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than
with a single user. This is modelled by the MUG graph.
In transmitters that support multi-carrier EV-DO, this MUG graph is used in calculations instead of the MUG graph
set per cell.
• Noise Rise Threshold (dB): The noise rise threshold. The noise rise threshold and the acceptable noise rise margin
are considered in the simulation during reverse link congestion. Atoll ensures that the cell reverse link noise rise
is within a range defined by the noise rise threshold plus the margin and the noise rise threshold minus the margin.
• Acceptable Noise Rise Margin (dB): The acceptable noise rise margin.
• DRC Error Rate (%): The error rate as a percentage received by the cell on the Data Rate Control (DRC) channel.
The cell may receive the DRC channel from a mobile incorrectly. If this happens, the mobile will not be scheduled
for data transmission. This value is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the average cell
throughput on the forward link.
• EV-DO Timeslots Dedicated to BCMCS (%): The percentage of timeslots dedicated to Broadcast/Multicast Services
(BCMCS). This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the cell average forward
link throughput.
• EV-DO Timeslots Dedicated to Control Channels (%): The percentage of timeslots dedicated to control channels
(control, pilot, and ACK channels). This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates
the cell average forward link throughput.
• BCMCS Throughput (kbps): The BCMCS throughput. Two throughput values are available: 204.8 kbps and
409.6 kbps. This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the cell average for-
ward link throughput.
• Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum reverse link load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into
account during the simulation.
• Total Power (dBm): The total transmitted power on forward link. This value can be a simulation result or can be
entered by the user.
• UL Load Factor (%): The reverse link cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the reverse link
total interference and the reverse link total noise. This is the global value for the reverse link load factor including
the reverse link inter-technology interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
• Max No. of EV-DO Users: The maximum number of EV-DO carrier users that this cell can support at any given time.
Multi-carrier EV-DO users are counted once in each cell they are connected to.

ple, cells. This section describes how to create or modify the following elements of a base station:
726

page 721).
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK.

6. Click OK.
727
text menu.

You can modify an existing cell or you can create a new cell. You can access the properties of a cell, described in "Cell Defini-
tion" on page 724, through the Properties dialog box of the transmitter where the cell is located. How you access the Prop-
erties dialog box depends on whether you are creating a new cell or modifying an existing cell.
appears.
6. Modify the parameters described in "Cell Definition" on page 724.
7. Click OK.
by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting

eters, instead of building the network by first creating the site, then the transmitters, and finally by adding the cells.
728
You can also place a series of stations using a station template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you want
to place the stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each station according to the defined hexagonal cell radius in the
station template. For information on defining the cell radius, see "Creating a Station Template" on page 730.
Once you have created one or more stations, the hexagons describing their cell radius remain visible. You can choose not to
display them.
To hide the hexagons after creating stations using the Hexagonal Design button ( ) or the New Station button ( ):
• In the Network explorer, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.

place the station.

Atoll comes with CDMA station templates, but you can also create and modify station templates. The tools for working with
station templates can be found on the Radio Planning toolbar (see Figure 8.5).
729


2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Network Settings folder.
page 730.

of the station template, the number of Sectors, i.e., the number of transmitters on the site, and the Hexagon Radius,
i.e., the theoretical radius of the hexagonal area covered by each sector.
730
Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. For information on propagation models, see "Assigning a Propagation
Model to One Transmitter" on page 749.
8. Click the Transmitter tab. On this tab (see Figure 8.7). You can modify the following:
• Active: If the transmitters in this station template are to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active
transmitters are displayed in red in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
• Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can define the total losses and the noise figure in
the Real text boxes. Atoll can calculate losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter; the calculated values are indicated in the Computed text boxes. Atoll always considers the
values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
You can update the values in the Real boxes with the values in the Computed text boxes. For information, see
"Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter Equipment Noise Figure" on page 190.
You can assign equipment by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the
Equipment button. For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on
page 721.
731
9. Click the CDMA tab. On this tab (see Figure 8.8), you modify the specifications of the Carriers (each corresponding to
a cell) that each transmitter supports. For information on carriers and cells, see "Cell Definition" on page 724.
• You can select the Carrier numbers for each sector of the station template. To select the carriers to be added to
the sectors of a base station created using this station template:
i. Click the Browse button. The Carriers per Sector dialog box appears.
ii. In the Carriers per Sector dialog box, select the carriers to be created for each sector of the station.
iii. Click OK.
• Under PN Offset, you can define the Reuse Distance and the Domain of the pseudo noise offset.
• Under Power, you can define the Pilot, the Paging, and the Synchro powers, and the Idle Power Gain.
• Under Simulation Constraints, you can modify the Max Power, the Max DL Load (defined as a percentage of the
maximum power), and the Max UL Load Factor.
• Under Load Conditions, you can modify the Total Transmitted Power and the UL Load Factor.
• Under Active Set, you can modify the Min Ec/Io and the T-Drop.
• Under Inter-technology Interference, you can set the DL Noise Rise and the UL Noise Rise. For more information
on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 887.
• You can also modify the Number of Uplink and Downlink Channel Elements and select the Equipment.
Figure 8.8: Station Template Properties dialog box – CDMA tab
732
10. Click the CDMA2000 tab. On this tab (see Figure 8.9), you modify additional specifications of the Carriers (each corre-
sponding to a cell) that each transmitter supports. For information on carriers and cells, see "Cell Definition" on
page 724.
• You can set the Power Reserved for Pooling.
• Under 1xRTT, you can modify the Pilot Power, the Paging Power, and the Synchro Power.
• Under 1xEV-DO, you can modify the Idle Power Gain, the Max. Number of EV-DO Channel Elements per Carrier,
and you can modify the MUG (multi-user gain) table.
• Under Rev. 0, you can set the Noise Rise Threshold, the Acceptable Noise Rise Margin, and the DRC Error Rate.
• Under Rev. A, you can set the Timeslot BCMCS, the Timeslot Control Channels, and the BCMCS Throughput.
• Under Rev. B, you can select whether Multi-carrier EV-DO is supported and you can enter a MUG=f(No. Users)
graph and define the min Ec/Nt (UL).
Figure 8.9: Station Template Properties dialog box – CDMA2000 tab
11. Click the Neighbours tab. On this tab (see Figure 8.10), you can modify the Max Number of Intra- and Inter-Carrier
Neighbours and the Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours. For information on defining neighbours, see "Plan-
ning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 790.
changes.
733


5. Select the Table tab. For information on adding, deleting, and editing user-defined fields, see "Adding, Deleting, and
Editing Data Table Fields" on page 77).
6. Click OK when you have finished.

8.1.1.5 Duplicating of an Existing Base Station

• Quickly create a new base station with the same settings as an original base station in order to study the effect of a
new station on the coverage and capacity of the network, and
• Quickly create a new homogeneous network with stations that have the same characteristics.
• Select Duplicate > With Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station along with
the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
734

A new base station is placed on the map. The site, transmitters, and cells of the new base station have the same names
as the site, transmitters, and cells of the original base station with each name marked as "Copy of." The site, transmit-
ters, and cells of the duplicate base station have the same settings as those of the original base station. All the remote
antennas and repeaters of any transmitter on the original site are also duplicated.

735


menu:
You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar:
• Carriers: Select the carrier to be analysed.
per clutter class.
736
Figure 8.13: Point Analysis Tool - Profile view

You can create base stations individually as explained in "Creating a CDMA Base Station" on page 720, or you can create one
or several base stations by using station templates as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 728. However, if you have a large data-planning project and you already have existing data, you can import this data into
your current Atoll document and create a group of base stations.
page 127.

Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
The table you copy from must have the same column layout as the table you are pasting
data into.
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 728.
737

if there there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, clicking the transmitters in the map window opens a
context menu allowing you to select the transmitter. You can also change the position of the station by dragging it, or by
letting Atoll find a higher location for it.

8.1.5 Creating a Dual-Band and Tri-Band CDMA Network

In Atoll, you can model dual-band and tri-band CDMA networks in one document (e.g., network consisting of 1900 MHz and
700 MHz transmitters). Creating a dual-band or tri-band CDMA network consists of the following steps:
Models).
3. Assigning a frequency band, with its propagation model, to each transmitter (see "Transmitter Description" on
page 721).
4. Defining the frequency bands with which terminals are compatible (see "Modelling Terminals" on page 764).

signal can be carried by different types of links such as a radio link or a microwave link. The server side re-transmits the
received signal.
When Atoll models CDMA repeaters, the modelling focuses on:
738

• "Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters" on page 742


there are any.
using the buttons to the right of the Amplification box ( ) on the General tab of the repeater Properties dialog
box.
e. Enter the maximum power that the equipment can transmit on the downlink in the Maximum Downlink Power
column. This parameter enables Atoll to ensure that the downlink power after amplification does not exceed the
limit of the equipment.
f. If desired, enter a Maximum Uplink Power, an Internal Delay and Comments. These fields are for information
only and are not used in calculations.
739

1. Select the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. You can select it from the Transmitters folder of the
as displayed for the donor. As well, its tip text identifies the repeater and the donor. In the Explorer window, the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
page 740.

ment.
pasting data into.

• You can change the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is the donor
site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was created.
If the donor is a remote antenna or another repeater, then "RepZ" is preceded by "RemA_"
or "RepB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor remote antenna and the donor repeater.
740
the equipment.
• You can change the Amplifier Gain. Amplification gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater total gain.
• If you select Microwave Link, enter the Propagation Losses and continue with step 5.
propagation model.
page 185
• Under Total Gain, enter the gain in the forward and reverse links (DL/UL) or click Calculate to determine the actual
gain in the forward and reverse links. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage
Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
• In the forward link, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
• In the reverse link, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
741
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna
page 185
page 76.


• You can update the reverse link and forward link total gains of all repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Gains
from the Transmitters context menu.
setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False".
742



1. Select the donor transmitter. You can select it from the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer, or directly on
the map.
transmitter.
743

pasting data into.

• You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RemZ" where
"X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote antenna
when it was created.
If the donor is a repeater or another remote antenna, then "RemZ" is preceded by "RepA_"
or "RemB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor repeater and the donor remote antenna.
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the
same position and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height,
or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters,
nates.
• Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Net-
work explorer) are calculated.
• Under Total Gain, enter the gain in the forward and reverse links (DL/UL) or click Calculate to determine the actual
gain in the forward and reverse links. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage
Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
744
• In the forward link, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
• In the reverse link, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
page 185
page 76.


• You can update the reverse link and forward link total gains of all remote antennas by selecting Remote Antennas >
Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu.
to "False."

computation zone.
745
• "Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active" on page 750
• "The Calculation Process" on page 751

sible. For example, a complex radio-planning project may cover an entire region or even an entire country. You, however,
might be responsible for the radio planning for only one city. In such a situation, calculating over the entire network would
not only take a lot of time, it is not necessary. Consequently, you can restrict calculations to the sites that you are interested
in and generate only the results you need.
In Atoll, there are two ways of restricting the number of sites involved in the calculations, each with its own advantages:
746
the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo, power control simulations, etc.,
while the focus zone or hot spot is the area taken into consideration when generating reports and results.

• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Computation Zone
on page 105.
context menu.
747

mitter. As well, you can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used as for all trans-
mitters where the main propagation model selected is "(Default model)."
Atoll will use:
have made to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters.
If, after assigning a propagation model to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters, you assign a propa-
gation model globally, you will override the propagation models that you had assigned to individual transmitters or to
a group of transmitters.
3. If you have assigned a default propagation model for calculations, as described in "Assigning a Default Propagation
Model for Calculations" on page 750, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters whose main
propagation model is "(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propa-
gation model, that is the propagation model that will be used.
In this section, the following methods of assigning a propagation model are explained:
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 749
• "Assigning a Default Propagation Model for Calculations" on page 750.


748
3. From the Group by submenu of the context menu, select the property by which you want to group the transmitters.

menu appears.
group.
When you assign a main and extended propagation model to a single transmitter, it overrides any changes made globally.
appears.
749
Assigning a Default Propagation Model for Calculations
You can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used as for all transmitters whose main
propagation model is "(Default model)."
To assign a default propagation model for calculations:
6. Enter a Default Resolution. When you create a new coverage prediction, the resolution by default is the value you
have entered here.
By making the necessary entry in the Atoll.ini file, if you clear the value entered in the
Resolution box when you create a coverage prediction, Atoll will calculate the coverage
prediction using the currently defined default resolution. That way, if you have many
coverage predictions, you can change their resolution by changing the default resolution
and recalculating the coverage predictions. Atoll calculates them using the updated
resolution. For information on changing entries in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator
Manual.
7. Click OK. The selected propagation model will be used for calculations for all transmitters whose main propagation

parameters), and whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Before you run a calcula-
tions, you must ensure that all the transmitters on the sites you want to study have been activated. In the Explorer window,
inactive transmitters are indicated with an empty icon ( ) in the Transmitters folder and on the map.
In Atoll, you can also set individual cells on a transmitter as active or inactive.
4. Select Activate Transmitter from the context menu. The transmitter is now active.
3. Select Cells > Open Table. The Cells table appears with each cell’s parameters in a second row.
750


culate button ( ).
Predictions folder.
( ) in the toolbar.
tions.

• "CDMA Coverage Predictions" on page 759
• "Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis" on page 783
• "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 786.
751

Atoll offers a series of standard coverage predictions that are common to all radio technologies. Coverage predictions specific
to CDMA are covered in "CDMA Coverage Predictions" on page 759.

As you are building your radio-planning project, you may want to check the coverage of a new site without having to calculate
the entire project. You can do this by selecting the site with its transmitters and then creating a new coverage prediction.
This section explains how to calculate the signal level coverage of a single site. A signal level coverage prediction displays the
strength of the best signal received at each pixel of the area studied.
You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several sites by

2. Right-click the Transmitters folder and select Group By > Site from the context menu. The transmitters are now dis-
If you want to study only transmitters by their status, at this step you could group them
by status.

ters.
obtain more accurate results by using propagation models best suited for each distance for the main and extended
matrices.
e. In the Main Matrix columns:
• Select a Main Propagation Model
• Enter a Main Calculation Radius and Main Resolution.
f. If desired, in the Extended Matrix columns:
• Select an Extended Propagation Model
• Enter an Extended Calculation Radius and Extended Resolution.
752
g. Close the table.

The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions,
supplied with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised predictions, the
on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100.
usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m

Country
country
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the signal level range to be considered. In Figure 8.15, a signal
level greater than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
• Under Server, select "All" to consider signal levels from all servers.
per clutter class.
• You can select the Carrier to be studied, or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency
bands. In CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO always transmits at full power, unlike 1xRTT. Therefore, if you select "Best",
the values displayed will always be for the maximum power transmitted by the cell, in other words, the power
for the 1xEV-DO carrier.
753
• Under Field, select "Best signal level." Selecting "All" or "Best signal level" on the Conditions tab will give you
the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best signal level"
necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
later:

A coverage prediction by signal level allows you to predict the best signal strength at each pixel. You can base the coverage
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK.
754
for each pixel.
greater than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
clutter class.
• You can select the Carrier to be studied, or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency bands.
In CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO always transmits at full power, unlike 1xRTT. Therefore, if you select "Best", the values
displayed will always be for the maximum power transmitted by the cell, in other words, the power for the
1xEV-DO carrier.

8. Choose to display the results by best signal level. The coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For
information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the
results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calcu-
lation.
later:
755
You can run a specific prediction study displaying a coverage by pilot signal level for a given
terminal, service, mobility and carrier as explained in "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on
page 766.

A coverage prediction by transmitter allows the user to predict which server is the best at each pixel. You can base the cover-
on page 100.
for each pixel.
greater than or equal to -120 dBm or greater then -85 dBm will be considered.
• Under Server, select "Best signal level."
You can also define a Margin. Atoll will then consider the best signal level on each pixel and any other signal level
within the defined margin of the best one.
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clutter class.
1xEV-DO carrier.

pixel.
later:
You can also predict which server is the second best server on each pixel by selecting
"Second best signal level" on the Conditions tab setting "Discrete Values" as the Display
Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.

ters. You can base a coverage prediction of overlapping zones on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined
range.
4. Select Overlapping zones (DL) and click OK.
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on page 100.
for each pixel.
greater than or equal to -120 dBm is considered.
• Under Server, select "Best signal level" and define a Margin. Atoll will then consider the best signal level on each
pixel and any other signal level within the defined margin of the best one.
clutter class.
1xEV-DO carrier.

Servers" is selected by default. Each overlapping zone will then be displayed in a colour corresponding to the number
page 47.
later:
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8.1.9.2 CDMA Coverage Predictions

CDMA coverage predictions available in Atoll are used to analyse the signal quality and interference. For the purposes of these
coverage predictions, each pixel is considered a non-interfering user with a defined service, mobility type, and terminal.These
are explained in the following section:
In CDMA, the quality of the signal and the size of the area that can be covered are influenced by the network load. As the
network load increases, the area a cell can effectively cover decreases. For this reason, the network load must be defined in
order to calculate CDMA-specific coverage predictions.
If you have traffic maps, you can do a Monte Carlo simulation to model power control and evaluate the network load for a
generated user distribution. If you do not have traffic maps, Atoll can calculate the network load using the reverse link load
factor and forward link total power defined for each cell.
In this section, the CDMA-specific coverage predictions will be calculated using reverse link load factor and forward link total
power parameters defined at the cell level. For the purposes of these coverage predictions, each pixel is considered a non-
interfering user with a defined service, mobility type, and terminal.
Before making a prediction, you will have to set the reverse link load factor and forward link total power and the parameters
that define the services and users. These are explained in the following sections:
• "Setting the Reverse Link Load Factor and the Forward Link Total Power" on page 766.
This section explains the coverage predictions available for analysing the signal quality and interference. The following are
explained:
• "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on page 766
• "Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 768
• "Studying 1xEV-DO Reverse Link Service Area (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 770
• "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 772
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicators" on page 773.
• "Studying Forward Link Total Noise" on page 774
• "Studying Pilot Pollution" on page 775
• "Studying Inter-technology Downlink Noise" on page 776
• "Making a Handoff Status Coverage Prediction" on page 777

The different services offered by a CDMA network require different throughputs. Voice, for example, does not require a very
high throughput whereas a data service being used for video conferencing requires a much higher throughput. CDMA
responds to the differing throughput requirements with a range of carriers. For example, CDMA2000 can provide voice using
1xRTT. Data services, which require higher throughputs than voice, can be provided using 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO Rev. 0, Rev. A or
Rev. B.
For more information on the throughputs available for voice, 1xRTT, and 1xEV-DO Rev. 0, Rev. A and Rev. B, see "Throughputs
Available for Services in CDMA" on page 880.
The CDMA reverse link traffic channels can provide five throughputs for 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 and many more different throughputs
for 1xEV-DO Rev. A and 1xEV-DO Rev. B based services. In Atoll, the throughputs available for 1xEV-DO Rev. A and 1xEV-DO
Rev. B based services are modelled using radio bearers. You must define 1xEV-DO radio bearers before you can model services
using them. For information on defining 1xEV-DO radio bearers, see "The 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers" on page 881.
• "Modelling Services" on page 759
• "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 763
Modelling Services
Services are the various services available to subscribers. CDMA2000 can provide voice using 1xRTT, and data using 1xRTT or
1xEV-DO.
This section explains how to create a service. The options available depend on the type of service you create.
Only the following parameters are used in coverage predictions:
• Voice-specific parameters:
• Handoff capabilities
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• UL Target (dB)
• DL Target (dB)
• Reception Equipment
• UL Pilot Threshold (dB)
• UL FCH/Pilot Offset (dB)
• Body loss
• 1xRTT-specific parameters:
• Handoff capabilities
• UL Target (dB)
• DL Target (dB)
• Reception Equipment
• UL Pilot Threshold (dB)
• UL FCH/Pilot Offset (dB)
• UL SCH/Pilot Offset (dB)
• Body loss
• 1xEV-DO-specific parameters:
• Body loss

6. Enter a Name for the service. Atoll proposes a name for the service, but you can change the name to something more
descriptive.
7. Select a Type for the service. The options available depend on the type of service:
• Speech: The following options are available for services with the type Speech:
• Preferred Carrier: Select the preferred carrier for the service. This is the carrier that will be used during simu-
lations, if the transmitter supports it. If the preferred carrier is not available, Atoll will choose another carrier
using the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties.
• Priority: Enter a priority for the service. A priority of "0" gives the lowest priority. The priority is used during
simulations to decide which terminal will be rejected when the network is overloaded.
• Soft Handoff Allowed: Select the Soft Handoff Allowed check box if this service can have a soft handoff.
• Activity Factor FCH: Enter an activity factor for the FCH on the uplink (reverse link) and on the downlink
(forward link). The activity factor can be from "0," indicating no activity during connection, to "1," indicating
constant activity during connection. The activity factor is used to calculate the average power transmitted on
the FCH.
• Application Throughput: The application throughput is not used for services with the type Speech.
• Body Loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example,
in a voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the user’s head, is estimated to be 3dB.
• 1xRTT Data: The following options are available for services with the type 1xRTT Data:
• Soft Handoff Allowed: Select the Soft Handoff Allowed check box if this service can have a soft handoff.
• Activity Factor FCH: Enter an activity factor for the FCH on the uplink (reverse link) and on the downlink
(forward link). The activity factor can be from "0," indicating no activity during connection, to "1," indicating
constant activity during connection. The activity factor is used to calculate the average power transmitted on
the FCH.
• Application Throughput: The application throughput is not used for services with the type 1xRTT Data.
• SCH Throughput Probabilities: Under SCH Throughput Probabilities, you can enter the probability of the
service having the specified throughput, from 2 to 16 times the peak throughput (defined in the terminal prop-
760
erties), on the uplink (reverse link) and on the downlink (forward link). The sum of the probabilities must be
lower than or equal to 1. The throughput probabilities are used during simulations to determine the through-
put requested by each user.
• 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data: The following options are available for services with the type 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data:
• Downgrading Supported: Select the Downgrading Supported check box if the service supports downgrading
on the reverse link.
• Application Throughput: Under Application Throughput, enter a Scaling Factor between the application
throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a throughput Offset in kilobits per second. The
application throughput is calculated by multiplying the RLC throughput by the scaling factor and subtracting
the offset.
• UL Throughput Probabilities: Under UL Throughput Probabilities, you can enter the probability of the service
having the specified throughput on the reverse link. The sum of the probabilities of the service having the
specified throughput must be lower than or equal to 1. The throughput probabilities are used during simula-
tions to determine the throughput requested by each user.
If the service supports throughput downgrading, you can define the probability of the service being upgraded
or downgraded on the uplink (reverse link) for each 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 throughputs. The probabilities are taken
into account during the uplink load control part of simulations in order to determine if a user with a certain
throughput can be upgraded or downgraded. User throughput downgrading and upgrading occurs when the
cell is over- or underloaded.
The following table shows the throughput changes that are possible when a throughput is upgraded or down-
graded. The probabilities are defined with a number from 1 to 255 for each throughput.
Possible Throughput Changes Possible Throughput Changes

During Upgrading During Downgrading
From To From To
9.6 kbps 19.2 kbps 153.6 kbps 76.8 kbps
• UL Throughput Due to TCP Acknowledgement: If the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used on the
downlink (forward link), check the TCP Used check box. When TCP is used, reverse link traffic due to acknowl-
edgements is generated. The traffic generated is calculated using the graph which describes the reverse link
traffic due to TCP acknowledgements as a function of the forward link application throughput. The generated
traffic is taken into account in simulation during the reverse link power control.
• 1xEV-DO Rev. A Data and 1xEV-DO Rev. B Data: The following options are available for services with the type
1xEV-DO Rev. A Data and 1xEV-DO Rev. B Data.
• QoS Class: The class of the service. Select "Guaranteed Bit Rate" for the services requiring a minimum bit rate,
or "Best Effort" for best-effort applications.
• Uplink Mode: The Uplink Mode describes the type of radio resource management required on uplink for that
service. Select either "Low Latency" for real-time applications, or "High Capacity" for non-real-time applica-
tions
• Downgrading Supported: Select the Downgrading Supported check box if the service supports downgrading
on the reverse link.
• Application Throughput: Under Application Throughput, enter a Scaling Factor between the application
throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a throughput Offset in kilobits per second. The
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application throughput is calculated by multiplying the RLC throughput by the scaling factor and subtracting
the offset.
• Min throughput demand: If you have selected "Guaranteed Bit Rate" as QoS class, enter the minimum
required bit rate in order for the service to be available in the uplink and downlink. This parameter is not avail-
able for best-effort applications.
• UL Throughput Probabilities: Under UL Throughput Probabilities, you can enter the probability of the service
having the specified uplink throughput. This parameter is available for best-effort applications only.
In the column marked with the New Column icon ( ), select a Radio Bearer Index and enter a Usage Prob-
ability. Atoll automatically creates a new blank column. The sum of the probabilities must be lower than or
equal to 1. The throughput probabilities are used during simulations to determine the throughput requested
by each user. If the bearer is not defined under UL Throughput Probabilities, it is assumed that there are no
users using the bearer.
For services requiring a minimum bit rate, the usage probability is automatically calculated according to the
number of selected radio bearers.
• UL Throughput Due to TCP Acknowledgement: If the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used on the
downlink (forward link), check the TCP Used check box. When TCP is used, reverse link traffic due to acknowl-
edgements is generated. The traffic generated is calculated using the graph which describes the reverse link
traffic due to TCP acknowledgements as a function of the forward link application throughput. The generated
traffic is taken into account in simulation during the reverse link power control.
Best-effort services with the 1xEV-DO Rev. B Data type can be provided in multi-carrier
mode if the server and the user terminal support it.
8. If you selected "1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data" or "1xEV-DO Rev. A Data" or "1xEV-DO Rev. B Data" as the Type in step 5., con-
tinue to step 9. If you selected "Speech" or "1xRTT Data" as the Type in step 5., an additional tab, the Eb⁄Nt tab, is
available.
Click the Eb⁄Nt tab. On the Eb⁄Nt tab, you must define each possible combination of radio configuration, SCH factor,
and mobility. The SCH factor is the multiplying factor of the terminal peak throughput used to calculate the through-
put. The following table lists the SCH factors available and the corresponding throughputs.
SCH Factor Throughput

0 FCH peak throughput
(FCH peak throughput) + 2*(FCH peak

2
throughput)

4
throughput)

8
throughput)

16
throughput)
For each combination, you must define the thresholds, targets, and gains:
• Terminal: Select a radio configuration from the list.
• SCH Factor: Enter an SCH factor.
• Min. and Max. TCH Power (dBm): Enter the minimum and maximum TCH power. The TCH can be equal to the FCH
or the SCH, depending on the entered SCH factor. The values entered can be absolute or relative to the pilot
power, depending on the option chosen on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box, and have to be manually modified when the option is changed. The minimum and maximum traffic channel
power make up the dynamic range for forward link power control.
• UL Target (dB): Enter the Eb⁄Nt required on the reverse link for TCH. The TCH can be equal to the FCH or the SCH,
depending on the entered SCH factor. The value defined for the UL Target is only used when the reverse link power
control is based on traffic quality as set on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
• DL Target (dB): Enter the Eb⁄Nt required on the forward link for TCH. The TCH can be equal to the FCH or the SCH,
depending on the entered SCH factor.
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• UL Pilot Threshold (dB): Enter the pilot Ec⁄Nt required on the reverse link. The value defined for the UL Pilot
Threshold is only used when the reverse link power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global Param-
eters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
• UL FCH/Pilot Offset (dB): Enter the FCH gain on the reverse link relative to the pilot. The value defined for the UL
FCH/Pilot Offset is only used when the reverse link power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global
Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
• UL SCH/Pilot Offset (dB): Enter the SCH gain on the reverse link relative to the pilot. The value defined for the UL
SCH/Pilot Offset is only used when the reverse link power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global
Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box. This value is not used for services of Type
"Speech."
• Mobility: Select the mobility type for which the thresholds, targets, and gains are defined. If you select All, the
thresholds, targets, and gains will be considered valid for all mobility types.
9. Click OK.
In order to define the VoIP service, select 1xEV-DO Rev. A Data as type of service,
Guaranteed Bit Rate as QoS class and Low Latency as Uplink mode.
In CDMA, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage the active set: a mobile used by someone
travelling a certain speed and a mobile used by a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same transmitters. Ec⁄I0
requirements and the Ec/Nt threshold (used only by 1xEV-DO Rev 0) are largely dependent on mobile speed.
The following parameters are used in coverage predictions:
• Delta Min. Ec/Io
• Delta T_Drop
• Min. Ec⁄Nt (UL)
5. You can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Properties dialog box:
• Under Active Set Management, enter or modify the following parameters in order to make the user active set
dependent on the mobility type:
• Delta Min. Ec⁄I0: Enter a positive value in order to increase the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmitter to
be the best server in the active set, or a negative value to decrease it.
• Delta T_Drop: Enter a positive value in order to increase the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmitter not
to be rejected from the active set, or a negative value to decrease it.
• Under 1xEV-DO (Rev 0), enter or modify the following parameters:
• Min. Ec⁄Nt (UL): Enter or modify the minimum Ec⁄Nt required on the reverse link. This parameter is only used
for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev 0. This parameter is considered during reverse link power control in order to cal-
culate the required reverse link pilot power.
• DL Peak Throughput = f(C⁄I): The graph of the throughput on the forward link as a function of (C⁄I). This param-
eter is only used for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev 0.
6. Click OK.
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Modelling Terminals
In CDMA, a radio configuration is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a
car’s on-board navigation device. In Atoll, radio configurations are modelled using terminals.
The following parameters are used in coverage predictions:
• Reception equipment
• Gain and losses
• Noise figures
• CDMA Rho factor
• Voice and 1xRTT-specific parameters:
• Active set size on FCH and SCH
• Number of fingers
• DL rake factor
• Pilot power percentage
• Peak throughput
• 1xEV-DO Rev. 0-specific parameters:
• Acknowledgement (ACK) channel gain
• Data Rate Control (DRC) channel gains
• Data channel gains
• 1xEV-DO Rev. A-specific parameters:
• Acknowledgement (ACK) channel gain
• Radio Reverse Indicator (RRI) channel gain
• Data channel and Auxiliary pilot gains
• 1xEV-DO Rev. B-specific parameters:
• Handoff type
• Highest supported modulation
Terminal folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
• Type: You can change the type of equipment.
• Reception: Select a type of reception equipment from the list.
You can create a new type of reception equipment by using the Reception Equipment
table. You can open open the Reception Equipment table by clicking the Expand button
( ) to expand the Network Settings folder, and then right-clicking the Reception Equip-
ment folder and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
• Main Band: Select the frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise Figure
for the main frequency.
• Secondary Band: Select a second frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal
Noise Figure for the second frequency band. Leave the Secondary Band field empty if the terminal works only on
one frequency band.
• Third Band: Select a third frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise
Figure for the third frequency. Leave the Third Band field empty if the terminal works only on two frequency
bands.
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There are two ways of defining multi-band terminals. Depending on the configuration,
Atoll processes multi-band terminal users differently in the Monte Carlo simulation.
• The first method consists of defining main, secondary and third frequency bands.
This enables you to give different priorities to the frequency bands in the Monte
Carlo simulation (the main frequency band will have the highest priority). A user
with such a tri-band terminal will be connected to transmitters using the main fre-
quency band if carriers on this frequency band are not overloaded. In case of over-
loading, he will be connected to transmitters using the secondary frequency band
and so on.
• The second consists of selecting "All" as main frequency band. This means that the
terminal works on any frequency band without any priority. In this case, the user
can be connected to transmitters using any frequency band.
In coverage predictions, both configurations give the same results. The priority of
frequency bands is not taken into account.
• Min Power: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission power make up the
dynamic range for reverse link power control in simulations.
• Gain: Set the antenna gain.
• Losses: Set the reception losses.
• Rho factor (%): This parameter enables Atoll to take into account the self-interference produced by the terminal.
Because hardware equipment is not perfect, the input signal experiences some distortion which affects, in turn,
the output signal. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system
is perfect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% equal to the input signal. On the other hand,
if you specify a value different than 100%, Atoll considers that the transmitted energy is not 100% signal and con-
tains a small percentage of interference generated by the equipment, i.e., self-interference. Atoll considers this
parameter to calculate the signal to noise ratio in the reverse link.
6. Click the 1xRTT tab. You can modify the following parameters:
• DL Rake Factor: Set the forward link rake factor. This enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on the forward link.
• Active Set Size: Set the active set size for both the fundamental channel (FCH) and the supplementary channel
(SCH). The active set size is the maximum number of transmitters to which a terminal can be connected at one
time.
For EV-DO-capable terminals, the FCH active set size also determines the active set size on
the reverse link.
• Number of Fingers: Enter the maximum number of signals that the terminal can recombine. The value of this field
must be lower than the value of the active set size. The value in this field is the same for both FCH and SCH.
• Peak Throughput: Set the peak throughput on both the Downlink and the Uplink.
• Pilot Power Percentage: Enter the percentage of the total mobile power that is dedicated to the reverse link pilot
power. This parameter is used during the reverse link power control (if based on traffic quality) in order to calcu-
late the mobile power.
7. Click the 1xEV-DO Rev 0 tab. The values on this tab are relative to the reverse link pilot power. They are added to the
required reverse link pilot power in order to calculate power on the ACK, DRC, and traffic data channels. You can
modify the following parameters:
• Acknowledgement Channel Gain: Enter the gain on the acknowledgement (ACK) channel.
• Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC): Under Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC), enter the gain for the fol-
lowing handoff types: No Handoff, Softer, and Soft handoff.
• Data Channel Gains (dB): Under Data Channel Gains, enter the gain for each supported reverse link throughput
on the traffic data channel.
8. Click the 1xEV-DO Rev A tab. The values on this tab are relative to the reverse link pilot power. They are added to the
required reverse link pilot power in order to calculate power on the ACK, RRI, DRC, and traffic data channels. You can
modify the following parameters:
• Acknowledgement Channel Gain: Enter the gain on the acknowledgement (ACK) channel.
• Radio Reverse Indicator (RRI) Channel Gain: Enter the gain on the radio reverse indicator channel.
• Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC): Under Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC), enter the gain for the fol-
lowing handoff types: No Handoff, Softer, and Soft handoff.
• Data Channels/Auxiliary Pilot Gains: Under Data Channels/Auxiliary Pilot Gains, enter the gains on the traffic
data channel for both low latency and high capacity services and the gain on the auxiliary pilot channel according
to the radio bearer index. The auxiliary pilot is only used the highest throughputs.
765
1xEV-DO Rev A-capable terminals support the 16QAM modulation.
9. Click the 1xEV-DO Rev B tab.

• Handoff Type: Select whether the terminal supports locked or unlocked mode. This parameter is taken into con-
sideration when determining the terminal active set when multi-carrier mode is used. The active set of a multi-
carrier user consists of sub-active sets, each one being associated with one carrier. When locked mode is used, the
serving transmitters must be the same in all sub-active sets. In this case, the active set is rectangular (i.e., the same
number of serving cells in each sub-active set). With unlocked mode, the serving transmitters can be different
from one sub-active set to another. Here, the active set might be rectangular is not necessarily so (i.e., the number
of serving cells in each sub-active set can vary).
Atoll does not manage the non-rectangular active set configuration when locked mode is
selected.
• Highest Supported Modulation: Select the highest modulation supported by the terminal. You can choose either
16QAM or 64QAM (if you select 64QAM, 64QAM, and 16QAM modulations can be used).
• Max Number of Carriers in Multi-carrier Mode: Select the maximum number of EV-DO carriers that can be used
when multi-carrier mode is active.
10. Click OK.
8.1.9.2.2 Setting the Reverse Link Load Factor and the Forward Link Total Power
If you are setting the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power for a single transmitter, you can set these param-
eters on the Cells tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. However, you can set the reverse link load factor and the
forward link total power for all cells using the Cells table.
To set the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power using the Cells table:
• Total Power (dBm)
• UL Load Factor (%)
For a definition of the values, see "Cell Definition" on page 724.
8.1.9.2.3 Studying Pilot Signal Quality

A pilot signal quality prediction enables you to identify areas where there is at least one transmitter whose pilot quality is
received sufficiently well to be added to the probe mobile active set.
Atoll calculates the best pilot quality received on each pixel where the pilot signal level exceeds the defined minimum RSCP
threshold. Then, Atoll compares this value to the Ec⁄I0 threshold required to be the best server (Min Ec/Io defined for the
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given cell plus the Delta Min Ec/Io value defined for the selected mobility type). The pixel is coloured if the condition is fulfilled
(in other words, if the best Ec⁄I0 is higher than the Ec⁄I0 threshold.
To make a pilot signal quality prediction:
4. Select Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) and click OK. The Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 8.20). Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage pre-
diction is not going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction
using the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
equipment.
If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
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Figure 8.20: Load condition settings for a coverage prediction on pilot quality

For a pilot signal quality prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Ec⁄I0 (dB)" is selected by
default. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the pilot signal quality. For information on defining display
• Where at least one transmitter is in the active set: Select "Unique" as the Display Type.
• Where at least one transmitter is in the active set, with information on the best server: Select "Discrete Value"
as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field.
• The pilot signal level: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec (dBm)" as the Field.
• The pilot quality relative to the Ec⁄I0 threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec⁄I0 Margin
(dB)" as the Field.
later:
8.1.9.2.4 Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)
Atoll calculates the traffic channel quality on FCH (as defined by Eb⁄Nt) when using the maximum power allowed.
In the coverage prediction, the forward link service area is limited by the maximum traffic channel power allowable on FCH
per cell and by the pilot quality. The reverse link service area is limited by the maximum terminal power allowable on FCH and
by the pilot quality. On both the forward and reverse links, if the received pilot is below the set threshold on a given pixel,
Atoll will not display the traffic channel quality. Mobile macro-diversity is taken in consideration to evaluate the traffic chan-
nel quality (Eb⁄Nt). Atoll combines the signal from each transmitter in the probe mobile active set.
To make a coverage prediction on service area (Eb/Nt) forward link or reverse link:
4. Select one of the following coverage predictions and click OK:
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL)
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on page 100.
You must select a 1xRTT-capable Terminal, a 1xRTT Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling"
on page 759. You must also select a 1xRTT Carrier.
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (Eb⁄Nt) forward link or
reverse link prediction makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality.
• The throughput on the forward or reverse link: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as
the Field.
later:
Studying the Forward Link EV-DO Throughput
Atoll calculates the pilot channel quality (as defined by Ec⁄Nt) and, using the calculated Ec⁄Nt, Atoll calculates the maximum
throughput that can be supplied.
To make a forward link EV-DO throughput coverage prediction:
4. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
769
on page 100.
You must select an EV-DO-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Model-
ling" on page 759. You must also select an EV-DO Carrier.
In order to model a multi-carrier EV-DO user, select an EV-DO Rev. B-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Rev. B Service with
the "Best Effort" QoS and "Best (1xEV-DO)" as carrier.
box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
By default, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max Eb⁄Nt (dB)" is selected when you make a
service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction. For a forward link EV-DO throughput coverage prediction, you can, however,
change the display to one of the following:
• The Ec⁄Nt ratio: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "C⁄I (dB)" as the Field.
• The throughput on the forward link: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as the Field.
For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll will calculate the throughput on each carrier and will display the total
throughput (i.e., the sum of the throughputs obtained on each carrier) as prediction results.
• The average throughput on the forward link: This information is available when you model EV-DO Rev. A users,
single-carrier and multi-carrier EV-DO Rev. B users. Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Average Rate
(Kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average EV-DO throughput on the forward link using the early termination
probabilities, defined in the terminal’s reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
later:
8.1.9.2.5 Studying 1xEV-DO Reverse Link Service Area (Eb⁄Nt)

Atoll calculates the reverse link EV-DO traffic channel quality (Eb⁄Nt) with an uplink data channel throughput of 9.6 kbps for
EVDO Rev.0 users and 4.8 kbps for EVDO Rev. A and Rev. B users. The service area is limited by the maximum terminal power
allowed and by the pilot quality. Mobile macro-diversity is taken in consideration to evaluate the traffic channel quality
(Eb⁄Nt). Atoll combines the signal from each transmitter in the probe mobile active set. For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll
considers the best sub-active set.
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To make a coverage prediction on service area (Eb/Nt) reverse link:

4. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) and click OK. The Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) Properties dialog box
appears.
on page 100.
You must select an EV-DO-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Model-
ling" on page 759. You must also select an EV-DO Carrier.
In order to model a multi-carrier EV-DO user, select an EV-DO Rev. B-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Rev. B Service with
the "Best Effort" QoS and "Best (1xEV-DO)" as carrier.
clutter class.
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (Eb⁄Nt) reverse link predic-
tion makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality with an uplink data
channel throughput of 9.6 kbps for EVDO Rev.0 users and 4.8 kbps for EVDO Rev. A and Rev. B users. For information
on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
• The throughput: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as the Field. For multi-carrier EV-
DO users, Atoll shares the available terminal power between each carrier in order to calculate the throughput
obtained on each carrier. It displays the results for the best configuration among all combinations of carriers, i.e.,
the combination which provides the highest total throughput.
• The average EV-DO throughput: This information is available when you model EV-DO Rev. A users, single-carrier
and multi-carrier EV-DO Rev. B users. Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Average Throughput
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(Kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average EV-DO throughput on the reverse link using the early termination
probabilities, defined in the terminal’s reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
later:

The effective service area is the intersection zone between the pilot reception area, and the reverse link and forward link
service areas. In other words, the effective service area prediction calculates where a service actually is available for the probe
mobile.
To make an effective service area prediction:
4. Select Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL) and click OK. the coverage prediction Properties dialog box
appears.
on page 100.
equipment.
If you want the effective service area prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
For an effective service area prediction, the Display Type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service actually is available for the probe mobile. In the calculations, Atoll considers 1xRTT users with
the peak FCH throughput, EVDO Rev. A users with a data channel throughput of 9.6 kbps in the reverse link and 38.4
kbps in the forward link, and EVDO Rev. B users with a data channel throughput of 4.8 kbps in the reverse and the
forward links. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
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later:
8.1.9.2.7 Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicators

You can create a quality coverage prediction based on a given quality indicators (BER, BLER, or FER). The coverage prediction
will show for each pixel the measurement of the selected quality indicator.
This type of coverage prediction is not available in the list of standard coverage predictions; you can, however, use quality
indicators in a coverage prediction by first ensuring that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set and
then creating a coverage prediction, selecting display parameters that use these quality indicators.
Before you define the quality coverage prediction, you must ensure that the parameters of the quality indicators have been
correctly set.
To check the parameters of the quality indicators:
3. Right-click Quality Indicators. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Quality Indicators table appears.
• Used for Packet Services: Select the Used for Packet Services check box if the quality indicator is to be used for
data services (i.e., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO Rev. 0, or 1xEV-DO Rev. A).
• Used for Circuit Services: Select the Used for Circuit Services check box if the quality indicator is to be used for
voice services.
• Measured Parameter for QI: From the list, select the parameter that will be measured to indicate quality.
• QI Interpolation: Select the QI Interpolation check box if you want Atoll to interpolate between two existing QI
values. Clear the QI Interpolation check box if you want Atoll to take the closest QI value.
5. Close the Quality Indicators table.
6. In the Network Settings folder, right-click the Reception Equipment folder. The context menu appears.
7. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Reception Equipment table appears.
8. Double-click the reception equipment type for which you want to verify the correspondence between the measured
quality and the quality indicator. The reception equipment type’s Properties dialog box appears.
10. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Service. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
Quality Graphs or the Uplink Quality Graphs buttons. The graph gives the variation of the quality indicator as a func-
tion of the measured parameter.
Once you have ensured that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set, you can use the measured qual-
ity to create a quality coverage prediction. How you define a coverage prediction according to the measured quality indicator,
depends several parameters:
• The settings made in the Quality Indicators table
• The service you want to study
• The quality indicator you want to use (BER, BLER, or FER)
• The coverage prediction you want to use (Pilot Quality Analysis Downlink, the Service Area Analysis Downlink, or Ser-
vice Area Analysis Uplink).
In the following example, you will create a quality coverage prediction showing BLER, for a user on foot, and with a 1xRTT data
service.
To create a quality coverage prediction showing BLER for a user on foot, and with a 1xRTT data service:
4. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
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on page 100.
• Terminal: Select the appropriate radio configuration for mobile Internet access from the Terminal list.
• Service: Select "1xRTT Data" from the Service list.
• Mobility: Select "Pedestrian" from the Mobility list.
• Carrier: Select "1xRTT" from the Carrier list.
If you want the service area (Eb⁄Nt) downlink prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
clutter class.
Select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "BLER" as the Field. The exact of the field value will depend on the
name given in the Quality Indicators table. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of
Objects" on page 47.
later:
Atoll calculates for each pixel the forward link traffic channel quality (Eb⁄Nt) (provided when using the maximum traffic chan-
nel power allowed). Then, it calculates the corresponding BLER value from the quality graph (BLER=f(DL Eb⁄Nt)). The pixel is
coloured if the condition is fulfilled (i.e., if BLER is evaluated as being higher than the specified threshold).
8.1.9.2.8 Studying Forward Link Total Noise

In the forward link total noise prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the forward link total noise or the
forward link noise rise exceeds a set threshold.
To make a forward link total noise or forward link noise rise prediction:
4. Select Total Noise Level Analysis (DL) and click OK. The Total Noise Level Analysis (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
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clutter class.
For a forward link total noise prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose
determines which information the forward link total noise prediction makes available.
• Min noise level
• Average noise level
• Max noise level
later:
8.1.9.2.9 Studying Pilot Pollution

A transmitter which fulfils all the criteria to enter a mobile’s active set but which is not admitted because the active set limit
has already been reached is considered a polluter.
In the Pilot Pollution Analysis prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the probe mobile is interfered by the
pilot signal from polluter transmitters. For 1xRTT, pilot pollution is the same on the forward and on the reverse links because
1xRTT can be connected to more than one transmitter on both the forward and on the reverse links. EV-DO, on the other hand,
can only be connected to one transmitter on the forward link, but several on the reverse link. Therefore, pilot pollution for
EV-DO will be different on the forward link and on the reverse link. The Pilot Pollution Analysis only calculates pilot pollution
on the forward link. For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll considers the active set associated with the best carrier.
To make a pilot pollution prediction:
4. Select Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL) and click OK. the coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
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You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 759. You must
equipment.
If you want the Pilot Pollution Analysis to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check
box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
For a Pilot Pollution Analysis, the Display Type "Value Intervals" and the Field "Number of Polluters" are selected by
default. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
8.1.9.2.10 Studying Inter-technology Downlink Noise

In the inter-technology downlink noise prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the areas where the downlink noise or noise
rise from external base stations and mobiles exceeds a set threshold. For more information on modelling inter-technology
interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 887.
To make an inter-technology downlink noise or noise rise prediction:
4. Select Inter-technology Interference Level Analysis (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box
appears.
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6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation.
If you were going to base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simu-
lations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions
list.
You must select a Terminal and a Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 759. You must also select
which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the "Best (All/
Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
If you want the prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and
enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
The Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the
prediction makes available, Noise Level or Noise Rise. For information on defining display properties, see "Display
later:
8.1.9.2.11 Making a Handoff Status Coverage Prediction

In the handoff status prediction, Atoll calculates and displays the zones where a handoff can be made. For a handoff to be
possible, there must be a potential active transmitter, i.e., a transmitter that fulfils all the criteria to enter the mobile active
set, and the service chosen by the user must be available.
You can also use the handoff status coverage prediction to display the number of potential active transmitters.
For 1xRTT, the handoff status is the same on the forward and on the reverse links because 1xRTT can be connected to more
than one transmitter on both the forward and on the reverse links. EV-DO, on the other hand, can only be connected to one
transmitter on the forward link, but several on the reverse link. Therefore, the handoff status coverage prediction for EV-DO
is calculated on the reverse link. For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll considers the active set associated with the best carrier.
To make a handoff status coverage prediction:
4. Select Handoff Zones (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
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You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 759.
If you want the forward link total noise or forward link noise rise prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the
Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
clutter class.
tion will display.
• To display the handoff status:
i. Select "Discrete Values" from the Display Type list.
ii. Select "Status" from the Field list. The coverage prediction will display the number of cells the probe mobile
is connected to and the number of sites these cells are located on.
• To display the number of potential active transmitters:
i. Select "Value Intervals" from the Display Type list.
ii. Select "Potential active transmitter nb" from the Field list. the coverage prediction will display the number of
potential active transmitters.
later:

coverage predictions are visible on the map, it can be difficult to clearly see the results of the coverage prediction you want
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using the Tip Text" on page 779

778



The focus and hot spots define an area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you can only
have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone.
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo, power control simulations, etc., while the focus
and hot spots are the areas taken into consideration when generating reports and results. When you create a coverage predic-
tion report, it gives the results for the focus zone and for each of the defined hot spots.
• Draw Polygon
direction.
• Draw Rectangle
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spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the Explorer window and selecting Add To > Hot
Spot or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
You can save the focus zone or hot spots, so that you can use it in a different Atoll docu-
page 105.
You can include population statistics in the focus or hot spot by importing a population
map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File"
on page 144.

dialog box.
on page 81.
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to move it down.
to move it down.
displayed.
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lation map:
5. Click OK.
on page 163.


tics.
or percentage.
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or vector formats. In raster formats, you can export in BMP, TIF, ArcView© grid, or Vertical Mapper (GRD and GRC)
formats. When exporting in GRD or GRC formats, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 GB. In vector formats,
you can export in ArcView©, MapInfo©, or AGD formats. For more information on exporting coverage prediction
results, see "Exporting Coverage Predictions Results" on page 72.

• "Studying Signal Reception" on page 783
• "Making an Active Set Analysis" on page 784
• "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 785

The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the signal levels for any point on the map. The analysis
is provided for a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and uplink load
conditions can be taken from the Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
1. Click the Point Analysis ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the pointer
changes ( ) to represent the receiver.
2. Select Reception ( ) from the list at the top of the Point Analysis window (see Figure 8.23).
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The predicted signal level from the transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from the
highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The name of the transmitter is followed by
the carrier number (between parentheses). Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents. In the
map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they repre-
sent. A thick black line from the pointer to its best server is also displayed in the map window. The best server of the
pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal
level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
3. At the top of the Reception view, select the carrier to be analysed. You can make the prediction for a specific carrier,
or select "Best (All Bands/Specific Band)" to consider the best carrier of all bands or the best carrier of a particular
band.
Figure 8.23: Point Analysis Tool - Reception view
• : Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculations Options dialog box. You can change the following:
per clutter class.
If you wish to get the details about the received signal levels and quality in the form of a table, you can use the Details view
of the Point Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 785).
8.1.9.6.2 Making an Active Set Analysis

The AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window gives you information on the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) (which is the main param-
eter used to define the mobile active set), the connection status, and the active set of the probe mobile. Results are displayed
for any point of the map where the pilot signal level exceeds the defined minimum RSCP. The analysis is provided for a user-
definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
To make an active set analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears (see Figure 8.25).
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making an AS analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Service, Mobility, Carrier, DL Rate, and UL Rate studied in the coverage prediction.
If the coverage prediction was for 1xRTT, you must select "FCH" for both the DL Rate and UL Rate. If the coverage
prediction was for EV-DO Rev.0, you must select "9.6 kbps" for the UL Rate. If the coverage prediction was for
EV-DO Rev. A or Rev. B, you must select "4.8 kbps" for the UL Rate.
b. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
784
class.
c. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 8.24).
Figure 8.24: Point analysis on the map
Information on the current position is given in the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 8.25 on
Figure 8.25: Point Analysis - AS Analysis view

• The pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) of all transmitters using the selected carrier (the colour of the bar corresponds to the
colour of the transmitter on the map).
• The thresholds required to enter the active set as best server and not to be rejected from the active set. The por-
tion of the graph with the grey background indicates the transmitters in the active set.
• The pilot and the availability of service on the reverse link and forward link.
If there is at least one successful connection (for pilot, forward link, or reverse link), double-clicking the icons in the
right-hand frame will open a dialog box with additional information.
8.1.9.6.3 Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality

In Atoll, you can get details about the servers in the form of a table using the Point Analysis tool. The Details view gives you
information on signal levels, Ec/Io, and Eb/Nt on any point on the map. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe
receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and uplink load conditions can be taken from the Cells
table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
785

prediction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, Service, Carrier, DL Rate, and UL Rate studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Click the Options button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
• Transmitter: The name of the transmitter from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed
in decreasing order of RSCP.
• Distance (m): The distance from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• PN Offset: The PN offset of the transmitter.
• Path Loss (dB): The path loss from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• RSCP (dBm): The received pilot signal level from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Ec/Io (dB): The Ec/Io from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
For Speech type services:
• Eb/Nt DL (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
For 1xRTT Data type services:
• DL FCH Eb/Nt (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt over the FCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer
on the map.
• DL SCH Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt over the SCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on
the map.
• DL FCH Eb/Nt (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt over the FCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer
on the map.
• UL SCH Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt over the SCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on
the map.
For 1xEV-DO Rev.0 Data, 1xEV-DO Rev.A Data, and 1xEV-DO Rev.B Data type services:
• C/I DL (dB): The downlink C/I from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.

786
between them.
figure.
A new site is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a CDMA Base Station"
on page 720, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on page 728.
Once the new base station has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be impos-
sible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from
its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see Figure 8.27).
787

lution.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 8.28, shows clearly the area covered only by the new site.
788
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
789
lution.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 8.31, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the

cell. The cells that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours are referred to as possible neighbours. When allocating neighbours
to all active and filtered transmitters, Atoll allocates neighbours only to the cells within the focus zone and considers as possi-
ble neighbours all the active and filtered cells whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation
zone. If there is no focus zone, Atoll allocates neighbours to the cells within the computation zone.
selected.
or you can define a group of cells either by using a focus zone or by grouping transmitters in the Explorer window. For infor-
mation on creating a focus zone, see "Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 779. For
information on grouping transmitters in the Explorer window, see "Grouping Data Objects" on page 96.
Atoll supports the following neighbour types in a CDMA network:
• Intra-technology Neighbours: Intra-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that both use CDMA. Intra-
technology neighbours can be divided into:
• Intra-carrier Neighbours: Cells defined as neighbours which perform handoff using the same carrier.
• Inter-carrier Neighbours: Cells defined as neighbours which perform handoff using a different carrier.
• Inter-technology Neighbours: Inter-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that use a technology
other than CDMA. See "Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation" on page 862.
790

• "Checking Automatic Intra-technology Allocation Results" on page 795

b. Right-click the CDMA Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
c. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Neighbours table appears.

3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu. The Exceptional Pairs of Intra-
Technology Neighbours table appears.
4. Click the Edit button on the bottom-right of the dialog box. The exceptional pair list becomes editable.
5. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select the cell for which you want to define neighbour constraints
from the Cell column.
6. From the Neighbour column, select the second cell of the exceptional pair.
7. In the Status column, select one of the following:
You can also create exceptional pairs using the Exceptional Pairs of Intra-Technology
Neighbours table. You can open this table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder and
selecting Neighbours > Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs.

Weighting dialog box appears.
791
4. Select the Intra- or Inter-carrier Neighbours tab. On this tab, you can set the following importance factors:
• Distance Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour transmitter being located
within the maximum distance from the reference transmitter.
sons.
• Adjacency Factor (intra-carrier neighbours only): Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neigh-
bour transmitter being adjacent to the reference transmitter. The Adjacency Factor will be used if you select the
Adjacent cells as neighbours check box when defining automatic neighbour allocation. For information on auto-
matically allocating neighbours, see "Allocating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 792.
• Co-site Factor: Set the minimum and maximum importance of a possible neighbour transmitter being located on
the same site as reference transmitter. The Co-site Factor will be used if you select the Co-site cells as neighbours
check box when defining an automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neigh-

Atoll can automatically allocate both intra- and inter-carrier neighbours in a CDMA network. Atoll allocates neighbours based
neighbours to cells located on sites where the equipment does not support compressed
mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
To automatically allocate intra- and inter-carrier CDMA neighbours:

4. Click the Intra-carrier Neighbours tab or the Inter-carrier Neighbours tab and set the following parameters:
• Max. Inter-site Distance: Define the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour.
Manual.
• Max. No. of Neighbours: Set the maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours that can be allocated to a cell. This
maximum value can either be defined here for all cells, or defined for each cell in the Cells table.
• Use Coverage Conditions: Clear this check box to use the distance criterion between neighbours and reference
cells (and go to the next step), or select it and click the Define button to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box
and change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Min. Ec/Io: Enter or modify the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmitter to enter the active set as best
server.
792
• T_Drop (on "Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): Enter or modify the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmit-
ter not to be rejected from the active set.
• DL Load Contributing to Io: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
• Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select this check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• % Min. Covered Area: Enter the minimum, in percentage, that a possible neighbour cell’s coverage area must
overlap the reference cell’s coverage area.
• Under Force, you can select additional calculation parameters:
• Co-sites cells as neighbours: Select this check box if you want cells located on the same site as the reference
cell to be automatically considered as neighbours.
• Adjacent cells as neighbours (on "Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only) Select this check box if you want cells
that are adjacent to the reference cell to be automatically considered as neighbours. A cell is considered adja-
cent if there is at least one pixel in the reference cell’s coverage area where the possible neighbour cell is the
best server, or where the possible neighbour cell is the second best server in the reference cell’s active set.
• Symmetric relations: Select this check box if you want the neighbour relations to be reciprocal. In other words,
a reference cell will be a possible neighbour of all of the cells that are its neighbours.
• Exceptional pairs: Select this check box if you want to be able to force or forbid neighbour relations defined
in the Exceptional Pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Defining Intra-technology Excep-
tional Pairs" on page 791.
• Delete existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want Atoll to delete all current neighbours when allo-
cating neighbours. If you do not select the Delete existing neighbours check box, Atoll will not delete any
existing neighbours when automatically allocating neighbours; it will only add new neighbours to the list.
5. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbours. It first checks whether
path loss matrices are valid before allocating neighbours. If path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates them.
Results table remains empty.
• Maximum Number: The maximum number of neighbours that the reference cell can have.
• Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in "Calculating the Importance of Existing
Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 803
reference cell, as identified in the Cell column.
• Co-site
• Adjacency (intra-carrier only)
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Existing
• Relation Type: The type of the neighbour relation ("Intra-carrier" or "Inter-carrier").
• Coverage: The amount of reference cell’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square
kilometres.
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• Adjacency (on "Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kil-
ometres, where the neighbour cell is best server or second best server.
page 76.
• Click Compare. The list of automically allocated neighbours, whose Commit check box is selected, is compared
are listed on the Intra-carrier Neighbours and Inter-carrier Neighbours tab of each cell’s Properties dialog box.
• When the Exceptional pairs and Symmetry relations options are selected, Atoll
considers the constraints between exceptional pairs in both directions in order to
respect symmetry. On the other hand, if the neighbour relation is forced in one
direction and forbidden in the other one, symmetry cannot be respected. In this
case, Atoll displays a warning in the Event Viewer.

new base station and other cells whose coverage area intersects with the coverage area of the cells of the new base station.

transmitters and other cells whose coverage area intersects with the coverage area of the cells of the new transmitter.
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8.1.10.5 Checking Automatic Intra-technology Allocation Results


tion is symmetric.
appears.
3. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display Links check box.
795
4. Click the Browse button beside the Display Links check box. The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.

table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, relation type, or neighbour carrier. In this case, you can view
intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbour relations on the map.
creating a new field of Type "Integer" in the Intra-Technology Neighbour table for the
number of handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the new
column, you can select this field from the Field list along with "Value Intervals" as the
Display Type. For information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to a
Data Table" on page 78.
• Outwards Non-Symmetric: Select the Outwards Non-Symmetric check box to display neighbour relations where
the selected cell is the reference cell and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Inwards Non-Symmetric: Select the Inwards Non-Symmetric check box to display neighbour relations where the
selected cell is neighbour and where the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
• Symmetric Links: Select the Symmetric Links check box to display neighbour relations that are symmetric
between the selected cell and the neighbour.
796
appears.
797
You can display either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow
( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and

1. Create, calculate, and display a "Coverage by transmitter" prediction, with the Display Type set to "Discrete Values"
and the Field set to "Transmitter" (for information on creating a coverage by transmitter prediction, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 756).
appears.
page 795.
4. Under Intra-technology neighbours, select the Display coverage areas check box.
pears in yellow.
and the neighbour.
798
erties dialog box.
appears.
Only intra-carrier neighbour coverage areas are displayed.

• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Intra-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 799
• "Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table" on page 800

799

box appears.
9. If desired, enter the Max number of intra- and inter-carrier neighbours on the Intra-technology Neighbours tab.

3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology or Inter-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Neighbours (or
Inter-technology Neighbours) table appears.
800

801

You can allocate or delete intra-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse.

802
bours.

in the automatic primary scrambling code allocation process.
Atoll calculates the importance for neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone and in the selected
folder.
Manual.
• Take into account transmitter adjacency (on "Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): Select this check box to
verify that neighbours are adjacent to their reference transmitters when calculating importance.
allocation.
• Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec⁄Io which must be provided by reference cell in an area with overlapping cov-
erage. The reference cell must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping cov-
erage.
• Ec/Io Margin: Enter the Ec/Io margin to define the area of coverage overlapping between CDMA cells.
• DL Load Contributing to Io: Under DL Load Contributing to Io, select whether you want Atoll to base the interfer-
ence ratio on the total power used as defined in the properties for each cell (Defined per Cell) or on a percentage
of the maximum power (Global Value).
clutter class.
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Once Atoll has finished calculating importance, the results are displayed in the table on each tab.
The table contains the following information:
• Co-site
• Adjacency
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Adjacency (on "Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kil-
ometres, where the neighbour cell is best server or second best server.

• Neighbourhood Type: Select whether you want to perform an audit on Intra-Carrier or Inter-Carrier neighbour
relations.
• Full Lists: Select the Full Lists check box if you want to verify which cells have the maximum number of neighbours
allowed (in other words, which cells have a full neighbour list). The maximum number of neighbours can be either
set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells table.
• Lists > Max Number: Select the Lists > Max Number check box if you want to verify which cells have more than
the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all
transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells table
bours.
audited.
Syntax: |CELL|
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If the field Maximum number of intra-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty,

Atoll document.
8.1.11 Planning PN Offsets

In CDMA, 512 pseudo noise (PN) offsets are available, numbered from 0 to 511. Atoll facilitates the management of available
PN offsets during automatic allocation with the pilot PN sequence offset index increment (PILOT_INC) parameter. For exam-
ple, if you set PILOT_INC to "4," all PN offsets from 4 to 508 with a separation interval of 4 can be allocated. If you need to
restrict the range of PN offsets available further, you can create groups of PN offsets and domains, where each domain is a
defined set of groups.
You can also assign PN offsets manually or automatically to any cell in the network.
Once allocation is completed, you can audit the PN offsets, view PN offset reuse on the map, and made an analysis of PN offset
distribution.
The procedure for planning PN offsets for a CDMA project is:
• Preparing for PN offset allocation
• "Creating PN Offset Domains and Groups for PN Offset Allocation" on page 886. This step is needed only if you
must restrict the range of PN offsets.
• "Defining Exceptional Pairs for PN Offset Allocation" on page 806.
• Allocating PN offsets
• "Automatically Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells" on page 806
• "Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells Manually" on page 809.
• "Checking the Consistency of the PN Offset Plan" on page 809.
• Displaying the allocation of PN offsets
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• "Using Find on Map to Display PN Offset Allocation" on page 810

• "Displaying PN Offset Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings" on page 810
• "Grouping Transmitters by PN Offset" on page 810
• "Displaying the PN Offset Allocation Histogram" on page 811
• "Making a PN Offset Collision Zone Prediction" on page 811.
• "Making a PN Offset Collision Analysis" on page 812
Within the context of PN offset allocation, "neighbours" refer to intra-carrier neighbours.
8.1.11.1 Defining Exceptional Pairs for PN Offset Allocation

You can also define pairs of cells which cannot have the same primary PN offset. These pairs are referred to as exceptional
pairs. Exceptional pairs are used along with other constraints, such as neighbours, reuse distance, and domains, in allocating
PN offsets.
To create a pair of cells that cannot have the same PN offset:
3. Select PN Offsets > Exceptional Pairs. The Exceptional Separation Constraints table appears. For information on
working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76.
4. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select one cell of the new exceptional pair in the Cell column and
the second cell of the new exceptional pair from the Cell_2 column.
5. Click in another cell of the table to create the new exceptional pair and add a new blank row to the table.
8.1.11.2 Allocating PN Offsets

Atoll can automatically assign PN offsets to the cells of a CDMA network according to set parameters. For example, it takes
into account any constraints imposed by neighbours, minimum PN offset reuse distance, the selected PN offset allocation
strategy (PN offset per cell, Adjacent PN-clusters per site, Distributed PN-clusters per site) and the definition of groups and
domains of PN offsets.
You can also allocate PN offsets manually to the cells of a CDMA network.
In this section, the following methods of allocating PN offsets are described:
• "Defining Automatic Allocation Constraint Costs" on page 806
• "Automatically Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells" on page 806
• "Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells Manually" on page 809.
Defining Automatic Allocation Constraint Costs
You can define the costs of the different types of constraints used in the automatic PN offset allocation algorithm.
To define the different constraint costs:
3. Select PN Offsets > Constraint Costs. The Allocation Constraint Costs dialog box appears. In this dialog box you can
define the following costs of constraint violations for the automatic allocation process (the cost is a value from 0 to 1):
• Max 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Order Neighbours: Enter the maximum costs for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order neighbour con-
straint violations.
• Co-planning Share: Enter the cost for inter-technology neighbour constraint violations. In 3GPP2 multi-RAT docu-
ments, this cost applies to CDMA neighbours of the same LTE cell.
• Max Reuse Distance: Enter the maximum cost for reuse distance constraint violations.
• Exceptional Pair: Enter the cost for exceptional pair constraint violations.
4. Click OK. The allocation constraint costs are stored and will be used in the automatic allocation.
Automatically Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells
The allocation algorithm enables you to automatically allocate PN offsets to cells in the current network. You can choose
among several automatic allocation strategies. The actual automatic allocation strategies available will depend on your
network and options selected in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. For
more information on automatic allocation strategies, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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• PN Offset per Cell: The purpose of this strategy is to reduce the spectrum of allocated PN offsets the maximum pos-
sible. Atoll will allocate the first possible PN offsets in the domain.
• Adjacent PN-Clusters per Site: This strategy consists of allocating one cluster of adjacent PN offsets to each base sta-
tion, then, one PN offset of the cluster to each cell of each transmitter according to its azimuth. When all the clusters
have been allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses the clusters at another
base station.
• Distributed PN-Clusters per Site: This strategy consists of allocating one cluster of PN offsets to each base station in
the network, then, one PN offset of the cluster to each cell of each transmitter according to its azimuth. With this
strategy, the cluster is made of PN offsets separated as much as possible. When all the clusters have been allocated
and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses the clusters at another base station.
Within the context of PN offset allocation, the term "PN-cluster" refers to a sub-group of
PN offsets that Atoll assigns to base stations during the allocation process. Atoll allows you
to change the number of PN offsets in a PN-cluster.
The following example explains the difference between "Adjacent PN-clusters" and
"Distributed PN-clusters".
The PILOT_INC has been set to 4 and the PN-cluster size to 3. There are:
• 128 PN offsets that can be allocated: they are from 4 to 508 with a separation
interval of 4.
• Each PN-cluster consists of three PN offsets. Therefore, there are 42 PN-clusters
available.
If you select "Adjacent PN-cluster per site" as allocation strategy, Atoll will consider PN-
clusters consisted of adjacent PN offsets (e.g., {4,8,12}, {16,20,24}, ..., {496,500,504}).
If you select "Distributed PN-cluster per site" as allocation strategy, Atoll will consider PN-
clusters consisted of PN offsets separated as much as possible (e.g., {4,172,340},
{8,176,344}, ..., {168,336,504}).
To automatically allocate PN offsets:

3. Select PN Offsets > Automatic Allocation. The PN Offsets dialog box appears.
4. Set the following parameters in the PN Offsets dialog box:
• Under Constraints, you can set the constraints on automatic PN offset allocation.
• PILOT_INC: The pilot PN sequence offset index increment. It is the interval between pilots, in units of 64 PN-
chips, of cells. The PILOT_INC value must be from 1 to 15. Atoll uses this parameter to determine the pool of
possible PN offsets (512 divided by PILOT_INC value). The first PN offset is PILOT_INC and other ones are mul-
tiples of this value.
For example: When PILOT_INC is set to 4, the pool of possible PN offsets consists of PN offsets from 4 to 508
with a separation interval of 4 (i.e., [4,8,12,16,...508]).
• Existing Neighbours: Select the Existing Neighbours check box if you want to consider intra-carrier neighbour
relations and then choose the neighbourhood level to take into account:
Neighbours of a cell are referred to as the first order neighbours, neighbours’ neighbours are referred to as
the second order neighbours and neighbours’ neighbours’ neighbours as the third order neighbours.
First Order: No cell will be allocated the same PN offset as its neighbours.
Second Order: No cell will be allocated the same PN offset as its neighbours or its second order neighbours.
Third Order: No cell will be allocated the same PN offset as its neighbours or its second order neighbours or
third order neighbours.
Atoll can only consider neighbour relations if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on al-
locating neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 790.
In 3GPP2 multi-RAT documents, Atoll also attempts to allocate different PN offsets to CDMA cells that are
neighbours of a common LTE cell.
• Additional Overlapping Conditions: Select the Additional Overlapping Conditions check box, if you want to
set overlapping coverage criteria. If cells meet the overlapping conditions to enter the reference cell’s active
set, they will be not allocated the same PN offset as the reference cell. Click Define to change the overlapping
conditions. In the Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
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Min. Pilot Signal Level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
possible neighbour cell B.
Min. Ec⁄I0: Enter the minimum Ec⁄I0 which must be provided by reference cell A in an area with overlapping
coverage. Reference cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping
coverage.
T_Drop: Enter or modify the minimum Ec⁄I0 required from a transmitter not to be rejected from the active set.
DL Load Contributing to I0: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell
Edge Coverage Probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select the Indoor Coverage check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations.
Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
• Reuse Distance: Select the Reuse Distance check box if you want to the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the reuse distance constraint. Enter the Default reuse distance within which two cells on the same carrier
cannot have the same PN offset.
A reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialog box or in the
Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of the value
entered here.
• Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box if you want the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the exceptional pair constraints.
• From the Strategy list, you can select an automatic allocation strategy:
• PN Offset per Cell
• Adjacent PN-Clusters per Site
• Distributed PN-Clusters per Site
• Carrier: Select the Carrier on which you want to run the allocation. You may choose one carrier (Atoll will assign
PN offsets to transmitters using the selected carrier) or all of them.
• PN-Cluster Size: The number of PN offsets per cluster. This parameter is used only by the Adjacent PN-Clusters per
Site and Distributed PN-Clusters per Site allocation strategies. It should correspond to the average number of
transmitters located on a site.
• Use a Max of Codes: Select the Use a Max of Codes check box to make Atoll use the maximum number of PN off-
sets. For example, if there are two cells using the same domain with two PN offsets, Atoll will assign the remaining
PN offset to the second cell even if there are no constraints between these two cells (for example, neighbour rela-
tions, reuse distance, etc.). If you do not select this option, Atoll only checks the constraints, and allocates the first
ranked PN offset in the list.
• Delete Existing PN Offsets: Select the Delete Existing PN Offsets check box if you want Atoll to delete currently
allocated PN offsets and recalculate all PN offsets. If you do not select this option, Atoll will keep currently allo-
cated PN offsets and will only allocate PN offsets to cells that do not yet have PN offsets allocated.
• Allocate Carriers Identically: Select the Allocate Carriers Identically check box if you want Atoll to allocate the
same PN offset to each carrier of a transmitter. If you do not select this option, Atoll allocates PN offsets indepen-
dently for each carrier.
5. Click Run. Atoll begins the process of allocating PN offsets.
Once Atoll has finished allocating PN offsets, they are visible under Results. Atoll only displays newly allocated PN
offsets.
• Cell: The name of the cell.
• Code: The PN offset allocated to the cell.
6. Click Commit. The PN offsets are committed to the cells.
You can save automatic PN offset allocation parameters in a user configuration. For infor-
mation on saving automatic PN offset allocation parameters in a user configuration, see
"Saving a User Configuration" on page 105.
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• If you need to allocate PN offsets to the cells on one transmitter, you can allocate
them automatically by selecting Allocate PN Offsets from the transmitter’s context
menu.
• If you need to allocate PN offsets to all the cells on group of transmitters, you can
allocate them automatically by selecting Cells > PN Offsets > Automatic Allocation
from the transmitter group’s context menu.
Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells Manually
When you allocate PN offsets to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate PN offsets automatically, as described
in "Automatically Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells" on page 806. However, if you want to add a PN offset to one cell or to
modify the PN offset of a cell, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
To allocate a PN offset to a CDMA cell manually:
1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate a PN offset. The context menu appears.
4. Enter a PN offset in the cell’s column.
5. Click OK.
8.1.11.3 Checking the Consistency of the PN Offset Plan

Once you have completed allocating PN offsets, you can verify whether the allocated PN offsets respect the specified
constraints by performing an audit of the plan. The PN offset audit also enables you to check for inconsistencies if you have
made some manual changes to the allocation plan. For instance, a PN offset audit detects CDMA cells with identical PN offsets
that are neighbours of the same LTE cell.
To perform an audit of the allocation plan:
3. Select PN Offsets > Audit. The Code Audit dialog box appears.
4. In the Code Audit dialog box, select the allocation criteria that you want to check:
• Neighbours: Select Neighbours in order to check PN offset constraints between cells and their neighbours and
then choose the neighbourhood level to take into account.
First Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same PN offset as any of its neighbours.
Second Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same PN offset as any of its neighbours or any of the neighbours
of its neighbours.
Third Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same PN offset as any of its neighbours or any of the neighbours
of its neighbours or any of the neighbours of its second order neighbours.
The report will list the cells and the neighbours that do not meet one of these constraints. In addition, it will indi-
cate the allocated PN offset and the neighbourhood level.
• Domain Compliance: If you select the Domain Compliance check box, Atoll will check if allocated PN offsets
belong to domains assigned to cells. The report will list any cells with PN offsets that do not belong to domains
assigned to the cell.
• Distance: If you select the Distance check box and set a reuse distance, Atoll will check for and list the cell pairs
that do not respect the reuse distance condition. For any cell pair, Atoll uses the lowest of the reuse distance
values among the values defined for the two cells in their properties and the value that you set in the Code Audit
dialog box. Cell pairs that do not respect the reuse distance condition are listed in increasing order of the distance
between them. The PN offset and the reuse distance are also listed for each cell pair.
• Exceptional Pairs: If you select the Exceptional Pairs check box, Atoll will check for and display pairs of cells that
are listed as exceptional pairs but still use the same PN offsets.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called CodeCheck.txt, which opens at the end of the audit.
For each selected criterion, Atoll gives the number of detected inconsistencies and details each of them.
8.1.11.4 Displaying the Allocation of PN Offsets

Once you have completed allocating PN offsets, you can verify several aspects of PN offset allocation. You have several options
for displaying PN offsets:
• "Using Find on Map to Display PN Offset Allocation" on page 810
809
• "Displaying PN Offset Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings" on page 810

• "Grouping Transmitters by PN Offset" on page 810
• "Displaying the PN Offset Allocation Histogram" on page 811
• "Making a PN Offset Collision Zone Prediction" on page 811.
• "Making a PN Offset Collision Analysis" on page 812
Using Find on Map to Display PN Offset Allocation
In Atoll, you can search for PN offsets and PN offset groups using the Find on Map tool. Results are displayed in the map
window in red.
displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. PN offsets and PN offset groups and
any potential problems will then be clearly visible. For information on coverage predictions by transmitter, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 756.
To find PN offsets or PN offset groups using the Find on Map tool:
2. From the Find list, select "PN offset."
• PN Offset: If you want to find a PN offset, select PN Offset and select it from the list.
• PN Offset Group: If you want to find a PN offset group, select PN Offset Group and select it from the list.
4. Select the carrier you want to search on from the For carrier list, or select "(All)" to search in all carriers.
5. Click Search. Transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match
the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Find on Map tool.
Displaying PN Offset Allocation Using Transmitter Display Settings
You can use the display characteristics of transmitters to display PN offset-related information.
To display PN offset-related information on the map:
• PN Offset: To display the PN offset of a transmitter’s cell, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Cells:
PN Offset" as the Field.
• Ranges of PN Offsets: To display ranges of PN offsets, select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "Cells: PN
Offset" as the Field.
• PN Offset domain: To display the PN offset domain of a transmitter’s cell, select "Discrete values" as the Display
Type and "Cells: PN Offset Domain" as the Field.
You can display the following information in the transmitter label or tip text:
• PN Offset: To display the PN offset of a transmitter’s cell in the transmitter label or tip text, "Cells: PN Offset" from
the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
• PN Offset domain: To display the PN offset domain of a transmitter’s cell in the transmitter label or tip text, "Cells:
PN Offset Domain" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
5. Click OK.
Grouping Transmitters by PN Offset
You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their PN offset or by their PN offset domain.
To group transmitters by PN offset:
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5. Under Available Fields, scroll down to the Cell section.

• PN Offset
• PN Offset Domain
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped. For more information on grouping objects, see "Advanced
Grouping" on page 97.
If a transmitter has more than one cell, Atoll cannot arrange the transmitter by cell. Trans-
mitters that cannot be grouped by cell are arranged in a separate folder under the Trans-
mitters folder.
Displaying the PN Offset Allocation Histogram
You can use a histogram to analyse the use of allocated PN offsets in a network. The histogram represents the PN offsets as a
function of the frequency of their use.
To display the PN offset histogram:
3. Select PN Offset > PN Offset Distribution. The Distribution Histograms dialog box appears.
Each bar represents a PN offset, its height depending on the frequency of its use.
4. Move the pointer over the histogram to display the frequency of use of each PN offset. The results are highlighted
simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list.
You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the
selected values.
Making a PN Offset Collision Zone Prediction
You can make a PN offset collision zone prediction to view areas covered by cells using the same PN offset. For each pixel,
Atoll checks if the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to enter the active set (without any active set size limita-
tion) have the same PN offset. If so, Atoll considers that there is a PN offset collision.
To make a PN offset collision zone prediction:
4. Select PN Offset Collision Zones (DL) and click OK.
on page 100.
6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the reverse
link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
811
also select which Carrier is to be considered.
If you want the PN offset collision zone prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
clutter class.
For a PN offset collision zone prediction, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each pixel with PN offset collision is displayed with the same colour as that defined for the inter-
fered transmitter. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are ordered first by interfered transmitter
and then by interferer. For information on defining display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
• The number of interferers for each transmitter: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Number of
Interferers per Transmitter" as the Field. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged by
interfered transmitter.
• The total number of interferers on one pixel: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Number of Inter-
ferers" as the Field. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged according to the number
of interferers.
8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can run it immediately or you can save it and run it later:
Making a PN Offset Collision Analysis
The PN Offset Collision tab of the Point Analysis window gives you information on the reception for any point on the map
where there is PN offset collision. PN offset collision occurs when the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to
enter the active set (without any active set size limitation) have the same PN offset. When there is a PN offset collision, Atoll
displays the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) received from interfered and interferer transmitters.
Analysis is based on the UL load percentage and the DL total power of cells. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe
receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
You can make a PN offset collision analysis to review the PN offset collision zone coverage prediction. In this case, before you
make the PN offset collision analysis, you should ensure that the coverage prediction you want to use in the PN offset collision
analysis is displayed on the map.
To make a PN offset collision analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears.
2. Click the PN Offset Collision tab.
3. At the top of the PN Offset Collision tab, select "Cells Table" from Load Conditions.
4. If you are making a PN offset collision analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the
coverage prediction:
a. Select the Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Right-click the Point Analysis window and select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box ap-
pears.
class.
c. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
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If you are making a PN offset collision analysis to make a coverage prediction on a defined
point, you can use the instructions in this step to define a user.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a PN offset collision analysis for the current location of the pointer.

A CDMA network automatically regulates power with the objective of minimising interference and maximising network capac-
ity. In the case of CDMA2000 1xRTT, fast power control is made on both the forward and reverse links (uplink and downlink,
respectively). In CDMA2000 1xRTT, power control can be performed on either the FCH and SCH or on the pilot channel. In
CDMA2000 EV-DO, rate control is used instead of power control on the forward link. On the reverse link, power control is
made on the pilot channel. Atoll can simulate these network regulation mechanisms, thereby enabling you to study the capac-
ity of the CDMA network.
In Atoll, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of users at a given point in time. The distribution of users at a given
moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various network parameters such as the active
set for each mobile, the required power of the mobile, SHO gain, the total forward link power and forward link throughput
per cell, and the reverse link load per cell. Simulations are calculated in an iterative fashion.
another.
• "Analysing the Results of a Simulation" on page 840.

parameters used in the network, in terms of services, users, and equipment used.
• Services: Services are the various services, such as voice, mobile internet access, etc., available to subscribers. For
information on modelling end-user services, see "Modelling Services" on page 759.
• Mobility type: In CDMA, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage the active set: a
mobile used by a driver moving quickly or a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same transmitters.
Ec⁄I0 requirements and Eb⁄Nt targets per radio bearer and per link (forward or reverse) are largely dependent on
mobile speed. For information on creating a mobility type, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 763.
• Radio configuration: In CDMA, a radio configuration is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example,
a mobile phone, a PDA, or a car’s on-board navigation device. In Atoll, radio configurations are modelled using termi-
nals. For information on creating a terminal, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 764.

Atoll provides three types of traffic maps for CDMA projects.
The maps you can create depend on the types of traffic data sources available to you:
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throughputs in the reverse and forward links or the number of users per activity status or the total number of users
(including all activity statuses). For more information, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on page 814.
page 817, "Creating a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 819, and "Importing a User Profile Envi-
work statistics.
Each pixel has a user density assigned. The value either includes all activity statuses or it corresponds to a particular
activity status. For more information, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 820, "Creating a User
Density Traffic Map" on page 821, "Converting 2G Network Traffic" on page 822 and "Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on
page 822.

The section explains how to create a sector traffic map in Atoll to model traffic.
You can input either the throughput demands in the reverse and forward links or the number of users per activity status or
the total number of users including all activity statuses. A coverage prediction by transmitter is required to create this traffic
map. If you do not already have a coverage prediction by transmitter in your document, you must create and calculate it. For
Because each of the CDMA technologies has capabilities and services that are specific to it,
it is recommended to create a separate traffic map for:
• voice
• 1xRTT data
• EV-DO data

5. Select the type of traffic information you want to input. You can choose between Throughputs in Uplink and Down-
link, Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses) or Number of Users per Activity Status.
AGD (Atoll Geographic Data) format files that you have exported from an other Atoll docu-
ment.
8. Enter the data required in the Map per Sector dialog box:
• If you selected Throughputs in Uplink and Downlink, enter the throughput demands in the reverse and forward
links for each sector and for voice and each 1xRTT data service. Because only one EV-DO data service user is served
at a time, all EV-DO users are considered as active in the forward link. Therefore, you can only enter the
throughput demand in the reverse link for each sector and for each EV-DO data service.
• If you selected Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses), enter the number of connected users for each sector
and for each listed service.
• If you selected Number of Users per Activity Status, enter the number of users active in the reverse and forward
links for each sector and for voice and each 1xRTT data service. Because only one EV-DO data service user is served
at a time, all EV-DO users are considered as active in the forward link. Therefore, you can only enter the number
of inactive users (in the reverse link) and the number of active users in the reverse link for each sector and for each
EV-DO data service.
814
11. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentage must equal
100.
12. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentage must equal
100.
13. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter:
100.
100.
8. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter a weight to spread the traffic over the clutter classes and the
percentage of indoor users.
9. Click OK. Atoll saves the traffic map with its modifed values.
You can update the information, throughput demands and the number of users, on the map afterwards. You can update
sector traffic maps if you add or remove a base station. You must first recalculate the coverage prediction by transmitter. For
more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 756. Once you have recalculated the coverage
prediction, you can update the traffic map.
If desired you can update the values under Terminals (%), Mobilities (%), and Clutter Distribution.

There may also be information about the type of terminal devices they use to access different services.
are in turn defined by the terminal used, the calls per hour, and duration.
815
• "Modelling User Profiles" on page 816
stances. For example, a user can be considered a business user during the day, with video conferencing and voice, but no web
browsing. In the evening the same user might not use video conferencing, but might use multi-media services and web brows-
ing.
To create a user profile:

• Service: Select a service from the list. For information on services, see "Modelling Services" on page 759.
• Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For information on terminals, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 764.
• Calls/Hour: Enter the average number of calls per hour for the service. One call lasting 1000 seconds presents the
same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each.
• Duration: Enter the average duration of a call in seconds.
The calls per hour and duration are used to calculate the activity probability.
a weight to each clutter class for each environment class. You can also specify the percentage of indoor subscribers for each
To create or modify a CDMA environment:
816

6. Enter a Name for the new CDMA environment.
7. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), set the following parameters for each user profile/mobility combi-
nation that this CDMA environment will describe:
9. For each clutter class, enter a weight that will be used to distribute users on the map.
The number of users per clutter class is calculated using the following equation:
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:

For example: An area of 10 km² with a subscriber density of 100/km². Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 subscrib-
ers. The area is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and for Build-
ing is "4." Given the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class and 800 in
the Building clutter class.
10. If you want you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simulations,
indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to the path losses of indoor mobiles.

vector.
5. Select User Profile Densities from the list.
Traffic Map dialog box.
7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported vector formats: DXF format (DXF), Atoll
Geographic Data File (AGD), ArcView format (SHP), MapInfo file (MIF or TAB), or Planet® Data File (index).
11. Select the Traffic tab (see Figure 8.38). Under Traffic Fields, you can specify the user profiles to be considered, their
mobility type (km⁄h), and their density. If the file you are importing has this data, you can define the traffic character-
istics by identifying the corresponding fields in the file. If the file you are importing does not have data describing the
user profile, mobility, or density, you can assign values. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map.
817

• User Profile: If you want to import user profile information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and
column.
consists of points.
12. Under Clutter Distribution, enter a weight for each class that will be used to distribute users on the map.
The user distribution per clutter class is calculated using the following equation:
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:
13. If you want you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simulations,
818

7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (8 bit): TIF, BIL, IST, BMP,
PlaNET©, GRC Vertical Mapper, and Erdas Imagine.
column.
page 47.

Atoll enables you to create a user profile environment based traffic map based on by drawing it in the map window.
Draw Map Delete Map

819
8.2.2.2.4 Displaying Statistics on a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map

You can display the statistics of a user profile environment based traffic map. Atoll provides absolute (surface) and relative
(percentage of the surface) statistics on the focus zone for each environment class. If you do not have a focus zone defined,
statistics are determined for the computation zone.
To display traffic statistics of a user profile environment based traffic map:
3. Right-click the user profile environment based traffic map whose statistics you want to display. The context menu
appears.
Si
-  100
 Sk
k

5. Click Close.
class.

ants) or on 2G traffic statistics. User density traffic maps provide the number of connected users per unit surface, i.e., the
density of users, as input. This can be either the density of users per activity status or the density of users including all activity
statuses.
User density traffic maps can be created from sector traffic maps in order to extract and display the exact number of users
per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic maps. For

x users per pixel during the simulations, where "x" depends on the size of the pixels. These x users will have a terminal, a mobil-
ity type, a service, and percentage of indoor users as defined on the Traffic tab of the traffic map’s properties dialog box.
Because each of the CDMA technologies has capabilities and services that are specific to it,
it is recommended to create a separate traffic map per user density for:
• voice
• 1xRTT data
• EV-DO data

4. Select User Density Traffic Map (No. Users/km2).

5. Select the type of traffic information you are importing:
• All Activity Statuses: Select All Activity Statuses if the map you are importing provides a density of users with any
activity status.
820
• Active in Uplink: Select Active in Uplink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the
uplink only.
• Active in Downlink: Select Active in Downlink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in
the downlink only.
• Active in Uplink and Downlink: Select Active in Uplink and Downlink if the map you are importing provides a den-
Traffic Map dialog box.
PlaNET©, TIF, ISTAR, and Erdas Imagine.
12. Select whether the users are active in the Uplink/Downlink, only in the Downlink, or only in the Uplink.
13. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of radio configuration used in this map. The total percentage
must equal 100 for this map.
14. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in this map. The total percentage must equal
100 for this map.
15. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in this map. The total percentage must equal 100.
16. Under Clutter Distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users.


5. Select the type of traffic information:
• All Activity Statuses: Select All Activity Statuses if the map you are importing provides a density of users with any
activity status.
• Active in Uplink: Select Active in Uplink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the
uplink only.
• Active in Downlink: Select Active in Downlink if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in
the downlink only.
• Active in Uplink and Downlink: Select Active in Uplink and Downlink if the map you are importing provides a den-
6. Click the Create button. The traffic map’s property dialog box appears.
100.
100.
10. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentage must equal 100.
11. Under Clutter Distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users.
821

"Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65. Atoll creates an item called Density values in the User Density Map
folder.
16. Right-click Density values in the User Density Map folder. The context menu appears.
18. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e. the number of users per km2) for each contour you have drawn.
19. When you have finished creating the user density traffic map, right-click the map. The context menu appears.
20. Select Edit from the context menu again to end editing.
ment.

packet and circuit service traffic, and then import these maps as user density traffic maps into your CDMA document. These
on importing user density traffic maps, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 820.
To import a 2G traffic map into a CDMA document:
on page 320.
3. Import the traffic exported in step 2 to your CDMA document as a user density traffic map. For more information on

Atoll converts any traffic map to user densities. The cumulated traffic is exported in 32-bit BIL, ArcView© Grid, or Vertical
then be imported as a user density traffic map.
3. Select Export Cumulated Traffic from the context menu.
822
• Service: Select the service that will be exported, or select "Circuit services" to export voice traffic, or select "Packet
services" to export data traffic.
• All Activity Statuses: Select All Activity Statuses to export all users, independently of their activity status.
traffic.

6. Click Save.

lations of a same group.
the simulation and on network interference. A user can be either active or inactive. Both active and inactive users
Additionally, each 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 user is assigned a transition flag ("True" or "False") for each possible throughput
transition (from 9.6 to 19.2 kbps, 19.2 to 38.4 kbps, 38.4 to 76.8 kbps, and 76.8 to 153.6 kbps for throughput upgrading
and from 153.6 to 76.8 kbps, 76.8 to 38.4 kbps, 38.4 to 19.2 kbps, and 19.2 to 9.6 kbps for throughput downgrading).
823
These transition flags are based on the throughput downgrading and upgrading probabilities. If a transition flag is
"True," the user throughput can be downgraded or upgraded if necessary.
Then, Atoll randomly assigns a shadowing error to each user using the probability distribution that describes the shad-
owing effect.
2. Modelling network power control: Atoll uses a power control algorithm for CDMA2000 1xRTT users, and performs
the forward link power control on the FCH and SCH and the reverse link power control on either the pilot channel or
on the FCH and SCH for 1xRTT users. For users of 1xEV-DO, Atoll performs the reverse link power control on the pilot
channel. On the forward link, Atoll performs rate control based on the C⁄I ratio calculated for the mobile. The power
control simulation algorithm is described in "The Power Control Simulation Algorithm" on page 824.
8.2.4.1 The Power Control Simulation Algorithm

The power control algorithm simulates the way a CDMA network regulates itself by using forward link and reverse link power
controls or, for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, rate control in the forward link and power control in the reverse link in order to minimise
interference and maximise capacity.
Atoll simulates the network regulation mechanisms for each user distribution. During each iteration of the algorithm, all the
mobiles (voice, 1xRTT data, and EV-DO data service users) selected during the user distribution generation attempt to connect
one by one to network transmitters. The process is repeated until the network is balanced, i.e., until the convergence criteria
(on the forward and the reverse link) are satisfied.
The CDMA2000 1xRTT Power Control Simulation Algorithm
The CDMA2000 1xRTT power control simulation algorithm (see Figure 8.40) simulates the power control, congestion, and
radio resource control performed for CDMA2000 1xRTT users. Atoll considers each user in the order established during the
generation of the user distribution, determines his best server and his active set. Atoll performs the forward link power
control on the FCH and SCH and the reverse link power control on either the pilot channel or on the FCH and SCH, depending
on the option selected under UL 1xRTT Power Control Based On on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Prop-
erties dialog box (see "The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 879).
After performing power control, Atoll updates the reverse link load factor and the total forward link transmitted power. Atoll
then carries out congestion and radio resource control, verifying the cell reverse link load, the forward link load, and the
number of channel elements and Walsh codes consumed by the cell.
Figure 8.40: Power control simulation for CDMA2000 1xRTT
The SCH throughput on the forward and the reverse links can be downgraded. Atoll will downgrade the forward link SCH
throughput until:
• The required forward link quality level on SCH is reached,
824
• The total forward link power of a cell is lower than the maximum power allowed,
• The number of channel elements consumed on the forward link by a site is lower than the maximum number of
channel elements allowed,
• The number of Walsh codes used by a cell is lower than the maximum number of Walsh codes available per cell.
Atoll will downgrade the reverse link SCH throughput until:
• The required reverse link quality level on SCH or on pilot is reached,
• The number of channel elements consumed on the reverse link by a site is lower than the maximum number of
channel elements allowed.
Downgraded SCH throughputs cannot be lower than the FCH peak throughput. When downgrading the SCH throughput does
not solve the problem, the SCH is not allocated to the mobile. In this case, if the requirements of a mobile cannot be met by
using the FCH alone, the mobile is rejected.
• On the forward link, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot
quality is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): status is "Ec⁄I0 < (Ec⁄I0)min."
• On the reverse link, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax."
• On the forward link, the quality of the received signal is not high enough on the traffic channel: the status is "Ptch >
PtchMax."
• The network is saturated:
• The maximum reverse link load factor is exceeded (at admission or during congestion control): the status is either
"Admission Rejection" or "UL Load Saturation."
• There are not enough available channel elements on the site: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation."
• There is not enough power for cells: the status is "DL Load Saturation."
• There are no more Walsh codes available: the status is "Walsh Code Saturation."
The CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rate and Power Control Simulation Algorithm
The CDMA2000 1xEV-DO simulation algorithm (see Figure 8.41) simulates the power and rate controls, congestion, and radio
resource control performed for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO users (i.e. 1xEV-DO Rev.0, 1xEV-DO Rev. A and 1xEV-DO Rev. B service
users). Atoll considers the guaranteed bit rate service users first, in the order established during the generation of the user
distribution, and then, it processes the variable bit rate service users, in the order established during the generation of the
user distribution. It determines the best server and the active set of each user, and performs the reverse link power control
on the pilot channel. On the forward link, there is no power control; the transmitter transmits at full power. Instead, Atoll
performs rate control based on the C⁄I ratio calculated for the mobile.
After performing rate and power control, Atoll updates the reverse link load factor. Atoll then carries out congestion and radio
resource control, verifying the cell reverse link load and the number of channel elements and MAC indexes consumed by the
cell.
Guaranteed bit rate service users have the highest priority and are processed first, in the order established during the gener-
ation of the user distribution. Atoll determines the 1xEV-DO bearer for each user in the forward link and in the reverse link.
The selected 1xEV-DO bearer must provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the guaranteed bit rate defined for the service.
To achieve the highest cell capacity, 1xEV-DO Rev. A has a multi-user packet that combines packets from several users into a
single physical-layer packet. Atoll models the multi-user packet by allowing several guaranteed bit rate service users to share
the same 1xEV-DO radio bearer. Then, Atoll calculates the 1xEV-DO bearer consumption for each user and takes into account
this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by the user (i.e., the terminal power used, the number of MAC
indexes, and the number of channel elements). Atoll checks if enough MAC indexes and channel elements are available for
the user (taking into account the maximum number of MAC indexes defined for the cell and the maximum number of channel
elements allowed on the site in the downlink). If not enough indexes or channel elements are available, the user is rejected.
A multi-carrier EV-DO user is managed as several single-carrier users. The user has several allocated 1xEV-DO radio bearers
and consumes resources in each cell he is connected to. In the reverse link, load balancing between carriers is modelled. The
user can simultaneously transmit on all carriers. Atoll shares the available terminal power between each carrier and deter-
mines the uplink 1xEV-DO radio bearer obtained on each carrier, without exceeding the available resources (channel
elements, MAC index, and UL load factor). Atoll selects the best configuration among all combinations of carriers, i.e., the
combination which provides the highest total throughput. If, with the selected configuration, the total throughput exceeds
the original throughput demand, Atoll adjusts the 1xEV-DO radio bearers on each carrier until the user obtains the requested
throughput. In the forward link, Atoll performs rate control on each carrier. Atoll calculates the C/I ratio received by the
mobile on each carrier and determines the downlink 1xEV-DO radio bearer obtained on each carrier. The user downlink
throughput corresponds to the sum of the throughputs obtained on each carrier.
825
Figure 8.41: Power control simulation for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
During reverse link power control, if the service supports downgrading, Atoll might downgrade the peak throughput of 1xEV-
DO Rev. 0 service users on the reverse link traffic data channel until the required reverse link quality level is reached. If down-
grading does not allow the quality level to be met, the mobile is rejected.
During congestion control, if the service supports downgrading, Atoll might adjust the peak throughput of 1xEV-DO Rev. 0
service users on the reverse link traffic data channel until the reverse link cell noise rise is between the noise rise threshold
plus the acceptable noise rise margin and the noise rise threshold minus the acceptable noise rise margin. If the noise rise is
too high, Atoll downgrades all 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 users that can be downgraded. When the noise rise is too low, it upgrades all
1xEV-DO Rev. 0 users that can be upgraded. A 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 user can be downgraded or upgraded if the transition flag of
his peak throughput was set to "True" during the generation of the user distribution. 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users
are not downgraded. They are rejected when the cell noise rise threshold is exceeded.
• On the forward link, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot
quality is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): status is "Ec⁄I0 pilot < Ec⁄I0 min. pilot".
• On the reverse link, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > Pmob max".
• The obtained downlink bit rate is lower than the downlink guaranteed bit rate: the status is "Obtained DL throughput
< Guaranteed DL bit rate". This rejection cause applies to guaranteed bit rate service users only.
• The network is saturated:
• The maximum reverse link load factor is exceeded (at admission or during congestion control): the status is either
"Admission rejection" or "UL load saturation".
• There are not enough available channel elements on the site: the status is "channel element saturation".
• There are not enough MAC indexes per cell or the maximum number of EV-DO users per cell is exceeded during
the radio resource control: the status is "1xEV-DO resources saturation".

In Atoll, simulations enable you to model CDMA network regulation mechanisms used to minimise interference and maximise
capacity.
You can create one simulation or a group of simulations that will be performed in sequence.
4. On the General tab of the dialog box, enter a Name and Comments for this simulation or group of simulations.
826
5. Under Execution on the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Number of Simulations: Enter the number of simulations to be carried out. All simulations created at the same
• Information to retain: You can select the level of detail that will be available in the output:
• Only the Average Simulation and Statistics: None of the individual simulations are displayed or available in
the group. Only an average of all simulations and statistics is available.
Some calculation and display options available for coverage predictions are not available
when the option "Only the average simulation and statistics" is selected.
• No Information About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. For each of them, a prop-
erties window containing simulation output, divided among four tabs — Statistics, Sites, Cells, and Initial
conditions — is available.
• Standard Anformation About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window for each simulation contains an additional tab with output related to mobiles.
• Detailed Information About Mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window for each simulation contains additional mobile-related output on the Mobiles and Mobiles (Shadow-
ing values) tabs.
When you are working on very large radio-planning projects, you can reduce memory
consumption by selecting Only the Average Simulation and Statistics under Information
to retain.
6. Under Cell Load Constraints on the General tab, you can set the constraints that Atoll must respect during the simu-
lation:
• Number of Channel Elements: Select the Number of Channel Elements check box if you want Atoll to respect the
maximum number of channel elements defined for each site.
• Number of Codes: Select the Number of Codes check box if you want Atoll to respect the number of Walsh codes
available for each cell.
• UL Load Factor: If you want the reverse link load factor to be verified in the simulation and not to exceed the Max
UL Load Factor, select the UL Load Factor check box and define a value for the Max UL Load Factor.
• Max UL Load Factor: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum reverse link cell load factor, click the
button ( ) beside the box and select Global Threshold. Then, enter a maximum reverse link cell load factor. If
you want to use the maximum reverse link cell load factor as defined in the properties for each cell, click the
button ( ) beside the box and select Defined per Cell.
• DL Load (% Pmax): If you want the forward link load to be verified in the simulation and not to exceed the Max DL
Load, select the DL Load (% Pmax) check box and enter a maximum forward link cell load in the Max DL Load box.
• Max DL Load (% Pmax): If you want to enter a global value for the maximum forward link cell load, as a percentage
of the maximum power, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Global Threshold. Then, enter a maximum
forward link cell load, as a percentage of the maximum power. If you want to use the maximum forward link cell
load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Defined per Cell.
7. On the Source Traffic tab, enter the following:
• Global Scaling Factor: If desired, enter a scaling factor to increase user density.
• Select Traffic Maps to Be Used: Select the traffic maps you want to use for the simulation.
9. Under Generator Initialisation, enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. If you enter "0", the default, the
827
10. Under Convergence, enter the following parameters:

reverse link that must be reached between two iterations.
• DL Convergence Threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the for-
ward link that must be reached between two iterations.
11. Once you have defined the simulation, you can run it immediately or you can save it to run it later:
• Run: Click Run to save the defined simulation and run it immediately
• OK: Click OK to save the defined simulation without running it. You can run it later clicking the Calculate button
( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer. You can now use the
completed simulations for specific CDMA coverage predictions (see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results"
on page 841) or for an AS analysis using the Point Analysis window (see "Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results" on
page 841).

parameters. You can, for example, display the traffic according to service, activity status, or soft handoff gain.
You can set the display of the traffic distribution according to discrete values and then select the value to be displayed. Or,
you can select the display of the traffic distribution according to value intervals, and then select the parameter and the value
intervals that are to be displayed. You can also define the colours of the icon and the icon itself.
In this section are the following examples of traffic distribution display:
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Handoff Status" on page 828
For information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer
8.2.4.3.1 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Handoff Status

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by the handoff status.
To display the traffic distribution by the handoff status:
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "HO Status (Sites/No. Transmit-
ters Act. Set)" as the Field.
The handoff status is displayed as "X⁄Y" where "Y" is the number of transmitters to which the mobile is connected and
"X" is the number of sites. For example, "1⁄2" means that the mobile is connected to two different transmitters on
one site. "2⁄3" would mean that the mobile is connected to three different transmitters on two sites. If a mobile is not
connected, the handoff status is given as "0⁄0".
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by handoff status (see Figure 8.42).
828
Figure 8.42: Displaying the traffic distribution by handoff status


829
8.2.4.4 Displaying the User Active Set on the Map

Atoll enables you to display on the map the active set for each user generated by a simulation.
To display the active set for a user:
• On the map, click and hold the icon of the user whose best and second-best servers you want to display.
The servers in the user’s active set are connected to the user with lines the same colour as the serving transmitter.
The best server is indicated with the number "1", the second-best with number "2" and so on. Figure 8.45 shows a
user with three servers in his active set.
Figure 8.45: The active set of a user

want to access.
830
trial; power control has not yet started. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input.
activity status and the reverse link and forward link throughputs that all users could theoretically generate are
provided.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and
forward link throughputs) is given.
are determined at the end of the simulation and depend on the network design.
• The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per frequency band for a multi-
band network, the number of users per activity status, and the reverse link and forward link throughputs they
generate.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per frequency band for a multi-band
network, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and forward link throughputs) is given.
• Max No. of DL and UL CEs per Carrier: The maximum number of channel elements available per 1xRTT carrier on
the forward and reverse links.
• Max No. of EV-DO CEs per Carrier: The maximum number of channel elements available per 1xEV-DO carrier.
• No. of DL and UL FCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the FCH on the forward and reverse links by
the site.
• No. of DL and UL SCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the SCH on the forward and reverse links by
the site.
• No. EV-DO CEs: The number of channel elements used by EV-DO users.
• No. of DL and UL FCH CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on
reverse link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xRTT users.
• No. of DL and UL SCH CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on
reverse link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xRTT users.
• No. of EV-DO CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on reverse
link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO users.
• Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on the reverse
link.
ference on the reverse link.
• Peak UL Throughput per 1xEV-DO service (kbps): The peak uplink throughput in kbits⁄s for each 1xEV-DO data
service (rev. 0, rev. A, rev. B).
• Peak DL FCH Throughput per service (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The peak throughput in kbits⁄s for speech ser-
vice and each 1xRTT data service on the FCH. The result is detailed on the forward and reverse link only when rel-
evant.
• Peak DL SCH Throughput per service (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput in kbits⁄s for each 1xRTT data
service on the SCH. The result is detailed on the forward and reverse link only when relevant.
The Cells (1xRTT) tab: The Cells (1xRTT) tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and 1xRTT
carrier:
• Synchro Power (dBm): The synchro power as defined in the cell properties.
• Paging Power (dBm): The paging power as defined in the cell properties.
• Reception Loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Transmission Loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Total Transmitted DL Power (dBm): The total transmitted power on the forward link.
• Total Transmitted DL FCH Power (dBm): The total power used on the forward link for the FCH.
• Total Transmitted DL SCH Power (dBm): The total power used on the forward link for the SCH.
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link.
• UL Load Factor (%): The cell load factor on the reverse link corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the reverse link and the total noise on the reverse link. If the constraint "UL Load Factor" has been selected,
831
the cell load factor on the reverse link is not allowed to exceed the user-defined maximum load factor on the
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box).
• DL Load Factor (%): The load factor of the cell i on the forward link corresponds to the ratio (average interference
on the forward link [due to transmitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area) ⁄
(average total noise on the forward link [due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals
in the transmitter i area).
• DL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the forward link is calculated from the load factor on the forward link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
• DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used is determined by the total transmitted power-maximum power
ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set, the DL Load can not exceed the user-defined Max
DL Load (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation).
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on the forward and reverse links and indicates the number of users
connected to the cell on the forward and reverse links. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio
links.
• UL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the reverse link is calculated from the load factor on the reverse link. These
• UL Reuse Factor: The reverse link reuse factor is the ratio between the reverse link total interference and the intra-
cell interference.
• UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reuse efficiency factor on the reverse link is the reciprocal of the reuse factor on
the reverse link.
• No. of Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by cell.
• No. of FCH Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by the FCH of the cell.
• No. of SCH Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by the SCH of the cell.
• The Types of Handoff as a Percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2), softer-soft (2⁄3)
and soft-soft (3⁄3) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
• No. of DL and UL FCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
• No. of DL and UL SCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
• FCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
• SCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
• Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
• Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
• Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
• Rejected Users: The number of rejected users per cell are sorted by the following reasons: Pmob > PmobMax,
Ptch > PtchMax, Ec⁄Io < (Ec⁄Io)min, UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation, DL Load Saturation, Walsh Code Sat-
uration, and Admission Rejection.
• Connection Success Rate (%) for Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
The Cells (1xEV-DO) tab: The Cells (1xEV-DO) tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and
1xEV-DO carrier:
• Idle Power Gain (dB): The idle power gain as defined in the cell properties.
• Reception Loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Transmission Loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
• Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties.
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise received by the cell on the reverse link.
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties or in the simulation creation dialog box).
cell interference.
• UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reuse efficiency factor on the reverse link is the reciprocal of the reuse factor on
the reverse link.
• Number of UL Radio Links: The number of radio links on the reverse link. Multi-carrier users are counted once in
each cell they are connected to.
• No. of Active Users: The number of active users connected to the cell. Multi-carrier users are counted once in each
cell they are connected to.
• No. of Inactive Users: The number of inactive users among the users connected to the cell. Multi-carrier users are
counted once in each cell they are connected to.
832
• Connection Success Rate (%): The percentage of connections that are successfully made.
• The Types of Handoff as a Percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter on
the reverse link. Atoll only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2),
softer-soft (2⁄3) and soft-soft (3⁄3) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
• UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The throughput on the forward and reverse links.
• No. of MAC Index: The number of MAC indexes used by the cell.
uration, Admission Rejection, and 1xEV-DO Resources Saturation.
• Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the percentage
of connected users from the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab: The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab contains the following information for CDMA2000 1xRTT users:
The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in
"Creating Simulations" on page 826, you select either "Standard information about
mobiles" or "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
random trial).
• Terminal: The assigned radio configuration.
• User Profile: The assigned user profile.
bution.
• DL and UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The downlink and uplink requested throughputs correspond to the for-
ward and reverse throughputs requested by the user before power control.
• DL and UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The obtained throughputs are the same as the requested throughputs if
the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has been downgraded, the throughput is calculated
using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained throughput is zero.
• Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
• Mobile Total Power (dBm): This value corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
• Uplink Pilot Power (dBm): The power transmitted by the terminal on the reverse pilot channel.
• Mobile FCH Power (dBm): The power transmitted by the terminal on the FCH channel.
• Mobile SCH Power (dBm): power transmitted by the terminal on the SCH channel.
is given.
• AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is
given in a separate column for each cell in the active set.
• Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): Ec⁄I0 is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/
Io AS1 column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
page 826, you select "Detailed Information About Mobiles" under Information to retain:
• DL and UL Downgrading Factor (SCH): The downgrading factor for the SCH on both the forward and the reverse
links. The downgrading factor is used to calculated how much the SCH throughput will be downgraded if the
requested throughput cannot be provided.
• DL Ntot AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dBm): The total noise on the forward link for each link between the mobile
and a transmitter in the active set.
• Cell FCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the FCH forward link is
given for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
• Cell SCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the SCH forward link is
given for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
• Load Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (%): The load factor on the forward link for each link between the
mobile and a transmitter in the active set. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference on the for-
ward link and total noise at the terminal.
• Noise Rise AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dB): The noise rise on the forward link for each link between the
mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
833
• Reuse Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL): The forward link reuse factor is the ratio between the forward
link total interference and the intra-cell interference. It is calculated for each link between the mobile and a trans-
• Iintra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The intra-cell interference on the forward link for each cell (I) of
the active set.
DL DL
I Intra  ic  =  1 – F Ortho   P tot  ic 
txi
• Iextra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The extra-cell interference on the forward link for each cell (I) of
the active set.

DL DL
I extra  ic  = P tot  ic 
txj j  i
• Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a trans-
orthogonality of the Walsh codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
classes.
• DL and UL FCH SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain for the FCH on the forward and the reverse link. The soft
handoff gain on the forward link is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on the forward link or on
the forward link and the reverse link.
• DL and UL SCH SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain for the SCH on the forward and the reverse link. The soft
handoff gain on the forward link is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on the forward link or on
the forward link and the reverse link.
The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab: The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab contains the following information for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
users:
The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in
"Creating Simulations" on page 826, you select either "Standard information about
mobiles" or "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
random trial).
• Terminal: The assigned radio configuration.
• User: The assigned user profile.
bution.
• UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The UL Requested Throughput corresponds to the throughput, including the
control channel throughput, requested by the user before power control.
• UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): For a 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 service user, the obtained throughput is the same as the
requested throughput if the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has been downgraded, the
uplink throughput is calculated using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained throughput
is "0".
The uplink total throughput obtained by the 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users depends on the service QoS
class (i.e., whether this is a guaranteed bit rate or a variable bit rate service). For a guaranteed bit rate service user,
when the user is connected, the uplink obtained throughput equals the guaranteed bit rate defined for the service.
For variable bit rate service users, the uplink obtained throughput is the same as the requested throughput. If the
user is rejected, the uplink obtained throughput is throughput is "0".
• DL Peak Throughput: The maximum throughput on the forward link depends on the value of C⁄I at the terminal.
Atoll calculates this value from the Peak throughput=f(C⁄I) graph specified in the mobility type properties.
• Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection. Multi-carrier users are connected to several car-
riers. Details can be displayed per carrier by clicking the Actions button and then selecting Detailed Display from
the menu.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
For constant bit rate service users, the percentage of bearer consumption is taken into account.
is given.
834
• AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is
given in a separate column for each cell in the active set.
• Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): Ec⁄I0 is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/
Io AS1 column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
• DL C/I: The C⁄I for the pilot on the forward link.
page 826, you select "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain:
• UL Throughput due to TCP (kbps): The uplink throughput due to TCP aknowledgements.
• UL Requested Peak Throughput (kbps): The uplink requested peak throughput corresponds to the throughput
requested by the user before power control.
• UL Obtained Peak Throughput (kbps): For a 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 service user, the uplink obtained peak throughput is
the same as the requested peak throughput if the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has
been downgraded, it is calculated using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained peak
throughput is zero.
The uplink peak throughput obtained by the 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users depends on the service QoS
class (i.e., whether this is a guaranteed bit rate or a variable bit rate service). For a guaranteed bit rate service user,
when the user is connected, the uplink obtained peak throughput equals the guaranteed bit rate defined for the
service. For variable bit rate service users, the uplink obtained peak throughput is the same as the uplink request-
ed peak throughput. If the user is rejected, the uplink obtained peak throughput is "0".
• UL Downgrading Factor: The downgrading factor on the reverse link. The downgrading factor is used to calculated
how much the throughput will be downgraded if the requested throughput cannot be provided.
• DL Ntot (Data) (dBm): The total noise on the forward link.
• DL Load Factor (%): The load factor on the forward link. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the forward link and total noise at the terminal.
• DL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the forward link.
• Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a trans-
orthogonality of the Walsh codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
classes.
• UL SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain on the reverse link.
• Transition flags (Upgrading 9.6k->19.2k, Upgrading 19.2k->38.4k, Upgrading 38.4k->76.8k, Upgrading
76.8k->153.6k, Downgrading 19.2k->9.6k, Downgrading 38.4k->19.2k, Downgrading 76.8k->38.4k, Down-
grading 153.6k->76.8k): The boolean transition flags ("True" or "False") generated by Atoll for each throughput
transition and for each 1xEV-DO user. If the flag for a throughput transition is "True," the throughput can be
upgraded or downgraded if necessary during the uplink load control.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab: The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab contains information on the shadowing
margin for each link between the receiver and up to ten potential transmitters. Atoll selects the transmitters which
have the receiver in their propagation zone and have the lowest path losses. The ten transmitters with the lowest path
losses are selected and sorted in ascending order by path loss.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as
explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 826, you select "Detailed information about
mobiles" under Information to Retain.
• Name: The name assigned to the mobile.

• Value at Receiver (dB): The value of the shadowing error at the receiver. This value is the same for a given receiver
for each given receiver-potential transmitter link. The value is generated randomly.
• Path To: The name of the potential transmitter.
• Value (dB): The shadowing error for the receiver-potential transmitter link in the corresponding Path To column.
These values are generated randomly.
835
• Whether the power values on the forward link are absolute or relative to the pilot
• The default reverse link soft handoff gain
• The method used to calculate Nt
• Whether the reverse link 1xRTT power control is based on the traffic quality or the pilot quality.
• The reverse link and forward link convergence thresholds
• The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the reverse
link load factor and the maximum load

2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the SimulationsSimulations folder.
3. Right-click the group of simulations whose results you want to access.
trial; power control has not yet started. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input.
activity status and the reverse link and forward link throughputs that all users could theoretically generate are
provided.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and
forward link throughputs) is given.
are determined at the end of the simulation and depend on the network design.
• The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per frequency band for multi-
band networks, the number of users per activity status, and the reverse link and forward link throughputs they
generate.
• The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per frequency band for multi-band
networks, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and forward link throughputs) is given.
The Cells (Average - 1xRTT) and Cells (Standard Deviation - 1xRTT) tabs: The Cells (Average - 1xRTT) and Cells (Stand-
ard Deviation - 1xRTT) tabs contain the following average and standard deviation information, respectively, per site,
transmitter, and 1xRTT carrier:
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link takes into account the total signal received at the trans-
mitter on a carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (total interfer-
ence on the reverse link) and the thermal noise.
cell interference.
• UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reverse link reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the reverse link reuse factor.
836
• DL Load Factor (%): The forward link load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (forward link average inter-
ference [due to transmitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area) ⁄ (forward link
average total noise [due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter
i area).
• DL Noise Rise (dB): The forward link noise rise is calculated from the forward link load factor. These data indicate
signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
• Total Transmitted DL Power (dBm): The total power transmitted on the forward link.
• DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used is determined by the total transmitted power-maximum power
ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set, the DL Load can not exceed the user-defined Max
DL Load (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation).
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on the forward and reverse links and indicates the number of users
connected to the cell on the forward and reverse links. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio
links.
• No. of Codes (128 bits): The average number of 128-bit Walsh codes used per cell.
• The types of handoff as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter. Atoll
only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2), softer-soft (2⁄3) and
soft-soft (3⁄3) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
• FCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
• SCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
• Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
• Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
• Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
uration, and Admission Rejection.
The Cells (Average - 1xEV-DO) and Cells (Standard Deviation - 1xEV-DO) tabs: The Cells (Average - 1xEV-DO) and Cells
(Standard Deviation - 1xEV-DO) tabs contain the following average and standard deviation information, respectively,
per site, transmitter, and 1xEV-DO carrier:
• UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link takes into account the total signal received at the trans-
mitter on a carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (total interfer-
ence on the reverse link) and the thermal noise.
cell interference.
• UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reverse link reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the reverse link reuse factor.
• Number of UL Radio Links: The number of radio links on the reverse link.
• Connection Success Rate (%): The percentage of connections that are successfully made.
• The types of handoff as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter. Atoll
only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (1⁄1), softer (1⁄2), soft (2⁄2), softer-soft (2⁄3) and
soft-soft (3⁄3) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
• UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The throughput on the forward and reverse links.
• No. of MAC Index: The number of MAC indexes used by the cell.
uration, Admission Rejection, and 1xEV-DO Resources Saturation.
• Whether the power values on the forward link are absolute or relative to the pilot
• The default reverse link soft handoff gain
• The method used to calculate Nt
837
• Whether the reverse link 1xRTT power control is based on the traffic quality or the pilot quality.
• The input parameters specified when creating the group of simulations:
• The reverse link and forward link convergence thresholds
• The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the reverse
link load factor and the maximum load

update values for each cell with the results calculated during the simulation. The following values are updated:
• UL Load Factor
• Total DL Power
b. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Simulations folder.
you want to access.
3. On the Cells tab, click Commit Results. The following values are updated for each cell:
• UL Load Factor
• Total DL Power.

input (radio, traffic, and simulation parameters) as those used to generate the group of simulations. It then generates
a new user distribution and performs the power control simulation.
distribution between simulations is different. Traffic parameter changes (such as maximum and minimum traffic
channel powers allowed, Eb/Nt thresholds, etc.) can be taken into account. Radio data modifications (new transmit-
ters, changes to the antenna azimuth, etc.) are always taken into account during the power control (or rate/power
control) simulation.
However, any modifications to traffic parameters (such as, maximum and minimum traffic channel powers allowed,
Eb⁄Nt thresholds, etc.) and radio data (new transmitter, azimuth, etc.) are taken into account during the power control
simulation.
838
eter changes make.
To create a new simulation to a group of simulations using the generator initialisation number, see "Adding a Simula-
tion to a Group of Simulations" on page 839.
To duplicate a group of simulations, see "Duplicating a Group of Simulations" on page 840.


To replay an existing group of simulations:

When replaying an existing group of simulations, most parameters used to calculate the
group of simulations are reused for the replayed group. Consequently, few parameters can
be changed for the replayed group.
• Select the level of detail that will be available in the output from the Information to retain list as explained in "Cre-
ating Simulations" on page 826.
• Under Load Constraints, you can set the constraints as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 826 that Atoll
must respect during the simulation.
traffic parameter changes (such as maximum and minimum traffic channel powers allowed, Eb/Nt thresholds, etc.) in
the replayed simulation.
839
• DL Convergence Threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
8. Click Run. Atoll immediately begins the simulation.
Creating a New Group of Simulations Using the Generator Initialisation Number
To create a new group of simulations using the generator initialisation number:

3. Select New from the context menu. The properties dialog box for a new group of simulations appears.
you want to use in this group of simulations. If you enter "0", the default, the user and shadowing error distribution
will be random. If you enter any other integer, the same user and shadowing error distribution will be used for any
simulation using the same generator initialisation value.
group of simulations by duplicating an existing one as explained in "Duplicating a Group
of Simulations" on page 840.
Duplicating a Group of Simulations
To duplicate an existing group of simulations:

3. Right-click the group of simulations you want to duplicate. The context menu appears.

When you create a group of simulations, you are basing it on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situation you are
creating the network for. However, traffic can, and in fact most likely will, increase. You can test the performance of the
network against an increased traffic load without changing traffic parameters or maps by using the global scaling factor. For
example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment and
user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
1. Create a group of simulations by:
• Creating a new group of simulations as described in "Creating Simulations" on page 826.
• Duplicating an existing group of simulations as described in "Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document" on
page 838.
3. Enter a Global Scaling Factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial
maps).
8.2.5 Analysing the Results of a Simulation

In Atoll, you have several methods available to help you analyse simulation results. You can make an active set analysis of a
real-time probe user or you can make a coverage prediction where each pixel is considered as a probe user with a defined
terminal, mobility, and service. The analyses are based on a single simulation or on an averaged group of simulations.
You can find information on the analysis methods in the following sections:
• "Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results" on page 841
840
8.2.5.1 Making an AS Analysis of Simulation Results

The Point Analysis window gives you information on reception for any point on the map. The AS Analysis view gives you infor-
mation on the pilot quality (Ec⁄I0) (which is the main parameter used to define the mobile active set), the connection status,
and the active set of the probe mobile. Analysis is based on the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power of
cells. In this case, these parameters can be either outputs of a given simulation, or average values calculated from a group of
simulations. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
Before you make an AS analysis:
• Ensure the simulation or group of simulations you want to use in the AS analysis is displayed on the map.
• Replay the simulation or group of simulations you want to use if you have modified radio parameters since you made
the simulation.
The AS analysis does not take possible network saturation into account. Therefore, there
is no guarantee that a simulated mobile with the same receiver characteristics can verify
the point analysis, simply because the simulated network can be saturated.
To make an AS analysis of simulation results:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears.
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select the simulation or group of simulations you want to base the AS analysis on
from the Load Conditions list.
4. Select the Terminal, Service, Mobility, Carrier, and DL and UL Throughputs.
5. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
6. Select or clear the following options:
• Whether shadowing is to be taken into account (and, if so, the cell edge coverage probability).
• Whether indoor coverage is to be taken into account.
7. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 8.24
on page 785).
Information on the current position is given in the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 8.25 on
8.2.5.2 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results

When no simulations are available, Atoll uses the reverse link load factor, the total forward link power defined for each cell
to make coverage predictions. For information on cell properties, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 728; for informa-
tion on modifying cell properties, see "Cell Definition" on page 724.
Once you have made simulations, Atoll can use this information instead of the defined parameters in the cell properties to
make coverage predictions where each pixel is considered as a probe user with a terminal, mobility, profile, and service. For
each coverage prediction based on simulation results, you can base the coverage prediction on a selected simulation or on a
group of simulations, choosing either an average analysis of all simulations in the group or a statistical analysis based on a
defined probability.
• Coverage predictions on the pilot or on a service:
• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL): For information on making a Pilot Quality Analysis, see "Studying Pilot Signal Quality"
on page 766.
841
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL): For information on making a coverage prediction on the forward link service
area, see "Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 768 or "Studying the Forward
Link EV-DO Throughput" on page 769.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL): For information on making a coverage prediction on the reverse link service
area, see "Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 768 or "Studying 1xEV-DO
Reverse Link Service Area (Eb⁄Nt)" on page 770.
• Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL): For information on making a pilot pollution coverage analysis,
see "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 772.
• Coverage predictions on noise and interference:
• Coverage by Total Noise Level (DL): For information on making a forward link total noise coverage prediction, see
"Studying Forward Link Total Noise" on page 774.
• Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL): For information on making a pilot pollution coverage analysis, see "Studying Pilot
Pollution" on page 775.
• A handoff status coverage prediction to analyse macro-diversity performance:
• Handoff Zones (DL): For information on making a handoff status coverage prediction, see "Making a Handoff
Status Coverage Prediction" on page 777.
The procedures for the coverage predictions assume that simulation results are not available. When no simulations are avail-
able, you select "(Cells Table)" from the Load Conditions list, on the Conditions tab. However, when simulations are available
you can base the coverage prediction on one simulation or a group of simulations.
2. From the Load Conditions list, select the simulation or group of simulations on which you want to base the coverage
prediction.
3. If you select a group of simulations from the Load Conditions list, select one of the following:
• All: Select All to make a statistical analysis of all simulations based on the defined Probability (the probability must
be from 0 to 1). This will make a global analysis of all simulations in a group and with an evaluation of the network
stability in terms of fluctuations in traffic.
• Average: Select Average make the coverage prediction on the average of the simulations in the group.

Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) enables radio engineers designing CDMA networks to automatically calculate the optimal
stage of a CDMA network by enabling the selection of the antenna, and its azimuth, height, and mechanical tilt. ACP not only
transmitters.
suggested changes.
how you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to CDMA networks are explained:
• "CDMA2000 Optimisation Objectives" on page 842
• "CDMA2000 Quality Parameters" on page 843
• "CDMA2000 Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 844.
8.3.1 CDMA2000 Optimisation Objectives

842
Atoll. In projects using CDMA2000, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following objectives are proposed
by default:
• CDMA 1xRTT Coverage
• CDMA 1xRTT EcIo
• CDMA 1xEv-DO Coverage
• CDMA 1xEv-DO EcIo
• CDMA 1xRTT Pilot Pollution
• CDMA 1xRTT Soft Handover
• CDMA 1xRTT 1st-Nth Difference
• CDMA 1xEv-DO 1st-Nth Difference
• Custom Coverage
8.3.2 CDMA2000 Quality Parameters

defined in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own predictions.
However, if you have saved the display options of an ACP prediction as default, or if you are using a configuration file for ACP,
these defined ranges and colours will be used as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage prediction.
In projects using CDMA2000, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following Quality parameters are
proposed in the Pixel Rules frame of the objectives’ properties pages:
• Signal level
• EcIo
• Overlap
To define the quality parameters for CDMA:
1. Open the dialog box used to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an Optimisation Setup" on page 1783.
3. Under Parameters, expand CDMA.
4. Click on Signal Level to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
5. Click on EcIo to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by Ec⁄Io.
uate the coverage by Ec⁄Io using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of Ec⁄Io through gain and losses (i.e., the
843
margin.
Since there is no coverage prediction type in Atoll equivalent to ACP’s CDMA 1xRTT 1st-Nth Difference and
CDMA Ev-DO 1st-Nth Difference objectives, the parameters recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll predic-
tion are limited to the minimum signal level and the prediction shading. The number of servers must always
be specified manually next to No. servers.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the CDMA 1xRTT 1st-Nth Difference
and CDMA Ev-DO 1st-Nth Difference objectives. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Differ-
ence" quality parameter will be automatically selected by default in the Quality column of the CDMA 1xRTT 1st-
Nth Difference and CDMA Ev-DO 1st-Nth Difference properties pages.
8.3.3 CDMA2000 Quality Analysis Predictions

The quality analysis predictions enable you to display the signal level and Ec⁄Io quality predictions in the Atoll map window.
These predictions are the same as those displayed on the Quality tab of the optimisation’s Properties dialog box.

Signal Level Coverage by Signal Level (DL) (1)

EcIo Pilot Quality Analysis (DL) (2)

"Ec/Io (dB)"

"Number of Servers"
(1) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 754.
(2) For more information, see "Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths" on page 852.
• You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the pilot pollution analysis.
• Multiple-carrier optimisation is supported in CDMA. However the predictions are provided separately for each carrier.
844
You can view the exact signal level and Ec⁄Io values on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The signal level or
Ec⁄Io value is then displayed in tip text.
• Specify a best server threshold:
• or by setting the param.cdma.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] sec-
tion of the ACP.ini file.
• Specify a threshold margin:
• or by setting the param.cdma.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final state.

Data
An important step in the process of creating a CDMA2000 network is to analyse the network’s performance using drive test
data. This is done using measurements of the strength of the pilot signal and other parameters in different locations within
the area covered by the network. This collection of measurements is called a drive test data path.
network.

FMT).
• Information that identifies scanned cells (for example, serving cells, neighbour cells, or any other cells). Cells may be
identified by their IDs or PN offsets.
The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the PN offset group and the PN offset are placed before
the data columns for each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be able to properly import the file.
845
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. if several configurations are associ-
desired.
846
d. If you are importing data that uses the ID as cell identifier:

ii. In the By ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name that identifies the cell Ids of scanned cells.
For example, if the string "Cell_ID" is found in the column names that identify the cell ID of scanned cells, enter
it here. Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name.
e. If you are importing data that uses the PN offset as cell identifier:
i. Under Server identification, select By PN offset.
ii. In the PN offset identifier box, enter a string that is found in the column names identifying the PN offset of
scanned cells. For example, if the string "PN" is found in the column names identifying the PN offset of scanned
cells, enter it here. Atoll then searches for columns with this string in the column name.
iii. In the PN offset format list, select the PN offset format, "Decimal" or "Hexadecimal."
iv. In the PN offset group identifier box, enter a string that must be found in the column names identifying the
PN offset group of scanned cells. For example, if the string "PN_Group" is found in the column names identi-
fying the PN offset group of scanned cells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for columns with this string in
the column name.
If there is no PN offset group information contained in the drive test data file, leave the PN offset group iden-
tifier box empty.
v. If you are importing drive test data for a specific carrier, select the carrier for which you are importing the drive
test data in the Carrier number list. If you are importing drive test data for more than one carrier, select "All".
847
If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the table in
the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure that each
column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly interpreted. The
default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with "<Ignore>", it will not
be imported.
figuration:
c. Enter a Configuration Name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
select this import configuration from the Configuration list.
• When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file
by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration
to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate
configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom
of the dialog box.
data are imported into the current Atoll document.

you can select individual drive test data points to see information about the active set at that location.
displayed.
4. Click and hold the drive test data point on which you want active set information. Atoll displays an arrow pointing
towards the serving cells (see Figure 8.51 on page 855), with a number identifying the server as numbered in the drive
test data. If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and the arrow are displayed in the same
colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Automatic," see "Defining the Display
Type" on page 48.

displayed according to any available attribute. You can also use the Display dialog box to manage permanent labels on the
map, tip texts and the legend. In other words, the display of measurement path are managed in the same way as sites, trans-
mitters, etc.
848
3. Right-click the drive test data path whose display you want to manage. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu,
In addition, you can display points by more than one criterion at a time using the Advanced option in the Display Type list.
When you select Advanced from the Display Type list, a dialog box opens in which you can define the following display for
each single point of the measurement path:
• a symbol size according to any attribute.
You can, for example, display a signal level in a certain colour, choose a symbol type for Transmitter 1 (a circle, triangle, cross,
etc.) and a symbol size according to the altitude.
• Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
• You can not use Advanced Display if the Fast Display check box has been selected.

The imported drive test data is used to verify the CDMA network. To improve the relevance of the data, Atoll allows you to
filter out incompatible or inaccurate points. You can then compare the imported measurements with previously calculated
coverage predictions.

When using a drive test data path, some measured points may present values that are too far outside of the median values
to be useful. As well, test paths may include test points in areas that are not representative of the drive test data path as a
whole. For example, a test path that includes two heavily populated areas might also include test points from the more lightly
populated region between the two.
2. In the Network explorer, right-click the drive test data on which you want to filter out incompatible points:
the drive test path.
4. In the Per Clutter window, under Filter, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to filter out. Only the
849
5. If you want to keep the measurement points inside the focus zone, select the Use focus zone to filter check box.
6. If you want to permanently remove the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete Points Outside Filter
check box.
If you permenantly delete measurement points and later want to use them, you will have to re-import the original
measurement data.
• Only one Drive Test Data path: Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
b. Under Values to Include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next
a. In the Column row, select the name of the column to be filtered on from the list. Select as many columns as you
want (see Figure 8.47).
b. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the follow-
ing table:
Formula Data are kept in the table only if

*X text objects which end with X
850
Filters are combined first horizontally, then vertically. For more information on how filters work, see "Advanced Data
You can permanently delete the points that do not fulfil the filter conditions by selecting
the Delete points outside the filter check box.
8. Click OK to apply the filter and close the dialog box.
8.4.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points

(see Figure 8.48).
Figure 8.49: Selecting measured signal levels for which errors will be calculated
predicted values.
851
Figure 8.50: Drive Test Data table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with error calculations)

• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (DL)
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) (UL)
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be calculated. Under Server, you can
select whether to calculate the signal level from all transmitters, or only the best or second-best signal. If you
choose to calculate the best or second-best signal, you can enter a Margin. If you select the Shadowing taken
into account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability. You can select the Indoor Cover-
age check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class. Finally, you can
select the Carrier to be studied.
• Pilot Quality Analysis (DL): Click the Conditions tab.
Conditions. In this case, Atoll calculates the coverage prediction using the UL load factor and the DL total
• If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
per clutter class.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) Downlink: Click the Conditions tab.
852
taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
per clutter class.
• Service Area Analysis (Eb⁄Nt) Uplink: Click the Conditions tab.
taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
per clutter class.
prediction.
agation Models).

appears.
9. Click OK.
853

appears.
9. Click OK.
You can extract the information from a specific field for a given transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path.
The extracted information will be added to a new column in the drive test data table.
7. Select the check box beside the field you want extract for the selected transmitter.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.

4. Select Open the Analysis Tool from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window appears (see Figure 8.51).
854

• Click the points on the drive test path in the map window.
855
tifying the best server (see Figure 8.51 on page 855). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number
and the arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to
"Automatic," see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
ways:
• Zoom in or out:


a. Select one or more transmitters from the For the Transmitters list.
b. Select the field that contains the information that you want to export to CW measurements from the For the Fields
list.
856
6. Under CW Measurement Creation Parameters:

a. Enter the Min. Number of Points to Extract per Measurement Path. CW measurements are not created for trans-

page 855).
8.5 Co-planning CDMA Networks with Other Networks

network scenarios can be designed for any given area: a country, a region, a city, etc. For example, you can design a CDMA
and a GSM network for the same area in Atoll, and then work with Atoll’s co-planning features to study the mutual impacts
of the two networks.
Manual.
• "Creating a CDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 875
857

Before starting a co-planning project, you must have two networks designed for a given area, i.e., you must have a CDMA Atoll
document and another Atoll document for the other network. Atoll switches to co-planning mode as soon as the two docu-
ments are linked together. In the following sections, the CDMA document will be referred to as the main document, and the
other document as the linked document. Atoll does not establish any restriction on which is the main document and which is
the linked document.

a. Click the main document’s map window. The main document’s map window becomes active and the Explorer win-
d. Click Open.
The Explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where
are now available.
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll syncronises the display for the following:
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 858, transmitters and
predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders
from the Explorer window of the linked document to the Explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in a CDMA document).
1. Click the linked document’s map window. The linked document’s map window becomes active and the Explorer
opens.
858
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The Explorer window of the main document
Clutter classes, Traffic, and DTM, etc., in the other document.
ments. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not auto-
matically taken into account in the linked document.
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main document’s Explorer window, and the linked
linked item in the Explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
Explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the Explorer window, see "Working with Layers
Figure 8.53 shows an example of CDMA transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM transmitter
data displayed in tip text.
Figure 8.53: GSM and CDMA Transmitters displayed on the map

networks.

You can access the properties of the coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder in the main document’s Explorer
859

1. Click the main document’s map window. The main document’s map window becomes active and the Explorer window
8. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar.

on page 232.
• Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar.


you want to analyse. You can select which coverage predictions to display or to hide by selecting or clearing the display check
box. For information on managing the display, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on
page 42.

860
The recommended process for analysing coverage areas, and the effect of parameter modifications in one on the other, is as
follows:
Prediction by Transmitter" on page 756 and "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 752.
5. Optimise the main network by changing parameters such as antenna azimuth and tilt or the pilot power.


You can compare coverage predictions by by placing the pointer over an area of the coverage prediction to read the informa-
tion displayed in the tip text. Atoll displays information for all displayed coverage predictions in both the working and the
linked documents. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab when you created the
coverage prediction (step 3. of "Co-Planning Coverage Analysis Process" on page 860).

You can compare the coverage areas of the main and linked documents by overlaying coverage predictions in the map
window.
861

map window. The coverage prediction is dislayed on the map.
coverage prediction is dislayed on the map.
Explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the Explorer window, see "Working with Layers

the linked coverage prediction you want to compare with the coverage prediction of the main document. The Com-
parison Properties dialog box opens.
7. Click OK.
tions folder.

planning. For example, handovers between a CDMA and a GSM network can be studied in Atoll by allocating neighbour GSM
sectors to CDMA cells.
862


ble appears.

d. Atoll fills the Number and Distance (m) fields automatically.
appears.

863
4. Select Neighbours > Inter-technology > Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box
appears.
• Outwards Non-Symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main docu-
• Inwards Non-Symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each transmitter/cell in the
• Symmetric Links: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main document that has
appears.
on the map. Exceptional pairs will remain displayed until you click the Visual Management button again.
The exceptional pair links can be displayed even if you do not have neighbours allocated. If you select the Display Links check
box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both intra- and inter-technology exceptional pairs on the map.

2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds both transmitters to
2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes both
864

2. Press SHIFT and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the


sons.
neighbours.
865

Atoll can automatically determine handover relations between networks of different technologies, for example, CDMA and
GSM. In this case, inter-technology handovers from CDMA to GSM may occur when the CDMA coverage is not continuous.
The network’s overall coverage is extended by a CDMA-to-GSM handover. Atoll can automatically determine neighbours in
the linked document for cells in the main document and vice versa. Inter-technology neighbours are stored in the database.
By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can prevent Atoll from allocating inter-tech-
nology neighbours to cells located on sites where the equipment does not support the
compressed mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
6. Define the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour in the Max Inter-site Distance box.
Manual.
7. Define the maximum number of inter-technology neighbours that can be allocated to a cell in the Max Number of
Neighbours box. This value can be either set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table.
8. Clear the Use coverage conditions check box to base neighbour allocation on a distance criterion and go to next step.
Or select the Use coverage conditions check box to base neighbour allocation on coverage conditions, as follows:
a. When the Use coverage conditions check box is selected, you can click the Define button to change the coverage
conditions for the cells in the main document. The CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box appears.
In the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
• Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used in the calculation of cells’ coverage areas during automatic neigh-
bour allocation.
• Min. Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell.
• Max Ec/Io: You can select this check box and specify a maximum Ec/Io that the reference cell must not exceed.
• Indoor coverage: If desired, select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are
b. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialog box.
c. Click the Define button to change the coverage conditions for the transmitters/cells in the linked document.
If the linked document is a GSM document, the GSM Coverage Conditions dialog box appears:
bour allocation.
• Global reception threshold: You can select this check box and enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be
provided by GSM transmitters.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select this check box and add indoor losses. These are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
866
bour allocation.
• Shadowing Taken into Account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a
Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are
d. Click OK to save your modifications and close the Coverage Conditions dialog box.
e. In the % Min. Covered Area box, enter the minimum percentage of the cell’s coverage area that the neighbour’s
coverage area should also cover to be considered as a neighbour.
9. On the right-hand side of the dialog box, define the following:
• Co-sites as neighbours: Select this check box to include the co-site transmitters/cells in the neighbour list of the
CDMA cell. The check box is automatically selected when the neighbour allocation is based on distance.
list of the CDMA cell.
• Delete existing neighbours: Selecting this check box to delete all existing neighbours in the neighbours list and
perform a new neighbour allocation. If the check box is not selected, Atoll keeps the existing neighbours in the list.
11. Once the calculations finish, Atoll displays the list of neighbours in the Results section. The results include the names
of the neighbours, the number of neighbours of each cell, and the reason they are included in the neighbours list. The
reasons include:

Exceptional pairs
is selected
is selected
Distance

is selected
Existing
to assign to cells.
14. Click Close.
867

appears.
3. Select Display Options from the menu. The Edit Relations on the Map dialog box appears.
• Outwards Non-Symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour
• Inwards Non-Symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each transmitter/cell in the linked document that has a
neighbour defined with a cell in the main document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the
same colour as the transmitter in the linked document.
• Symmetric Links: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour defined with a
appears.
the map. Neighbours are displayed until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again.
If you select the Display Links check box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both inter-technology and intra-
technology neighbours on the map. The figure below shows the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of the transmitter
Site22_2.
868

• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Inter-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 869
• "Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table" on page 870
• "Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map" on page 871.

869

dialog box.
Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table

appears.

870

Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map
dialog box.

871
bours.

Atoll calculates the importance for inter-technology neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone.
3. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
Manual.
a. Click the first Define button to open the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box and change these parameters:
bour allocation.
872
• Max Ec/Io: If desired, select this check box and enter the max Ec/Io that the reference cell must not exceed.
• Indoor Coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. These are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
bour allocation.
• Global Reception Threshold: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be provided by the GSM transmitter.
per clutter class.
bour allocation.
per clutter class.
possible neighbour in the Max Inter-site Distance box.
Manual.
calculated.
• Co-site
• Symmetry
• Coverage
873
• Distance: If you calculated neighbour importance using inter-site distance, Atoll gives the distance in kilometres
between the reference cell and the neighbour.
• Coverage: If you calculated neighbour importance using coverage overlapping, Atoll gives the amount of refer-
ence transmitter’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square kilometres.

in the audit.
• Full Lists: Select the Full Lists check box if you want to verify which cells have the maximum number of neighbours
set here for all transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells table.
• Lists > Max Number: Select the Lists > Max Number check box if you want to verify which cells have more than
the maximum number of neighbours allowed. The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all
transmitters, or specified for each transmitter in the Cells table
bours.
audited.
Syntax: |CELL|
If the field Maximum number of inter-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty,
874


Atoll document.
8.5.4 Creating a CDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network

2. In the map window, right-click the linked transmitter based on which you want to create a new CDMA transmitter.
document as well.
3. Right-click the Transmitters folder of the main document. The context menu appears.
4. Select Apply Current Configuration from the context menu.
875
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas or remote antennas are not
included when you select Apply Configuration and have to be set up manually.

co-planning projects where networks using different technologies, for example, CDMA and GSM, must both be taken into
consideration.

process.
have just created.

4. Right-click the setup you created in "Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup" on page 876. The context menu
appears.
876

• Right-click the setup in the ACP - Automatic Cell Planning folder and select Run from the context menu to run the
optimisation. For information on running the optimisation, see "Running an Optimisation Setup" on page 1825. For
information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results" on page 1829.

the other document.
3. Select File > Unlink to unlink the documents and end co-planning mode.

• "Defining Inter-carrier Interference" on page 877
• "Defining Carrier Types" on page 879
• "The Global Network Settings" on page 879
• "Throughputs Available for Services in CDMA" on page 880
• "The 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers" on page 881
• "Site Equipment" on page 882
• "Receiver Equipment" on page 883
• "Conditions for Entering the Active Set" on page 884
• "Creating PN Offset Domains and Groups for PN Offset Allocation" on page 886
8.6.1 Defining Inter-carrier Interference

If you want Atoll to take into account the interference between two carriers, you must create a carrier pair with an interfer-
ence reduction factor. Atoll will take the interference reduction factor into account on both the reverse link and the forward
link.
877
To create a pair of carriers with an interference reduction factor:

4. In the Frequencies folder, right-click Inter-carrier Interference Reduction Factors. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Inter-carrier Interference Reduction Factors table appears.
6. For each carrier pair for which you want define inter-carrier interference:
a. Enter the first carrier of the pair in the 1st Carrier column.
b. Enter the second carrier of the pair in the 2nd Carrier column.
c. Enter an interference reduction factor in the Reduction Factor (dB) column. When Atoll is calculating interfer-
ence, it subtracts the interference reduction factor from the calculated interference. If the interference reduction
factor is set to "0," Atoll assumes that the carriers in the defined pair generate as much interference as cells with
the same carrier interference.
The interference reduction factor must be a positive value.
For every pair of carriers that is not defined, Atoll assumes that there is no inter-carrier interference.
d. Press ENTER to create the carrier pair and to create a new row in the table.

To define a frequency band:
5. Select Open Table. The Frequency Bands table appears.
6. In the Frequency Bands table, enter one frequency band per row. For information on working with data tables, see
"Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For each frequency band, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency, for example, "Band 1900." This name will appear in other dialog boxes
• Bandwidth (MHz): Enter the bandwidth for each carrier in the frequency band.
• DL Start Frequency (MHz): Enter the downlink start frequency.
• First Carrier: Enter the number of the first carrier in this frequency band.
• Last Carrier: Enter the number of the last carrier in this frequency band. If this frequency band has only one carrier,
enter the same number as entered in the First Carrier field.
• Step: Enter the step between any two consecutive carrier numbers in the frequency band.
• Excluded Carriers: Enter the carrier numbers which do not belong to the frequency band. You can enter non-con-
secutive carrier numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of carrier numbers separating the first
and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
When you have more than one frequency band, the carriers must be numbered
sequentially, contiguously (i.e., you cannot skip numbers in a range of carriers, and the
range of carriers in one band cannot overlap the range of carriers in another), and
uniquely (i.e., you can only use each number once).
For example: Band 1900: First carrier: 0; Last carrier 1 and Band 700: First carrier: 2 and
Last carrier: 2
For example, if you wish to define the 1900 MHz Band and the corresponding CDMA channel numbers (25, 50, 75), you can
set:
• Name: 1900 MHz
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• First carrier: 25
• Last carrier: 75
• Step: 25
8.6.3 Defining Carrier Types

To define CDMA carrier types:
4. In the Frequencies folder, right-click Carrier Types. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Carrier Types table appears.
6. In the Carrier Types table, define which carriers are 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO. For information on working with data tables,
7. When you have finished defining carriers types, click the Close button ( ).

In the Network Settings Properties dialog box, you can define many calculation parameters that are used in predictions and
in Monte Carlo simulations.
This section explains the options available in the Network Settings Properties dialog box, and explains how to access the
dialog box:
• "The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 879
8.6.4.1 The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box

The Network Settings Properties dialog box has two tabs: the Global Parameters Tab and the Calculation Parameters tab.
• "The Global Parameters Tab" on page 879
• "The Calculation Parameters Tab" on page 880
8.6.4.1.1 The Global Parameters Tab

The Global Parameters tab has the following options:
• DL Powers: Under DL Powers, you can define whether the power values on the forward link are Absolute or Relative
to Pilot. The power values affected are the synchronisation power and the paging power defined in the cell properties
and the TCH power in 1xRTT and Speech service properties. Atoll automatically converts the power values defined in
the cell properties (i.e., synchronisation channel and paging powers) when changing the option. On the other hand,
the values for the TCH powers have to be modified manually.
• DL Load: Under DL Load, you can define whether the total power values on the forward link are Absolute or a per-
centage of the maximum power (% Pmax). Atoll automatically converts the total power values when changing the
option.
• UL 1xRTT Power Control Based On: Under UL 1xRTT Power Control Based On, you can define whether the reverse
link power control for the 1xRTT network is based on Traffic Quality or Pilot Quality.
• Interferences: Under Interferences, you can define the method used to calculate interference on the forward link
(Nt):
studied cell.
• Handoff: Under Handoff, you can define the parameters used to model soft handoff on the reverse link.
• Default UL Macro-Diversity Gain: You can set a default value for the reverse link gain due to macro-diversity on
soft and soft-soft handoffs. If you clear the Shadowing taken into account check box on the Conditions tab when
defining a coverage prediction or during a point analysis, Atoll uses this value. If you select the Shadowing taken
into account check box on the Conditions tab, Atoll calculates the reverse link macro-diversity gain, based on the
standard deviation value of Eb⁄Nt on the reverse link defined per clutter class.
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• +MRC in Softer/Soft: If you select the +MRC (maximal ratio combining) in Softer/Soft check box, Atoll selects the
serving cell during a softer/soft handoff by recombining the signal of co-site transmitters and multiplying the
resulting signal by the rake efficiency factor and then comparing this value to the signal received at transmitters
located on the other sites of the active set. Atoll chooses the greatest value and multiplies it by the macro-diver-
sity gain.
8.6.4.1.2 The Calculation Parameters Tab

The Calculation Parameters tab has the following options:
• Calculation limitation: Under Calculation limitation, you can define the following data:
• Min. interferer reception threshold: This value is used by Atoll to limit the input of interferers in calculations. The
performance of CDMA-specific coverage predictions and Monte Carlo simulations can be improved by setting a
high value for the minimum interferer reception threshold. This value is used as a filter criterion on the signal level
received from interferers. Atoll will discard all interferers with a signal level lower than this value.
• Default min. pilot RSCP threshold: The default minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the
cell. The pilot RSCP is compared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the
cell.
A minimum pilot RSCP threshold can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties
dialog box or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific minimum pilot RSCP threshold will
be used instead of the value entered here.
• Receiver: Under Receiver, you can enter the Height of the receiver.

You can change global network settings in the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
To change global network settings:
4. Modify the parameters described in "The Options of the Network Settings Properties dialog box" on page 879.
5. Click OK.
8.6.5 Throughputs Available for Services in CDMA

The different services offered by a CDMA network require different throughputs. CDMA responds to the differing throughput
requirements with a range of carriers. For example, CDMA2000 can provide voice using 1xRTT. Data services, which require
higher throughputs than voice, can be provided using 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 or Rev. A.
The following table gives the throughputs available for voice, 1xRTT, and 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 and Rev. A.
Service Reverse Link Forward Link
Speech N FCH * N FCH
1xRTT Data N FCH N FCH
3 X N FCH 3 X N FCH
5 X N FCH 5 X N FCH
For 1xRTT, N FCH can be 9.6 or
14.4 kbps on either the forward or 9 X N FCH 9 X N FCH
reverse link.
17 X N FCH 17 X N FCH
1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data 9.6 38.4
19.2 76.8
38.4 153.6
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Service Reverse Link Forward Link

76.8 307.6
153.6 614.4
921.6
1228.8
1843.2
2457.6
1xEV-DO Rev. A Data 4.8 4.8
9.6 9.6
19.2 19.2
38.4 38.4
76.8 76.8
115.2 115.2
153.6 153.6
230.4 230.4
307.2 307.2
460.8 460.8
614.4 614.4
921.6 921.6
1228.8 1228.8
1848.2 1848.2
2457.6
3072.0
* N FCH is the peak throughput of FCH.
8.6.6 The 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers

In Atoll, the throughputs available for 1xEV-DO Rev. A and 1xEV-DO Rev. B based services are modelled using radio bearers.
The 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers tables list the 1xEV-DO radio bearers with their peak RLC throughput, index numbers, and trans-
port block size.You must define 1xEV-DO radio bearers before you can model services using them.
• "Defining the Forward Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers" on page 881
• "Defining the Reverse Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers" on page 882.
8.6.6.1 Defining the Forward Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers

The Downlink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers table lists the different transport block sizes that can be transmitted in one timeslot
and the corresponding peak RLC throughputs.
To create or modify a 1xEV-DO forward link radio bearer:
4. In the Radio Bearers folder, right-click Downlink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Downlink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers table appears.
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6. In the Downlink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers table, you can enter or modify the following fields:
• Radio Bearer Index: You can modify the index number of the radio bearer. This index number is used to identify
the 1xEV-DO forward link radio bearer. If you are creating a new 1xEV-DO forward link radio bearer, enter an index
number in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
• Transport Block Size (bits): Enter or modify the packet size in bits transmitted in one timeslot.
• Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): Enter or modify the peak RLC throughput in kbits per second.
8.6.6.2 Defining the Reverse Link 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers

The Uplink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer table lists the different transport block sizes that can be transmitted in one subframe (i.e.,
4 timeslots) and the corresponding peak RLC throughputs.
To create or modify a 1xEV-DO reverse link radio bearer:
4. In the Radio Bearers folder, right-click Uplink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Uplink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearers table appears.
6. In the Uplink 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer table, you can enter or modify the following fields:
• Radio Bearer Index: You can modify the index number of the radio bearer. This index number is used to identify
the 1xEV-DO reverse link radio bearer. If you are creating a new 1xEV-DO reverse link radio bearer, enter an index
number in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
• Transport Block Size (bits): Enter or modify the packet size in bits transmitted in one subframe (4 timeslots).
• Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): Enter or modify the peak RLC throughput in kbits per second.
8.6.7 Site Equipment

• "Creating Site Equipment" on page 882
• "Defining Channel Element Consumption per CDMA Site Equipment and Radio Configuration" on page 883.
8.6.7.1 Creating Site Equipment

To create a new piece of CDMA site equipment:
4. Right-click Site Equipment. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Site Equipment table appears.
6. In the Equipment table, each row describes a piece of equipment. For information on working with data tables, see
"Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For the new piece of CDMA equipment you are creating, enter the following:
• Name: The name you enter will be the one used to identify this piece of equipment.
• Manufacturer: The name of the manufacturer of this piece of equipment.
• MUD Factor: Multi-User Detection (MUD) is a technology used to decrease intra-cell interference on the reverse
link. MUD is modelled by a coefficient from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in the reverse link interference calcu-
lation. In case MUD is not supported by equipment, enter 0 as value.
• Rake Factor: This factor enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on the reverse link. Atoll uses this factor to cal-
culate the reverse link signal quality in simulations, point analysis and coverage predictions. This parameter is con-
sidered on the reverse link for softer and softer-softer handoffs; it is applied to the sum of signals received on the
same site. The factor value can be from 0 to 1. It models losses due to the imperfection of signal recombination.
You can define the rake efficiency factor used to model the recombination on the forward
link in terminal properties.
• Carrier Selection: Carrier selection refers to the carrier selection method used during the transmitter admission
control in the mobile active set. The selected strategy is used in simulations when no carrier is specified in the
properties of the service (when all the carriers can be used for the service) or when the carrier specified for the
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service is not used by the transmitter. On the other hand, the specified carrier selection mode is always taken into
account in coverage predictions (AS analysis and coverage predictions). Choose one of the following:
• Min. UL Load Factor: The carrier with the minimum reverse link noise (carrier with the lowest reverse link load
factor) is selected.
• Min. DL Total Power: The carrier with the minimum forward link total power is selected.
• Random: The carrier is randomly chosen.
• Sequential: Carriers are sequentially loaded. The first carrier is selected as long as it is not overloaded. Then,
when the maximum reverse link load factor is reached, the second carrier is chosen and so on.
• Downlink and Uplink Overhead Resources for Common Channels/Cell: The reverse link and forward link over-
head resources for common channels/cell correspond to the number of channel elements that a cell uses for
common channels in the forward and the reverse link. This setting is also used for Walsh code allocation; it indi-
cates the number of Walsh codes to be allocated to control channels per cell.
• AS Restricted to Neighbours: Select this option if you want the other transmitters in the active set to belong to
the neighbour list of the best server.
• Pool of Shared CEs: Select this option if you want all cells on the site to share channel elements.
• Power Pooling Between Transmitters: Select this option if you want all cells on the site to share power on the
traffic channels.
8.6.7.2 Defining Channel Element Consumption per CDMA Site Equipment and
Radio Configuration
The number of channel elements consumed by a user depends on the site equipment, on the radio configuration, and the link
direction (forward or reverse). The number of channel elements consumed can be defined for CDMA simulations.
To define channel element consumption during CDMA simulations:
4. Right-click CE Consumption. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The CE Consumption table appears.
6. For each equipment-radio configuration pair, enter in the CE Consumption table the number of reverse link and for-
ward link channel elements that Atoll will consume during the power control simulation.
8.6.8 Receiver Equipment

• "Setting Receiver Height" on page 883
• "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 883.
8.6.8.1 Setting Receiver Height

When you make CDMA coverage predictions, you can define the height of the receiver.
To define the height of the receiver:
4. Click the Calculation Parameters tab.
5. Under Receiver, enter a Height. This value will be used when calculating a CDMA coverage predictions and during a
point analysis.
6. Click OK.
8.6.8.2 Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment

In Atoll, reception equipment is used when you create a terminal. The graphs defined for each reception equipment entry are
used for quality coverage predictions and for selecting 1xEV-DO radio bearers.
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To create or modify reception equipment:

3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Reception Equipment folder.
4. Double-click the reception equipment type you want to modify. The reception equipment type’s Properties dialog box
appears.
You can create a new reception equipment type by entering a name in the row marked
with the New Row icon ( ) and pressing ENTER.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
7. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Service. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
The DL and UL Quality Indicator tables describe the variation of the quality indicator as a function of the measured
parameter (as defined in the Quality Indicators table). The Uplink and Downlink Quality Graphs are used for quality
coverage predictions.
8. Click the 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer Selection (Downlink) tab.
9. Enter the Required C⁄I (dB), the Modulation used (you can choose between QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM, or 64QAM) and the
Early Termination Probabilities for each Radio Bearer Index, with Mobility and No. of Slots. The radio bearer index
with the number of timeslots and the modulation indicates the downlink transmission format.
The Required C/I values are used in simulations and in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) coverage prediction to
select the downlink 1xEV-DO radio bearer and then to calculate the throughput provided on downlink. A downlink
1xEV-DO radio bearer is selected only if the user terminal supports the modulation required by the radio bearer. 1xEV-
DO Rev. A-capable terminals support 16QAM modulation while 1xEV-DO Rev. B-capable terminals can support
16QAM and 64QAM modulations.
The Early Termination Probabilities are used in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) coverage prediction to calculate
the average 1xEV-DO throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
10. Click the 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer Selection (Uplink) tab.
11. Enter the following for each Radio Bearer Index with Mobility and No. of Subframes:
• Required Ec⁄Nt (High Capacity) (dB): The Ec/Nt required for services with high capacity uplink mode.
• Required Ec⁄Nt (Low Latency) (dB): Ec/Nt required for services with low latency uplink mode.
• Early Termination Probabilities
• Modulation: The modulation used. You can choose between QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM or 64QAM.
The Required Ec/Nt values are used in simulations and in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) coverage prediction
to select the uplink 1xEV-DO radio bearer and then to calculate the throughput provided on uplink. An uplink 1xEV-DO
radio bearer is selected only if the user terminal supports the modulation required by the radio bearer. 1xEV-DO
Rev. A-capable terminals support 16QAM modulation while 1xEV-DO Rev. B-capable terminals support the 16QAM
and 64QAM modulations. The Early Termination Probabilities are used in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) cover-
age prediction to calculate the average 1xEV-DO throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
8.6.9 Conditions for Entering the Active Set

The mobile active set is the list of the transmitters to which the mobile is connected. The active set may consist of one or more
transmitters; depending on whether the service supports soft handoff and on the terminal active set size. Transmitters in the
mobile active set must use a frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and the same carrier. In addition, the pilot
signal level received from these transmitters must exceed the defined minimum RSCP threshold.
It is, however, the quality of the pilot (Ec⁄I0) that finally determines whether or not a transmitter can belong to the active set.
In order for a given transmitter to enter the mobile active set as best server, the quality of this transmitter’s pilot must be the
highest one and it must exceed an upper threshold equal to the sum of the minimum Ec/Io defined in the properties of the
best serving cell and the Delta minimum Ec/Io defined in the properties of the mobility type. The upper threshold is set for
the carrier as defined in the cell properties and can also take into account the user mobility type if the Delta minimum Ec/Io
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defined in the mobility type is different from 0. The carrier used by the transmitters in the active set corresponds to the best
carrier of the best server. For information on best carrier selection, see the Technical Reference Guide.
In order for a transmitter to enter the active set:
• It must use the same carrier as the best server transmitter. In Atoll, carriers are modelled using cells. For information
on accessing cell properties, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 728. For a description of the properties of a
cell, see "Cell Definition" on page 724.
• The pilot quality of the transmitter must exceed a threshold. The threshold depends both on the type of carrier and
the mobility type. It is equal to the sum of T_Drop defined in the properties of the best server and the Delta T_Drop
defined in the properties of the mobility type.
• If you have selected to restrict the active set to neighbours, the transmitter must be a neighbour of the best server.
You can restrict the active set to neighbours by selecting the AS Restricted to Neighbours option in the Site Equip-
ment table. For an explanation of how to set the AS Restricted to Neighbours option, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 882.
For multi-carrier EVDO Rev. B users, the active set can consist of several sub-active sets, each one being associated with one
carrier. The number of sub-active sets depends on the maximum number of carriers supported by the terminal. As described
earlier, the quality of the pilot (Ec⁄I0) determines whether or not a transmitter can belong to a sub-active set. The sub-active
set associated with the best carrier is the same as the active set of a single-carrier user. For other carriers, the uplink Ec⁄Nt
received by the best server on the best carrier and on the studied carrier determines whether or not a carrier can have a sub-
active set, and the transmitters in the sub-active sets depend on the mode supported by the terminal (locked mode or
unlocked mode):
• The Ec/Nt received by the best serving transmitter on the best carrier must exceed the minimum uplink Ec/Nt.
• The Ec/Nt received by the best serving transmitter on the studied carrier must exceed the minimum uplink Ec/Nt.
• When locked mode is used, the serving transmitters must be the same in all sub-active sets. With unlocked mode, the
serving transmitters can be different from one sub-active set to another.

Normally, the signal received at any given point is spread on a gaussian curve around an average value with a specific standard
agation model.
In CDMA projects, the standard deviation of the propagation model is used to calculate shadowing margins on signal levels.
You can also calculate shadowing margins on Ec⁄I0 and Eb⁄Nt values and the macro-diversity gain. For information on setting
the model standard deviation and the Ec⁄I0 and Eb⁄Nt standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level, Ec⁄I0, and Eb⁄Nt for:
Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo-based CDMA simulation.
You can display the shadowing margins and the macro-diversity gain per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the
Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter Class" on page 885.
8.6.10.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter
Class
To display the shadowing margins and macro-diversity gain per clutter class:
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3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins and Gains dialog box appears (see
Figure 8.57).
• Standard Deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin or macro-
diversity gains:
• From Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin of the signal level.
• Ec⁄I0: The Ec⁄I0 standard deviation. Atoll will display the Ec⁄I0 shadowing margin and the resulting forward
link pilot macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the values you enter in 1st
- 2nd Best Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
• UL Eb⁄Nt: The Eb⁄Nt reverse link standard deviation. Atoll will display the Eb⁄Nt reverse link shadowing margin
and the resulting reverse link macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the
values you enter in 1st - 2nd Best Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
• DL Eb⁄Nt: The Eb⁄Nt forward link standard deviation. Atoll will display the Eb⁄Nt forward link shadowing
margin.
5. If you select "Ec⁄I0" or "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, you can enter the differences
that will be used to calculate the macro-diversity gain under Macro-Diversity Parameters:
• 1st - 2nd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "Ec⁄I0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Ec⁄I0 difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate forward
link macro-diversity gains. If you selected "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Eb/Nt difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate reverse
link macro-diversity gains.
• 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "Ec⁄I0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Ec⁄I0 difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate for-
ward link macro-diversity gains. If you selected "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation,
enter the allowed Eb⁄Nt difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calcu-
late reverse link macro-diversity gains.
6. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed. If you selected "Ec⁄I0" or "Eb⁄Nt UL" as the standard
deviation under Standard Deviation, Atoll also displays the macro-diversity gains for two links and for three links.
Figure 8.57: The Shadowing Margins and Gains dialog box
8.6.11 Creating PN Offset Domains and Groups for PN Offset

Allocation
Atoll facilitates the management of available PN offsets during automatic allocation with the pilot PN sequence offset index
increment (PILOT_INC) parameter. For example, if you set PILOT_INC to "4," all PN offsets from 4 to 508 with a separation
interval of 4 can be allocated. If you need to restrict the range of PN offsets available further, you can create groups of PN
offsets and domains, where each domain is a defined set of groups. Using PN offsets groups and domains is recommended for
this purpose only.
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The procedure for managing PN offsets in a CDMA document consists of the following steps:
1. Creating a PN offset domain, as explained in this section.
2. Creating groups, each containing a range of PN offsets, and assigning them to a domain, as explained in this section.
3. Assigning a PN offset domain to a cell or cells. If there is no PN offset domain, Atoll will consider the PILOT_INC param-
eter only to determine the possible PN offsets when assigning PN offsets (e.g., If PILOT_INC is set to 4, all PN offsets
from 4 to 508 with a separation interval of 4 can be allocated).
To create a PN offset domain:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the PN Offsets folder.
4. Right-click Domains in the PN Offsets folder. The context menu appears.
7. Click another cell of the table to create the new domain and add a new blank row to the table.
9. Under Groups, enter the following information for each group you want to create. The definition of the group must
be consistent with the default domain defined using the PILOT_INC parameter.
• Group: Enter a name for the new PN offset group.
• Min.: Enter the lowest available PN offset in this group’s range.
• Max: Enter the highest available PN offset in this group’s range.
• Step: Enter the separation interval between each PN offset. It must be the same as the PILOT_INC value.
• Excluded: Enter the PN offsets in this range that you do not want to use.
• Extra: Enter any additional PN offsets (i.e., outside the range defined by the Min. and Max fields) you want to add
to this group. You can enter a list of PN offsets separated by either a comma, semi-colon, or a space. You can also
enter a range of PN offsets separated by a hyphen. For example, entering, "1, 2, 3-5" means that the extra PN off-
sets are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5."

Analyses of CDMA networks co-existing with other technology networks can be carried out in Atoll. Inter-technology interfer-
ence may create considerable capacity reduction in a CDMA network. Atoll can take into account interference from co-exist-
ing networks in Monte Carlo simulations and coverage predictions.
The following inter-technology interference scenarios are modeled in Atoll:
• Interference received by mobiles on the downlink: Interference can be received by mobiles in a CDMA network on
the downlink from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
ration between the uplink frequency used by the external network and the downlink frequency used by your CDMA
in Atoll using the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the CDMA network. This noise rise is taken
into account in all downlink interference-based calculations. However, this noise rise does not impact the calculation
of the mobile reuse factor. For more information on the Inter-technology DL Noise Rise, see "Cell Definition" on
page 724.
You can study the downlink inter-technology interference by carrying out an Inter-technology Downlink Interference
coverage prediction as explained in "Studying Inter-technology Downlink Noise" on page 776.
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• Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of a CDMA network on the uplink
separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your
CDMA network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Inter-technology UL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the CDMA network.
This noise rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in the simulation. However, this noise
rise is not taken into consideration in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predictions) and does not have an impact
on the calculation of the cell reuse factor. For more information on the Inter-technology UL Noise Rise, see "Cell Defi-
nition" on page 724.

Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your CDMA network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
1
ACIR = ------------------------------------
-
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
An IRF depends on:

• The interfering technology (TDMA, CDMA, and OFDM)
nal base stations is linked to your CDMA document, i.e., when Atoll is in co-planning mode. For more information on how to
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menu appears.
• Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separations,

6. When you have finished defining interference reduction factors, click OK.
You can, if you want, link more than one Atoll document with your main document following the procedure described in
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 858. If the linked documents model networks using different technologies, you can
define the interference reduction factors in your main document for all these technologies, and Atoll will calculate interfer-
ence from all the external base stations in all the linked documents.
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890
Chapter 9
LTE Networks
analyse, and optimise an LTE network.
• "Designing an LTE Network" on page 893
• "Planning and Optimising LTE Base Stations" on
page 894
• "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on
page 981
page 1030
on page 1035
• "Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks" on
page 1045
• "Tips and Tricks" on page 1085
• "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 1090
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AT321_UMR_E4 Chapter 9: LTE Networks
9 LTE Networks
LTE (Long Term Evolution) refers to the set of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release 8 and later specifications
which describe the next steps, or evolution, of the existing GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Networks) and UTRAN (UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access Networks) specifications. The 3GPP LTE specifications describe the building blocks of E-UTRA (Evolved
UTRA) networks.
LTE uses SOFDMA (Scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency Division
Multiple Access) technologies in the downlink and the uplink, respectively. The aim of LTE is to provide mobile broadband
wireless access that supports handovers between LTE cells as well as between LTE and UMTS/GSM cells at high user speeds.
Atoll enables you to design LTE broadband wireless access networks. Atoll can be used to predict radio coverage, manage
mobile and fixed subscriber data, and evaluate network capacity. Atoll LTE also supports smart antennas and MIMO.
With Atoll, you can model fixed and mobile users in LTE environments. The data input corresponding to mobile users and fixed
subscribers is modelled through comprehensive support of mobile user traffic maps and subscriber databases. You can carry
out calculations on fixed subscriber locations as well as base your calculations on mobile user scenarios during Monte Carlo
simulations. You can also perform interference predictions, resource allocation, and other calculations on mobile users.
Atoll uses Monte Carlo simulations to generate realistic network scenarios (snapshots) using a Monte Carlo statistical engine
for scheduling and resource allocation. Realistic user distributions can be generated using different types of traffic maps or
subscriber data. Atoll uses these user distributions as input for the simulations.
You can create coverage predictions to analyse the following and other parameters for LTE channels in downlink and in uplink:
• Signal levels
• The carrier-to-interference-and-noise ratio
• Service areas and radio bearer coverage
• Cell capacity and throughputs per cell
Coverage predictions that depend on the network’s traffic loads can be created from either Monte Carlo simulation results or
from a user-defined network load configuration (uplink and downlink traffic loads, and uplink noise rise). GSM GPRS EDGE,
UMTS HSPA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, and WiMAX networks can be planned in the same Atoll session.
Before working with the Atoll LTE module for the first time, it is highly recommended to
go through the "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 1090. This will help you get accustomed
to the terminology used by the 3GPP and in Atoll.
9.1 Designing an LTE Network

Figure 9.1 depicts the process of creating and planning an LTE network. The steps involved in planning an LTE network are
described below. The numbers refer to Figure 9.1.
1. Open an existing radio-planning document or create a new one ( 1 ).

• You can create a new Atoll document as explained in Chapter 2: Atoll Projects.
2. Configure the network by adding network elements and changing parameters ( 2 ).

You can add and modify the following elements of base stations:
• "Creating or Modifying a Site" on page 903.
• "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter" on page 904.
You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station
Template" on page 905) and study the terrain profile in different directions from a base station (see "Studying the
Profile Around a Base Station" on page 911).
3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( 3 ).

• "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 927.
4. Allocate neighbours ( 4 ).
5. Allocate frequencies ( 5 ).
• "Planning Frequencies" on page 985.
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Chapter 9: LTE Networks © 2014 Forsk
6. Allocate physical cell IDs ( 6 ).

• "Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 987.
7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 7 ).
• You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on traffic maps and subscriber lists
( 7a , 7b , and 7c ) (see "Studying Network Capacity" on page 997).
• You can define cell load conditions manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitter’s Properties dialog box or
in the Cells table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 904) ( 7d ).
8. Make LTE-specific signal quality coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 8 ).
• "LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 936.
9. If necessary, modify network parameters to study the network with a different frequency plan ( 10 ). After modifying
the network’s frequency plan, you must perform steps 7 and 8 again.
6
7a
7c 7d
7b
7
9 10
Figure 9.1: Planning an LTE network - workflow
9.2 Planning and Optimising LTE Base Stations

As described in Chapter 2: Atoll Projects, you can create an Atoll document from a template, with no base stations, or from a
database with an existing set of base stations. As you work on your Atoll document, you will still need to create base stations
and modify existing ones.
you can add transmitters. In Atoll, a transmitter is defined as the antenna and any additional equipment, such as the TMA,
feeder cables, etc. In an LTE project, you must also add cells to each transmitter. A cell refers to the characteristics of an RF
channel on a transmitter.
894
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once using station templates. In Atoll, a base
station refers to a site and a transmitter with its antennas, equipment, and cells.
In Atoll, you can study a single base station or a group of base stations using coverage predictions. Atoll allows you to make
a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or signal quality coverage predictions. The results of calculated coverage
predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, and studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by creating services, users, user profiles, traffic environments, and terminals. This
data can be then used to make coverage predictions that depend on network load, such as C/(I+N), service area, radio bearer,
and throughput coverage predictions.
• "Creating an LTE Base Station" on page 895
• "Creating a Multi-band LTE Network" on page 914
• "Planning Frequencies" on page 985
9.2.1 Creating an LTE Base Station

When you create a site, you create only the geographical point; you must add the transmitters and cells afterwards. The site,
with the transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells is called a base station.
In this section, each element of a base station is described. If you want to add a new base station, see "Placing a New Base
Station Using a Station Template" on page 905. If you want to create or modify one of the elements of a base station, see
"Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 903. If you need to create a large number of base stations, Atoll
allows you to import them from another Atoll document or from an external source. For information, see "Creating a Group
of Base Stations" on page 913.
This section explains the various parts of the base station creation process:
• "Definition of a Base Station" on page 895.
• "Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 903.
• "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on page 905.
• "Managing Station Templates" on page 906.
• "Duplicating an Existing Base Station" on page 910.
• "Studying the Profile Around a Base Station" on page 911.

ple, cells. You will usually create a new base station using a station template, as described in "Placing a New Base Station Using
a Station Template" on page 905. This section describes the following elements of a base station and their parameters:
• "Cell Description" on page 899.
895

The parameters of a site can be found in the site’s Properties dialog box. The Properties dialog box has the following tabs:
the site here.
page 46.
culations.
• The LTE tab:
• S1 interface throughputs: You can enter the maximum S1 interface throughputs supported in downlink and uplink
by the site. The S1 interface connects eNode-Bs to the evolved packet core (EPC) entities, the mobility manage-
ment entity (MME) and the serving gateway (S-GW). The capacity of the S1 interface between the eNode-B and
the serving gateway imposes a limit on the cumulated throughput served by the cells of the same eNode-B (site
in Atoll). Hence, this limit also imposes a limit on the throughput of each individual user served by the eNode-B.
Here you must enter the capacity of the S1-U interface (S1-U is the user-plane interface between eNode-Bs and
the serving gateways). The maximum S1 interface throughputs that you enter here can be taken into account in
Monte Carlo simulations as backhaul constraints.

erties dialog box has three additional tabs: the Cells tab (see "Cell Description" on page 899), the Propagation tab (see Chap-
ter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models), and the Display tab (see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47).
click the Browse button to access the properties of the site. For information on the site Properties dialog box, see
"Site Description" on page 896. You can click the New button to create a new site for the transmitter.
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antenna.
• Under Antenna position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
• Relative to site: Select Relative to site if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets from the site lo-
cation, and enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
in red in the LTE Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
• Transmitter type: If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter as a potential server as well as an interferer, set
the transmitter type to Intra-network (Server and interferer). If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter only
as an interferer, set the type to Inter-network (Interferer only). No coverage for an interferer only transmitter will
be calculated for coverage predictions and it will not serve any mobile in Monte Carlo simulations.
tion on how to study interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks"
on page 1088.
transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you
click the Equipment button.
• In the Equipment Specifications dialog box (see Figure 9.4), the equipment you select and the gains and losses you
define are used to initialise total transmitter losses in the uplink and downlink:
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• Transmitter equipment: You can select transmitter equipment from the Transmitter list. You can click the
Browse button to access the properties of the transmitter equipment. For information on creating transmitter
equipment, see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 189.
• Feeder length: You can enter the feeder length at transmission and reception.
• Miscellaneous losses: You can enter miscellaneous losses at transmission and reception. The value you enter
must be positive.
losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if
they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise figure box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment Specifi-
cations dialog box. You can modify the real Total losses at transmission and reception and
the real Noise figure at reception. Any value you enter must be positive.
• Antennas:
• Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
• Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
page 185
• Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
• Smart antenna: Under Smart antenna, the smart antenna equipment is available in the Equipment list. You
can click the Browse button to access the properties of the smart antenna equipment. When you select smart
antenna equipment, you can choose whether to keep the current main antenna model or to replace it with
the main antenna model defined for the selected smart antenna equipment, if any. For more information on
smart antenna equipment, see "Defining Smart Antenna Equipment" on page 1079.
898
• Number of antenna ports: Select the number of antenna ports used for MIMO in the Transmission and Recep-
tion fields. For more information on how the number of antenna ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple
Output Systems" on page 1080.
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of power reserved for this partic-
ular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you reserve 40% of the total
power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
page 76.
• The transmission power is divided among the main and secondary antennas. This
is not compatible with smart antennas. You must not assign smart antennas to
transmitters with secondary antennas, and vice versa.
• In calculations, repeaters and remote antennas are transparent to the donor trans-
mitters and the served users. For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters
target the served users directly and not the repeater or remote antenna that covers
the users. This results in a combined signal level received from the transmitter using
the smart antenna and from the repeater or remote antenna. If this approach does
not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart antennas to
transmitters with repeaters and remote antennas, and vice versa. This is also true
for MIMO.
The main antenna is used to transmit the control channels. Coverage predictions based on the reference signals are
performed using the main antenna. The main antenna is also used for traffic if there is no smart antenna equipment
selected for the transmitter, or if the cells do not support AAS.
If smart antenna equipment is assigned to the transmitter and the cells support AAS, traffic data is transmitted and
received using the smart antenna, whereas the control channels are transmitted using the main antenna.
9.2.1.1.3 Cell Description

In Atoll, a cell is defined as an RF channel, with all its characteristics, on a transmitter; the cell is the mechanism by which you
can configure a multi-carrier LTE network.
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently
selected station template. The following explains the parameters of an LTE cell. You can, if you want, modify these values.
The properties of an LTE cell are found on Cells tab of the Properties dialog box of the transmitter to which it belongs.
The Cells tab has the following options:

• Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding a suffix in parentheses. If you change transmitter
name, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake of consistency, it is
better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Administrator Manual.
• Active: If this cell is to be active, you must select the Active check box.
• Layer: The network layer to which the cell belongs. This information is used in determining the serving cell. For more
information on defining layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 1070. For more information on
the cell selection options, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
• Cell type: The cell defines whether the cell supports LTE (3GPP releases 8 and 9) and LTE-Advanced (3GPP releases 10
and later) including carrier aggregation. A cell can support LTE as well as LTE-A, i.e., a cell can be configured to be an
LTE cell, an LTE-A PCell (primary cell), and an LTE-A SCell (secondary cell).
Both LTE and LTE-A users can connect to LTE-only cells without the possibility to perform carrier aggregation. Cells
that only support LTE-A, and not LTE, can only serve LTE-A users. The process of only allowing LTE-A users to connect
to a cell and excluding all LTE users is called cell barring.
899
• If the cell type is left empty, Atoll considers it to be LTE-only.

• A cell must be an LTE-A SCell in downlink in order to also be an LTE-A SCell in uplink.
• Frequency band: The cell’s frequency band from the frequency band list.
• Channel number: The number of the channel from the list of available channels.
For calculating path loss matrices of a multi-cell transmitter, Atoll uses the downlink start
frequency of the frequency band assigned to the cell with the highest priority layer.
When transmitters that contain multiple cells are grouped by channel number, Atoll sorts
the cells by channel number, which groups together transmitters that use the same set of
channel numbers. However, it is sometimes necessary to differentiate transmitters by the
order in which channel numbers are assigned to the cells. For instructions on how to force
Atoll to consider the cell order when grouping by channel number capability, contact tech-
nical support.
• Channel allocation status: The status of the current channel allocated to the cell:
• Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated channel modifiable without cost.
• Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated channel modifiable but only if absolutely necessary.
• Locked: The AFP considers a Locked channel not modifiable.
For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 981.
• Physical cell ID domain: The physical cell ID domain to which the allocated physical cell ID belongs. This and the reuse
distance are used by the AFP for physical cell ID allocation.
• Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell. It is an integer value from 0 to 503. The physical cell IDs are defined in
the 3GPP specifications. There are 504 unique physical-layer cell identities. The physical cell IDs are grouped into 168
unique cell ID groups (called SSS IDs in Atoll), with each group containing 3 unique identities (called PSS IDs in Atoll).
An SSS ID is thus uniquely defined by a number from 0 to 167, and a PSS ID is defined by a number from 0 to 2. Each
cell’s reference signals transmit a pseudo-random sequence corresponding to the physical cell ID of the cell. Physical
cell IDs also indicate the subcarriers being used for reference signal transmission in the downlink. Reference signal
hopping, or v-shifting, is the calculation of the index of the subcarrier being used for reference signal resource ele-
ments. The v-shifting index is calculated as (PCI)Mod 6 for single-antenna transmitters and as (PCI)Mod 3 for multi-
antenna transmitters.
• PSS ID: The PSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the phys-
ical cell ID.
• SSS ID: The SSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the phys-
ical cell ID.
• PSS ID status: The status of the PSS ID currently assigned to the cell:
• Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated PSS ID modifiable without cost.
• Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated PSS ID modifiable but only if absolutely necessary.
• Locked: The AFP considers a Locked PSS ID not modifiable.
• SSS ID status: The status of the SSS ID currently assigned to the cell:
• Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated SSS ID modifiable without cost.
• Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated SSS ID modifiable but only if absolutely necessary.
• Locked: The AFP considers a Locked SSS ID not modifiable.
To lock the physical cell ID assigned to a cell, you must set both PSS ID status and SSS ID
status to Locked.
• Reuse distance (m): The minimum reuse distance after which the channel or physical cell ID assigned to this cell can
be assigned to another cell by the AFP.
For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 981.
• Max power (dBm): The cell’s maximum transmission power. You can enter or modify this value if the RS EPRE option
under the Advanced options on the Global Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings folder’s Properties dialog box
is set to any of the following:
• Calculated (equal distribution of unused EPRE)
• Calculated (with boost): This option corresponds to a 3 dB boost in the RS EPRE with 2 transmission antenna ports
and 6 dB boost with 4 ports.
• Calculated (without boost)
900
• Independent of max power

The transmission powers corresponding to different channels are calculated using Max power, the energy per
resource element offsets defined for the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH, and the number of resource elements corre-
sponding to each channel, all of which are also calculated by Atoll.
Max power is calculated by Atoll from the user-defined RS EPRE value if the RS EPRE option in the Global Parameters
of the LTE Network Settings folder is set to User-defined.
• RS EPRE per antenna port (dBm): The reference signal energy per resource element. You can enter or modify this
value if the RS EPRE option under the Advanced options on the Global Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings
folder’s Properties dialog box is set to User-defined or Independent of max power.
This value is calculated by Atoll from the user-defined max power value if the RS EPRE option under the Advanced
options on the Global Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings folder’s Properties dialog box is set to any of the
following:
• Calculated (equal distribution of unused EPRE)
• Calculated (with boost): This option corresponds to a 3 dB boost in the RS EPRE with 2 transmission antenna ports
and 6 dB boost with 4 ports.
• Calculated (without boost)
For more information, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
• SS EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the synchronisation signals
with respect to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission
power corresponding to the primary and secondary synchronisation signals (PSS, SSS).
• PBCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PBCH with respect to
the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corre-
sponding to the physical broadcast channel (PBCH).
• PDCCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PDCCH with respect
to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corre-
sponding to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).
• PDSCH EPRE Offset/RS (dB): The difference in the energy of a resource element belonging to the PDSCH with respect
to the energy of a reference signal resource element. This value is used to calculate the transmission power corre-
sponding to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Atoll first calculates the energy per resource element cor-
responding to the reference signal resource elements, the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH. Once the energies available
for each of these resource element types are known, they are converted into transmission powers for further calcu-
lations. In the offset fields above, you have to enter the offsets, i.e., the difference in the energy levels, for one
resource element of each type. For example, if a resource element belonging to the SS has 3 dB less energy than a
resource element of the downlink reference signals, you should enter -3 dB in the SS EPRE Offset. Atoll will then cal-
culate the actual transmission power of the SS, i.e., all the resource elements of the SS, from this offset and the
number of SS resource elements per frame.
• Min RSRP (dBm): The minimum RSRP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The RSRP is compared with this
threshold to determine whether or not a user is within the cell’s coverage or not.
• ICIC delta path loss threshold (dB): The maximum difference between the path loss of the second best server and the
path loss of the best server to be considered at cell edge. Cell edge mobiles are served by a cell’s ICIC resources.
• Fractional power control factor: This factor is used for path loss compensation when performing fractional power
control on the uplink. For example, if this factor is set to 0.8, only 80% of the actual path loss will be considered when
estimating the received power. Therefore, the received power from any mobile on the uplink will be estimated to be
higher than it would actually be (using 100% of the path loss), which will be interpreted by the mobile as a need to
reduce its transmission power. This factor is represented by  in 3GPP specifications. This factor represents the influ-
ence of the serving cell on the fractional power of any mobile.
• Max noise rise (UL) (dB): The upper limit on both uplink noise rise values, i.e., the UL noise rise and the ICIC UL noise
rise. It is used for uplink noise rise control during Monte Carlo simulations. This parameter represents the maximum
interference that a cell can tolerate on the uplink.
• Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): This value is used for power control on the uplink. The difference between the Max PUSCH
C/(I+N) and the uplink noise rise of the cell corresponds to the nominal PUSCH power for the cell. The nominal PUSCH
power is a cell-specific parameter from which a limit on the uplink transmission powers of mobiles in the cell can be
extracted. This factor is represented by P O_PUSCH in 3GPP specifications. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) is updated during uplink
noise rise control in Monte Carlo simulations based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
• Interference coordination support: The frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) technique sup-
ported by the cell. You can select Static DL or Static UL. You can select from various ICIC modes available in the cell’s
frame configurations. This frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination method can be used in addition to
the eICIC ABS patterns.
• Frame configuration: The frame configuration used by the cell in downlink and uplink. Among other frame structure
parameters, this configuration also defines ICIC settings for a cell supporting Static DL or Static UL inter-cell interfer-
ence coordination. For more information, see "Defining Frame Configurations" on page 1071.
• TDD subframe configuration: The subframe configuration used by the cell when the cell’s frequency band is TDD. If
the network’s switching point periodicity is set to "Half Frame", you can select a subframe configuration of type
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DSUUU-DSUUU, DSUUD-DSUUD, DSUDD-DSUDD, or DSUUU-DSUUD. If the network’s switching point periodicity is set
to "Frame", you can select a subframe configuration of type DSUUU-DDDDD, DSUUD-DDDDD, or DSUDD-DDDDD. For
more information on TDD switching point periodicity, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
TDD subframe configuration is hidden when there is no TDD frequency band defined in
the Frequency Bands table (see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 1066.
• Almost Blank Subframe (ABS) Pattern: The transmission pattern of normal and almost blank subframes. Almost blank
subframes do not carry any traffic. Only reference signals are transmitted over an ABS. The ABS pattern is a bit map,
i.e., a series of 0’s and 1’s where each bit corresponds to one subframe. In an ABS pattern, each 0 signifies a normal
subframe and 1 implies an almost blank subframe. For example, the ABS pattern "0100001000" means that subframes
1 and 6 are almost blank subframes whereas all the other subframes are normal subframes carrying traffic.
ABS patterns are used in conjunction with cell range expansion for eICIC (enhanced inter-cell interference coordina-
tion, also known as time-domain ICIC) in an effort to minimise cell-edge interference between macro and small cells
in heterogeneous LTE networks (HetNets).
• Reception equipment: You can select the cell’s reception equipment from the reception equipment list. For more
information, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073.
• Scheduler: The scheduler used by the cell for bearer selection and resource allocation. You can select the scheduler
from the list of schedulers available in the Schedulers table. For more information see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on
page 1076.
• Diversity support (DL): The type of antenna diversity technique (none, transmit diversity, SU-MIMO, AMS, MU-MIMO,
or AAS) supported by the cell in downlink. You cannot combine transmit diversity, SU-MIMO, and AMS.
• Diversity support (UL): The type of antenna diversity technique (none, receive diversity, SU-MIMO, AMS, or
MU-MIMO) supported by the cell in uplink.
Specific calculations are performed (and gains applied) for terminals supporting AAS and MIMO.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (DL): The downlink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO. This can be user-
defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. In downlink throughput coverage predictions, cell capacity is multi-
plied by this gain on pixels where MU-MIMO is used.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO. This can be user-
defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. In uplink throughput coverage predictions, cell capacity is multiplied
by this gain on pixels where MU-MIMO is used.
• The ABS pattern that you enter here is applicable to downlink as well as uplink, and
does not depend on the ICIC mode defined in the cell’s frame configuration. The
ICIC mode defined in the frame configurations is exclusively used for frequency
domain ICIC.
• The standard lengths of the ABS pattern bit maps as defined by the 3GPP are as fol-
lows:
• FDD cells: 40 bits
• TDD cells using the frame configuration 0: 70 bits
• TDD cells using the frame configuration 1 through 5: 20 bits
• TDD cells using the frame configuration 6: 60 bits
• As Atoll uses the same ABS pattern format as the LTE eNode-B information ele-
ment format, ABS patterns can be directly imported from the network into Atoll.
• You are not required to enter all the bits in the pattern to match the standard
lengths. You can define non-repeating and repeating ABS patterns using the
asterisk as follows (example for FDD cells):
• Non-repeating ABS pattern: The ABS pattern "0100001000" will be inter-
preted by Atoll as "0100001000000000000000000000000000000000" over
standard 40 bits
• Repeating ABS pattern: The ABS pattern "0100010000*" will be interpreted by
Atoll as "0100001000010000100001000010000100001000" over standard 40
bits
• An empty ABS pattern means that there are no almost blank subframes defined
and all the subframes can carry traffic.
• It is possible to create a choice list of pre-defined ABS patterns in the database
using the CustomFields table. For more information, see the Administrator
Manual.
• Traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo sim-
ulations.
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• Traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simu-
lations.
• UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise in dB. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. This
is the global value of uplink noise rise including the inter-technology uplink noise rise.
• Max traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during
Monte Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have a downlink
traffic load greater than this maximum.
• Max traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during Monte
Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have an uplink traffic
load greater than this maximum.
• Cell-edge traffic ratio (DL) (%): You can set the percentage of the total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the
resources allocated to cell-edge users. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the cell-edge traffic
ratio to 50%, it means that 40% of the downlink traffic load corresponds to cell-edge users and 40% to the cell-centre
users. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations.
• ICIC noise rise (UL) (dB): The uplink noise rise of the cell resources covering cell-edge users. This noise rise is only used
when the ICIC support for the cell includes Static UL. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations.
• Inter-technology DL noise rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external net-
work on the mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink inter-
ference-based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling
Inter-technology Interference" on page 1083.
• Inter-technology UL noise rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles and base stations
of an external network on this cell on the uplink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all uplink interference-
based calculations involving this cell in Monte Carlo simulations. It is not used in predictions where Atoll calculates the
uplink total interference from the uplink noise rise which includes inter-technology uplink interference. For more
information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 1083.
• AAS usage (DL) (%): The total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic loads of the users supported by the
smart antenna. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the AAS usage to 50%, it means that 40%
downlink traffic load is supported by the smart antenna equipment while the other 40% is supported by the main
antenna. AAS usage is calculated during Monte Carlo simulations, and cannot be modified manually because the AAS
usage values correspond to the angular distributions of interference.
• Angular distributions of interference (AAS): The Monte Carlo simulation results generated for transmitters using a
smart antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
• No. of users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in the downlink. This can be user-defined or an output
of Monte Carlo simulations.
• No. of users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in the uplink. This can be user-defined or an output of
Monte Carlo simulations.
• Max number of users: The maximum number of simultaneous connected users supported by the cell.
• Max number of intra-technology neighbours: The maximum number of LTE neighbours that the cell can have.
• Max number of inter-technology neighbours: The maximum number of other technology neighbours that the cell can
have.
• Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology and inter-technology neighbours
by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours"
on page 966.

ple, cells. This section describes how to create or modify the following elements of a base station:
• "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 904

903
page 896).
5. Click OK.
6. Click OK.

2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder.
6. Click OK.
clicking the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open
Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
text menu.

You can modify an existing cell or you can create a new cell. You can access the properties of a cell, described in "Cell Descrip-
tion" on page 899, through the Properties dialog box of the transmitter where the cell is located. How you access the Prop-
erties dialog box depends on whether you are creating a new cell or modifying an existing cell.
904

appears.
6. Modify the parameters described in "Cell Description" on page 899.
7. Click OK.
by right-clicking the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
9.2.1.3 Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template

In Atoll, a base station is defined as a site with one or more transmitters sharing the same properties. With Atoll, you can
create a network by placing base stations based on station templates. This allows you to build your network quickly with
consistent parameters, instead of building the network by first creating the site, then the transmitters, and finally by adding
the cells.
• To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you
click the New Transmitter or Station button. For information on using the zooming
tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 54.
• If you let the pointer rest over the base station you have placed, Atoll displays its
tip text with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
You can also place a series of base stations using a station template. You do this by defining an area on the map where you
want to place the base stations. Atoll calculates the placement of each base station according to the defined hexagonal cell
radius in the station template. For information on defining the cell radius, see "Modifying a Station Template" on page 907.
To place a series of base stations within a defined area:
1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list (see Figure 9.5).
2. Click the Hexagonal Design button ( ) to the right of the station template list. A hexagonal design is a group of base
stations created from the same station template.
905
3. Draw a zone delimiting the area where you want to place the series of base stations:
Atoll fills the delimited zone with new base stations and their hexagonal shapes. Base station objects such as sites and
transmitters are also created and placed into their respective folders.
You can work with the sites and transmitters in these base stations as you work with any base station object, adding, for exam-
ple, another antenna to a transmitter.
When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template"
on page 905, the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site.
To place a base station on an existing site:
place the station.

Atoll comes with LTE station templates, but you can also create and modify station templates. The tools for working with
station templates are on the Radio Planning toolbar (see Figure 9.5).


When you create a station template, you can do so by selecting an existing station template that most closely resembles the
station template you want to create and making a copy. Then you can modify the parameters that differ.To create a station
template:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Network Settings folder.
7. Right-click the row marked with the New row icon ( ). The context menu appears.
page 907.
906

7. Click the General tab of the Properties dialog box. On this tab (see Figure 9.6), you can modify the following:
• The Name of the station template, the number of Sectors, each with a transmitter, the Hexagon radius, i.e., the
theoretical radius of the hexagonal area covered by each sector, and the Transmitter type, i.e., whether the trans-
mitter belongs to your network or to an external network.
• Under Antennas, you can modify the following: 1st sector azimuth, from which the azimuth of the other sectors
are offset to offer complete coverage of the area, the Height/ground of the antennas from the ground (i.e., the
height over the DTM; if the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of the
building), and the Mechanical downtilt for the antennas.
907
• Under Main antenna, you can select the main antenna Model, under Smart antenna, you can select the smart
antenna Equipment used by the transmitter, and under Number of antenna ports, you can enter the number of
antennas used for Transmission and for Reception for MIMO.
• Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the
Main resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For
information on propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
8. Click the Transmitter tab. On this tab (see Figure 9.7), if the Active check box is selected, you can modify the following
under Transmission/Reception: you can click the Equipment button to open the Equipment Specifications dialog box
and modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment. For information on the
Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Description" on page 896.
The information in the computed Total losses in transmission and reception boxes is calculated from the information
you entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box (see Figure 9.4 on page 898). Any loss related to the noise due
to a transmitter’s repeater is included in the calculated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in
coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. You can modify the real Total
losses at transmission and reception if you want. Any value you enter must be positive.
The information in the computed Noise figure box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment
Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Noise figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be
positive.
9. Click the LTE tab. On this tab (see Figure 9.8), you can modify the following:
• Under Power and EPRE offsets relative to the reference signals EPRE, you can modify the Max power, RS EPRE,
and the EPRE offsets for the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH in SS offset, PBCH offset, PDCCH offset, and PDSCH
offset.
• You can assign channel and physical cell ID per cell per sector, by clicking the Cell definition per sector button. The
Cell Definition per Sector dialog box appears.
i. Click the Cell definition per sector button. The Cell Definition per Sector dialog box appears.
ii. Select the Sector for which you want to define cell parameters, i.e., channel number and physical cell ID.
iii. Enter the Number of cells that the selected sector will have. The number of rows in the grid below depends
on the number of cells that you enter.
iv. In the layer/channel/physical cell ID grid, assign a layer, a channel number, and a physical cell ID to each cell.
v. Carry out the steps above to assign layers, channels, and physical cell IDs to each sector.
vi. Click OK.
• Frequency band, Reuse distance, Reception equipment, Cell type, Scheduler, Max number of users, TDD sub-
frame configuration, and Min RSRP.
• Under Antenna diversity, you can select the Diversity support in downlink and in uplink and define the default
MU-MIMO capacity gain.
• Under Default loads, you can enter the default values for DL traffic load, UL traffic load, UL noise rise, and the
Max DL traffic load and Max UL traffic load.
• Under Inter-technology interference, you can set the DL noise rise and the UL noise rise. For more information
on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 1083.
908
Figure 9.8: Station Template Properties dialog box – LTE tab
10. Click the Neighbours tab. On this tab (see Figure 9.9), you can modify the following:
• Under Max number of neighbours, you can set the maximum numbers of Intra-technology and Inter-technology
neighbours.
changes.

909

You can add, delete, and edit user-defined data table fields in the Station Templates table. If you want to add a user-defined
field to the station templates, you must have already added it to the Sites table for it to appear as an option in the station
template properties
To access the station templates data table Field Definition dialog box:


• Quickly create a new base station with the same settings as an original one in order to study the effect of a new station
on the coverage and capacity of the network, and
• Quickly create a new homogeneous network with base stations that have the same characteristics.
• Select Duplicate > With Outward Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station
along with the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
910

duplicate station.

911
menu:
You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar:
per clutter class.
You can select a different transmitter.
Displays data,
including
received signal,
shadowing
margin, cell
edge coverage
probability,
propagation
model used,
and transmit-
ter-receiver
distance. Fresnel ellipsoid Line of sight Attenuation with diffraction
Figure 9.12: Point Analysis - Profile view
912

You can create base stations individually as explained in "Creating an LTE Base Station" on page 895, or you can create one or
several base stations by using station templates as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on
page 905. However, if you have a large project and you already have existing data, you can import this data into your current
Atoll document and create a group of base stations.
page 127.

can copy this data and paste it into the tables in your current Atoll document. When you create a group of base sta-
tions by copying and pasting data, you must copy and paste site data in the Sites table, transmitter data in the Trans-
mitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
The table you copy from must have the same column layout as the table you are pasting
data into.
• Importing data: If you have base station data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into
the tables in the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV
format and then import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you
to select what values you import into which columns of the table.

if there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, clicking the transmitters in the map window opens a context
menu allowing you to select the transmitter. You can also change the position of the station by dragging it, or by letting Atoll
find a higher location for it.

Atoll allows to you to display information about base stations in a number of ways. This enables you not only to display
selected information, but also to distinguish base stations at a glance.
913
visible; too much information in the label will make it harder to distinguish the information you are looking for. For
information on defining the label, see "Defining the Object Type Label" on page 50.
can select "Discrete Values" to distinguish transmitters by antenna type, or to distinguish inactive from active trans-
mitters. You can also define the display type for transmitters as "Automatic." Atoll then automatically assigns a colour
to each transmitter, ensuring that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it. For
information on defining the transmitter colour, see "Defining the Display Type" on page 48.
9.2.5 Creating a Multi-band LTE Network

In Atoll, you can model a multi-band LTE network, for example, a network consisting of 900 MHz and 2.1 GHz, in one docu-
ment. Creating a multi-band LTE network consists of the following steps:
Models).
3. Assigning a frequency band to each cell and a relevant propagation model to each transmitter (see "Creating or Mod-
ifying a Cell" on page 904 and "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter" on page 904).

signal can be carried by different types of links such as radio link or microwave link. The server side re-transmits the received
signal.
When Atoll models LTE repeaters, the modelling focuses on:
In calculations, repeaters are transparent to the donor transmitters and the served
users. For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters target the served users
directly and not the repeater that covers the users. This results in a combined signal level
received from the transmitter using the smart antenna and from the repeater. If this
approach does not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart
antennas to transmitters with repeaters and vice versa. This is also true for MIMO.

Atoll assumes that all carriers from the LTE donor transmitter are amplified.
914


To create or modify repeater equipment:
5. Define the following in an existing record or in the row marked with the New row icon ( ):
b. Enter a Noise figure (dB). The repeater causes a rise in noise at the donor transmitter, so the noise figure is used
c. Enter minimum and maximum repeater amplification gains in the Min. gain and Max gain columns. These param-
there are any.
d. Enter a Gain increment. Atoll uses the increment value when you increase or decrease the repeater amplifier gain
using the buttons to the right of the Amplifier gain box ( ) on the General tab of the repeater Properties dialog
box.
e. Enter the maximum power that the equipment can transmit on the downlink in the Max downlink power column.
This parameter enables Atoll to ensure that the downlink power after amplification does not exceed the limit of
the equipment.
f. If desired, enter a Max uplink power, an Internal delay and Comments. These fields are for information only and
are not used in calculations.

1. Select the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. You can select it from the LTE Transmitters folder in the
repeater is found in the LTE Transmitters folder of the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or
remote antenna.
page 916.
You can see to which base station the repeater is connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a
link to the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna.
915

ment.
pasting data into.

• Name: You can change the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is
the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was
created.

the donor repeater.
for the technology (either GSM, UMTS, or LTE)..
• Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself:
• Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site
the equipment.
• You can change the Amplifier Gain. The amplifier gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater total gain.
• Under Donor-repeater link, select a Link type.
• If you select Microwave link, enter the Link losses and proceed to step 5.
• If you select Air, select a Propagation model and enter the Propagation losses or click Calculate to determine
propagation model.
916
• If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Antenna:
page 185
include the height of the building.
• If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Feeders:
• Type: The type of feeder is visible in the Type list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of
the feeder.
• Length: Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
• Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network
• Total gain: Enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
• In downlink, the total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs.
• In uplink, the total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers.
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna
page 185
• Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
page 76.
917

parameters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution
for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the repeater (model,

• You can update the UL and DL total gains of all repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Gains from the Transmit-
ters context menu.
setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."

In calculations, remote antennas are transparent to the donor transmitters and the
served users. For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters target the served users
directly and not the remote antenna that covers the users. This results in a combined
signal level received from the transmitter using the smart antenna and from the remote
antenna. If this approach does not match how your equipment works, you must not
assign smart antennas to transmitters with remote antennas and vice versa. This is also
true for MIMO.

918


1. Select the donor transmitter. You can select it from the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, or directly
on the map.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by the same
symbol and colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
transmitter.
You can see to which base station the remote antenna is connected by clicking it; Atoll
displays a link to the donor transmitter.

pasting data into.

919
• Name: You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RemZ"
where "X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote
antenna when it was created.

remote antenna.
• You can enter a value in the Shared antenna (coverage side) field for the remote antenna. This field is used to iden-
tify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the same
position and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters,
and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or
mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters,
• Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself:
• Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to
nates.
• Under Donor-repeater link, select Optical fibre link and enter the Fibre losses.
• Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the LTE Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer) are calculated.
• Total gain: Enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
• In downlink, the total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs.
• In uplink, the total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers.
page 185
920
page 76.

tion parameters, as with transmitters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model,
Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics

• You can update the UL and DL total gains of all remote antennas by selecting Remote Antennas > Calculate Gains from
the Transmitters context menu.
to "False."

computation zone.
921
• "Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document" on page 922.
• "Creating a Computation Zone" on page 923.
• "Assigning a Propagation Model" on page 923.
• "Setting Transmitters or Cells as Active" on page 925.
• "The Calculation Process" on page 927.

sible. For example, a complex radio-planning project might cover an entire region or even an entire country. You, however,
might be responsible for the radio planning for only one city. In such a situation, calculating over the entire network would
not only take a lot of time, it is not necessary. Consequently, you can restrict calculations to the base stations that you are
interested in and generate only the results you need.
In Atoll, there are two ways of restricting the number of base stations involved in calculations, each with its own advantages:
• Filtering the desired base stations
You can simplify the selection of base stations to be studied by using a filter. You can filter base stations according to
one or more fields, or you can create an advanced filter by combining several criteria in several fields. You can create
a graphic filter by either using an existing vector polygon or creating a new vector polygon. For information on graphic
filters, see "Filtering Data Using a Filtering Zone" on page 112. This enables you to keep only the base stations with
the characteristics you want for your calculations. The filtering zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible.
922
limits the calculations. The computation zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible.
the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo simulations, etc., while the
focus zone or hot spot is the area taken into consideration when generating reports and results.

• Draw Polygon
• Draw Rectangle
You can also create a computation zone with one of the following methods:
• Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a computation zone the size of the map window by right-clicking the Com-
putation Zone in the Geo explorer and selecting Fit Zone to Map Window from the context menu.
on page 105.
clicking the Computation Zone folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Export

mitter. As well, you can assign a default propagation model for calculations. This propagation model is used for all transmitters
where the main propagation model selected is "(Default model)."
923
Atoll will use:
have made to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters.
3. If you have assigned a default propagation model for calculations, as described in "Defining a Default Propagation
Model" on page 215, this is the propagation model that will be used for all transmitters whose main propagation
model is "(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propagation model,
that is the propagation model that will be used.
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to All Transmitters" on page 924.
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to a Group of Transmitters" on page 924.
• "Assigning a Propagation Model to One Transmitter" on page 925.
For more information about the available propagation models, see Chapter 5: Calculations and Propagation Models.
In Atoll, you can assign a propagation model per transmitter or globally.

5. Under Main matrix:
• Select a Propagation model
6. If desired, under Extended matrix:
• Select a Propagation model

3. From the Group By submenu of the context menu, select the property by which you want to group the transmitters.
924

menu appears.
group.
• Main propagation model
• Main calculation radius
• Main resolution
• Extended propagation model
• Extended calculation radius
• Extended resolution
When you assign a main and extended propagation model to a single transmitter, it overrides any changes you have previously
made globally.
appears.
6. Under Main matrix:
• Select a Propagation model.
7. If desired, under Extended matrix:
You can also define the propagation models for a transmitter by right-clicking it in the map
window and selecting Properties from the context menu.
925

When you run calculations, Atoll considers all base stations that are active, filtered (i.e., that are selected by the current filter
parameters), and whose propagation zone intersects a rectangle containing the computation zone. Therefore, you must
ensure that all the transmitters on the base stations you wish to study have been activated. In the explorer window, active
transmitters are indicated with an on icon ( ) in the LTE Transmitters folder and with the defined colour on the map and
inactive transmitters are indicated with an off icon ( ) in the LTE Transmitters folder and empty symbol on the map.
In Atoll, you can also set the cell on a transmitter as active or inactive.
• To set all transmitters as active, right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
• To set a group of transmitters as active, click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder and
right-click the group of transmitters you want to set as active. The context menu appears.
3. Select Open Table. The Transmitters table appears with each transmitter’s parameters in a row.
3. Select Cells > Open Table. The Cells table appears with each cell’s parameters in a row.
Calculating path loss matrices can be time and resource intensive when you are working on larger projects. Consequently,
Atoll offers you the possibility of distributing path loss calculations on several computers. You can install the distributed calcu-
lation server application on other workstations or on servers. Once the distributed calculation server application is installed
on a workstation or server, the computer is available for distributed path loss calculation to other computers on the network.
For information on setting up the distributed calculation server application, see The Administrator Manual.
926

culate button ( ).
Predictions folder.
( ) in the toolbar.
tions.

• "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 927.
• "LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 936.
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results" on page 953.
• "Generating Coverage Prediction Reports and Statistics" on page 954.
• "Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results" on page 958.
• "Analysing a Coverage Prediction Using the Point Analysis" on page 958.
• "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 962.

Atoll offers a series of standard coverage predictions based on the measured signal level at each pixel; other factors, such as
interference, are not taken into consideration. Coverage predictions specific to LTE are covered in "LTE Coverage Predictions"
on page 936.
927

While you are building your radio-planning project, you might want to check the coverage of a new base station without
having to calculate the entire project. You can do this by selecting the site with its transmitters and then creating a new cover-
age prediction.
This section explains how to calculate the signal level coverage of a single base station. A signal level coverage prediction
displays the signal of the best server for each pixel of the area studied. For a transmitter with more than one cell, the signal
level is calculated for the cell with the highest reference signal power.
You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several base stations
by grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Grouping
Data Objects by a Selected Property" on page 96.

2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder and select Group By > Sites from the context menu. The transmitters are now
displayed in the LTE Transmitters folder by the site on which they are situated.
If you want to study only sites by their status, you could group them by status.

a. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Transmitters folder.
ters.
obtain more accurate results by using propagation models best suited for the main and extended matrices.
e. In the Main matrix column:
f. If desired, in the Extended matrix column:
g. Close the table.
4. In the LTE Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations > Create
a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage prediction types available. They are divided into Standard Predic-
tions, supplied with Atoll, and Customised Prediction. Unless you have already created some customised predictions,
the Customised Prediction list will be empty.
928
on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 100. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-
called "global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m

Country
country
• At the top of the Conditions tab , you can set the signal level range to be considered.
• Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers. Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" will give you the same
results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" neces-
sitates, however, a longer time for calculation.
When you select "Best Signal Level" or "Second Best Signal Level," you can also define a Margin that Atoll will
take into consideration.
• If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
per clutter class.
• You can also select a Channel, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" channel of a frequency band or of all
frequency bands. For any transmitter, the best channel is the one whose cell has the highest maximum power,
reference signal power, or reference signal EPRE depending on the related Atoll.ini options. For more infor-
mation, see the Administrator Manual.
• Under Display type, select "Value intervals."
• Under Field, select "Best Signal Level."
929
the Tip text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
• You can select the Add to legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
later:

A coverage prediction by signal level allows you to predict coverage zones by the transmitter signal strength at each pixel. You
can base the coverage on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined range. For a transmitter with more than
one cell, the coverage is calculated for the cell with the highest reference signal power.
for each pixel.
• At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered.
• Under Server, select "All" to consider all servers. Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" will give you the same results
because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, how-
ever, a longer time for calculation.
When you select "Best Signal Level" or "Second Best Signal Level," you can also define a Margin that Atoll will take
into consideration.
• You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
• You can also select a Channel, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" channel of a frequency band or of all fre-
quency bands. For any transmitter, the best channel is the one whose cell has the highest maximum power, ref-
erence signal power, or reference signal EPRE depending on the corresponding Atoll.ini options. For more
930

transmitter. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
931

A coverage prediction by transmitter allows the user to predict coverage zones by transmitter at each pixel. You can base the
coverage on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined range. For a transmitter with more than one cell, the
coverage is calculated for the cell with the highest reference signal power.
4. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Transmitter (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
for each pixel.
ever, the longest time for calculation.
into consideration.
clutter class.
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For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display type "Discrete values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
pixel.
later:
Figure 9.18: Coverage prediction by transmitter
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ters. You can base a coverage prediction on overlapping zones on the signal level, path loss, or total losses within a defined
range. For a transmitter with more than one cell, the coverage is calculated for the cell with the highest reference signal
power.
4. Select Overlapping zones (DL) and click OK. The Overlapping zones (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
on page 100.
for each pixel.
ever, the longest time for calculation.
into consideration.
clutter class.
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For a coverage prediction on overlapping zones, the Display type "Value intervals" based on the Field "Number of
servers" is selected by default. Each overlapping zone will then be displayed in a colour corresponding to the number
page 47.
later:
Figure 9.20: Coverage prediction on overlapping zones
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9.2.9.2 LTE Coverage Predictions

LTE coverage predictions available in Atoll are used to analyse the effective signal levels, signal quality, and throughputs. For
the purposes of these coverage predictions, each pixel is considered a non-interfering user with a defined service, mobility
type, and terminal.These are explained in the following section:
The downlink interference received from different cells of the network depends on the cells’ frequency channel and physical
cell IDs as well as their downlink traffic loads. The measure of uplink interference for each cell is provided by the uplink noise
rise.
If you have traffic maps, you can do a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the downlink traffic loads and the uplink noise rise
values for a generated user distribution. If you do not have traffic maps, Atoll can calculate these coverage predictions using
the downlink traffic loads and the uplink noise rise values defined for each cell.
In this section, these coverage predictions will be calculated using downlink traffic loads and the uplink noise rise values
defined at the cell level. Before making a prediction, you will have to set the downlink traffic loads and the uplink noise rise,
and the parameters that define the services and users. These are explained in the following sections:
• "Setting Cell Loads and Noise Rise Values" on page 938.
This section explains the coverage predictions available for analysing the effective signal level and signal quality. The following
are explained:
• "Studying Effective Signal Levels and Cell Edge Areas" on page 939.
• "Studying Interference and C/(I+N) Levels" on page 941.
• "Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas" on page 944.
• "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 946.
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on page 947.
• "Making a Cumulated Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results" on page 950.
• "Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicator" on page 951.

Atoll can base its signal quality predictions on the DL traffic loads and the UL noise rise entered in the Cells table (for more
information, see "Setting Cell Loads and Noise Rise Values" on page 938). Before you can model services, you must define LTE
radio bearers. For more information on LTE radio bearers, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 1072.
• "Modelling Services" on page 936.
• "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937.
Modelling Services
Services are the various services available to users. These services can be either voice or data type services. This section
explains how to create a service. The following parameters are used in predictions:
• Supported layers
• Highest bearer
• Lowest bearer
• Throughput scaling factor
• Throughput offset
• Body loss
• Minimum number of frequency blocks in uplink
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the following parameters:
• Name: Atoll proposes a name for the new service, but you can set a more descriptive name.
936
• Activity factor: The uplink and downlink activity factors are used to determine the probability of activity for users
accessing the service during Monte Carlo simulations. For Voice services, this parameter is used when working
with sector traffic maps and user density traffic maps. For Data services, Atoll distributes the users according to
the activity factors when importing user density traffic maps for all activity statuses.
• Average requested throughput: Enter the average requested throughput for uplink and downlink. The average
requested throughput is used in a simulation during user distribution generation in order to calculate the number
of users attempting a connection.
6. Click the LTE tab. On the LTE tab, you can change the following parameters:
• Type: You can select either Voice or Data as the service type.
• Supported layers: You can select the network layers supported by the service. For more information on network
layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 1070. During calculations, users are only allowed to
connect to cells of layers supported by their services.
• QoS class identifier (QCI): You can select a QoS class identifier for the service. The information about the QoS class
used by any service is used by the schedulers for resource allocation.
• QCI priority: The priority corresponding to the selected QoS class identifier (QCI). QCI values and their priorities
are defined by the 3GPP as follows:
QoS class identifier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
QCI priority 2 4 3 5 1 6 7 8 9
• Priority: Enter a user-defined priority for the service with respect to other services belonging to the same QoS
class identifier (QCI). "0" is the lowest priority.
• Highest bearer: Select the highest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered
as an upper limit during bearer determination.
• Lowest bearer: Select the lowest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered as
a lower limit during bearer determination.
• Max throughput demand: Enter the highest throughput that the service can demand in the uplink and downlink.
• Min throughput demand: Enter the minimum required throughput that the service should have in order to be
available in the uplink and downlink.
• Min number of frequency blocks: Enter the minimum number of frequency blocks required for this service in
uplink.
• Application throughput: Under Application throughput, you can set a Scaling factor between the application
throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a throughput Offset. These parameters model the
header information and other supplementary data that does not appear at the application level.
The application throughput parameters are used in throughput coverage predictions and for application through-
put calculation.
• Body loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in
a voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the user’s head, is estimated to be 3 dB.
7. Click OK.
In LTE, information about the receiver mobility is required for determining which bearer selection threshold and quality graph
to use from the reception equipment referred to in the terminal or cell. Mobiles used at high speeds and at walking speeds
do not have the same quality characteristics. C/(I+N) requirements for different radio bearers are largely dependent on mobile
speed.
5. You can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Properties dialog box:
• Name: Enter a descriptive name for the mobility type.
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• Average speed: Enter an average speed for the mobility type. This field is for information only; the average speed
is not used by any calculation.
6. Click OK.
Modelling Terminals
In LTE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a car’s on-board
navigation device.
Terminals folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the following parameters:
• Name: Enter a descriptive name for the terminal.
6. Click the LTE tab. On the LTE tab, you can change the following parameters:
• Under Transmission/Reception,
• Min power: Enter the minimum transmission power of the terminal.
• Max power: Enter the maximum transmission power of the terminal.
• Noise figure: Enter the noise figure of the terminal (used to calculate the downlink total noise).
• Losses: Enter the losses of the terminal.
• Reception equipment: Select an equipment from the list of available reception equipment. For more informa-
tion on reception equipment, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073.
• UE category: Select a UE category from the list of available UE categories. For more information on UE cate-
gories, see "Defining LTE UE Categories" on page 1078.
• Supported layers: You can select the network layers supported by the terminal. For more information on
network layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 1070. During calculations, users are only
allowed to connect to cells of layers supported by their terminals.
• If the terminal supports carrier aggregation, select the Carrier aggregation check box and enter the Max number
of secondary cells in Downlink and Uplink. The number of uplink secondary cells must be less than or equal to the
number of downlink secondary cells. Setting the maximum numbers of secondary cells to 0 means that the ter-
minal does not support carrier aggregation.
• Under Antenna,
• Model: Select an antenna model from the list of available antennas. If you do not select an antenna for the
terminal, Atoll uses an isotropic antenna in calculations.
In case you do not select an antenna, Atoll uses an isotropic antenna, not an omni-direc-
tional antenna, in calculations. An isotropic antenna has spherical radiation patterns in the
horizontal as well as vertical planes.
• Gain: Enter the terminal antenna gain if you have not selected an antenna model in the Model field. If you
have selected an antenna, the Gain field is disabled and shows the gain of the selected antenna.
• Diversity support: Select the type of antenna diversity techniques supported by the terminal. Antenna diver-
sity gains will be applied to the users using any terminal type depending on the supported antenna diversity
techniques, i.e., AAS, MIMO, or AAS+MIMO. If a terminal that supports AAS+MIMO is connected to a cell that
supports both antenna diversity techniques, both AAS and MIMO gains will be applied.
• Under MIMO, enter the Number of transmission antenna ports and the Number of reception antenna ports
available in the terminal.
7. Click OK.
9.2.9.2.2 Setting Cell Loads and Noise Rise Values

If you are setting the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise for a single transmitter, you can set these parameters on the Cells
tab of the transmitter’s Properties dialog box. However, you can set the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise for all the cells
using the Cells table.
938
To set the traffic loads and the uplink noise rise using the Cells table:
• Traffic load (DL) (%)
• Cell-edge traffic ratio (DL) (%)
• UL noise rise (dB)
• ICIC UL noise rise (dB)
Although, you can also set a value for the Traffic load (UL) (%) column as an indication of cells’ uplink loads, this param-
eter is not used in the coverage prediction calculations. The measure of interference in the uplink is given by the uplink
noise rise values. For a definition of the values, see "Cell Description" on page 899.
9.2.9.2.3 Studying Effective Signal Levels and Cell Edge Areas

Atoll offers a couple of LTE coverage predictions which can be based on the predicted signal level from the best server and
the thermal noise at each pixel, i.e., received carrier power (C) and the carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N). This section explains the
coverage predictions available for analysing the effective signal levels.
Downlink and uplink effective signal analysis coverage predictions predict the effective signal levels of different types of LTE
signals, such as reference signals, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, and PUSCH, in the part of the network being studied.
Atoll determines the serving cell for each pixel from the selected layer, or all the layers when the prediction is calculated for
the "Best" layer. Then, depending on the prediction definition, it calculates the effective signal (C or C/N for reference signals,
SS, etc.). Pixels are coloured if the display threshold condition is fulfilled (in other words, if the C or C/N is higher than the C
or C/N threshold).
To make an effective signal analysis coverage prediction:
4. Select Effective Signal Analysis (DL) or Effective Signal Analysis (UL) and click OK. The coverage prediction’s Proper-
ties dialog box appears.
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 9.21). On the Conditions tab, you can select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a
Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction for the "Best" layer. The effective signal analysis
939
coverage prediction is always a best server coverage prediction. You can also select a Cell type, an LTE/LTE-A PCell or
an LTE-A SCell.
The Noise figure defined in the terminal type’s properties dialog box is used in the coverage prediction to determine
the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the
uplink. For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling
Services" on page 936, "Modelling Terminals" on page 938, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937, and "Defining
LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073, respectively.
box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for the effective
signal analysis calculations is based on the C/I standard deviation.
You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
Figure 9.21: Condition settings for an effective signal analysis coverage prediction

8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by RSRP, signal levels, C/N levels,
or delta path loss, or select "Discrete values" to display the coverage prediction by ICIC cell-edge areas.
For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
later:
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 9.22 and
Figure 9.23).
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Figure 9.22: PDSCH C/N coverage prediction
Figure 9.23: PUSCH & PUCCH C/N coverage prediction
9.2.9.2.4 Studying Interference and C/(I+N) Levels

Downlink and uplink coverage predictions by C/(I+N) level predict the interference levels and signal-to-interference levels in
the part of the network being studied.
Atoll determines the serving cell for each pixel from the selected layer, or all the layers when the prediction is calculated for
the "Best" layer. Then, depending on the prediction definition, it calculates the interference from other cells, and finally calcu-
lates the C/(I+N). The pixel is coloured if the display threshold condition is fulfilled (in other words, if the C/(I+N) is higher than
C/(I+N) threshold).
Coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level calculates the co-channel interference as well as the adjacent channel interference,
which is reduced by the adjacent channel suppression factor defined in the Frequency Bands table. For more information on
frequency bands, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 1066.
C/(I+N) in the downlink is calculated for different channels using their respective transmission powers and by calculating the
interference received by the resource elements corresponding to these channels from interfering cells. Downlink C/(I+N)
calculations are made using the main antenna except for PDSCH C/(I+N) which can be calculated using the smart antenna
equipment. C/(I+N) in the uplink is calculated using the terminal power calculated after power control and the uplink noise
rise values stored either in the cell properties or in the selected simulation results.
941
Enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC or time-domain ICIC) is performed if ABS patterns have been defined for
cells. Interference calculation is based on the collisions between normal and blank subframes used by the different cells.
Frequency domain inter-cell interference coordination is performed if the cell supports static ICIC. Here, interference calcula-
tion is based on the probabilities of collision between the cell-centre and cell-edge resources used by the different cells.
To make a coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level:
4. Select Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL) or Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (UL) and click OK. The coverage prediction’s Prop-
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 9.24). Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage pre-
using the cell loads stored in the cell properties.
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. You can also select a cell Layer, or carry out the prediction
for the "Best" layer. You can also select a Cell type, an LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell.
The C/(I+N) coverage prediction is a best server coverage prediction. The Noise figure defined in the terminal type’s
properties dialog box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise
figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. For more information on services, termi-
nals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 936, "Modelling Terminals" on
page 938, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073, respec-
tively.
box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for C⁄(I+N) calcula-
tions is based on the C/I standard deviation.
You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor Coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
942
Figure 9.24: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by C/(I+N) level

8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by RSRQ, RSSI, C/(I+N) levels, or
total noise (I+N) levels.
You can also display the uplink C/(I+N) for all frequency blocks, i.e., without uplink bandwidth reduction, by setting
the Uplink bandwidth allocation target to Full bandwidth for the scheduler being used and then selecting the display
option PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) Level (UL). For more information on schedulers, see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on
page 1076.
later:
Figure 9.26).
Figure 9.25: Coverage prediction by PDSCH C/(I+N)
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Figure 9.26: Coverage prediction by PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N)
9.2.9.2.5 Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas

Downlink and uplink service area analysis coverage predictions calculate and display the LTE radio bearers based on C⁄(I+N)
for each pixel. In coverage predictions, the downlink or uplink service areas are limited by the bearer selection thresholds of
the highest and lowest bearers of the selected service.
To make a coverage prediction on service area:
4. Select Service Area Analysis (DL) or Service Area Analysis (UL) and click OK. The coverage prediction’s Properties
dialog box appears.
The service area coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal
type’s properties dialog box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the
Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each
944
pixel according to the PDSCH C⁄(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception
equipment. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predic-
tions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobil-
ity is used to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both
the terminal’s and the cell’s reception equipment by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file.
For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on
page 936, "Modelling Terminals" on page 938, "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937, and "Defining LTE Reception
Equipment" on page 1073, respectively.
Figure 9.27: Condition settings for a coverage prediction on LTE bearers

8. From the Display type list, select display by bearer or modulation.
later:
Figure 9.29).
945
Figure 9.28: Downlink service area analysis display by bearer
Figure 9.29: Uplink service area analysis display by bearer

The effective service area is the intersection zone between the uplink and downlink service areas. In other words, the effective
service area prediction calculates where a service actually is available in both downlink and uplink. The service availability
depends upon the bearer selection thresholds of the highest and lowest bearers defined in the properties of the service
selected for the prediction.
To make an effective service area coverage prediction:
4. Select Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL) and click OK. The coverage prediction’s Properties dialog box appears.
946
6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads
stored in the cell properties.
The service area coverage prediction is always based on the best server. For more information on services, terminals,
mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Modelling Services" on page 936, "Modelling Terminals" on page 938,
"Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073, respectively.
For an effective service area prediction, the Display type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service is available in both downlink and uplink. For information on defining display properties, see
"Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
When creating a coverage prediction by unique values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
later:
9.2.9.2.7 Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput

Downlink and uplink throughput coverage predictions calculate and display the channel throughputs and cell capacities based
on C⁄(I+N) and bearer calculations for each pixel. These coverage predictions can also display cumulated cell throughputs if
Monte Carlo simulation results are available. For more information on making cumulated cell throughput coverage predic-
tions using simulation results, see "Making a Cumulated Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results" on
page 950.
To make a coverage prediction by throughput:
947
4. Select Coverage by Throughput (DL) or Coverage by Throughput (UL) and click OK. The coverage prediction’s Prop-
for the "Best" layer. For studying LTE-A cells and terminals that support carrier aggregation, you can also select a
Server, or carry out the prediction for up to five aggregated servers.
The throughput coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal type’s
Properties dialog box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise
figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each pixel
according to the PDSCH C⁄(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception
equipment. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predic-
tions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. The
mobility is used to indicate the bearer selection threshold graph to use. The service is used for the application through-
put parameters defined in the service Properties dialog box.
948
Figure 9.30: Condition settings for a throughput coverage prediction

8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by peak RLC, effective RLC, or
application throughputs.
later:
Atoll determines the total number of symbols in the downlink and the uplink frames from the information in the global trans-
mitter parameters and the frequency bands assigned to cells. Then, Atoll determines the bearer at each pixel and multiplies
the bearer efficiency by the number of symbols in the frame to determine the peak RLC channel throughputs. The amounts
of cell resources, specially at cell-edges, depend on the cell’s ABS pattern as well as on the number of cell’s cell-edge resource
blocks defined for frequency-domain (Static DL and Static UL) inter-cell interference coordination in the cell’s frame configu-
ration.
The effective RLC throughputs are the peak RLC throughputs reduced by retransmission due to errors, or the Block Error Rate
(BLER). Atoll uses the block error rate graphs of the reception equipment defined in the selected terminal for downlink or the
reception equipment of the cell of the serving transmitter for uplink.
The application throughput is the effective RLC throughput reduced by the overheads of the different layers between the RLC
and the Application layers.
The cell capacity display types let you calculate and display the throughputs available at each pixel of the coverage area taking
into account the maximum traffic load limits set for each cell. In other words, the cell capacity is equal to channel throughput
when the maximum traffic load is set to 100 %, and is equal to a throughput limited by the maximum allowed traffic loads
otherwise. Cell capacities are, therefore, channel throughputs scaled down to respect the maximum traffic load limits.
The per-user throughput in downlink is calculated by dividing the downlink cell capacity by the number of downlink users of
the serving cell. In uplink, the per-user throughput is either the allocated bandwidth throughput or the uplink cell capacity
divided by the number of uplink users of the serving cell, whichever it smaller.
The allocated bandwidth throughputs are the throughputs corresponding to the number of frequency blocks allocated to the
terminal at different locations. Users located far from the base stations use less numbers of frequency blocks than users
located near so that they can concentrate their transmission power over a bandwidth narrower than the channel bandwidth
in order to maintain the connection in uplink.
For more information on throughput calculation, see the Technical Reference Guide. For more information on the Global
Parameters, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
949
Figure 9.31: Coverage prediction by downlink channel throughput
Figure 9.32: Coverage prediction by uplink channel throughput
9.2.9.2.8 Making a Cumulated Throughput Coverage Prediction Using Simulation Results

Atoll calculates the cumulated peak RLC, effective RLC, and application cell throughputs during Monte Carlo simulations. The
cumulated cell throughputs are the sums of the cell’s user throughputs. You can create a coverage prediction that calculates
and displays the surface area covered by each cell, and colours the coverage area of each cell according to its cumulated
throughput.
To create an cumulated throughput coverage prediction:
1. Create and calculate a Monte Carlo simulation. For more information on creating Monte Carlo simulations, see "Calcu-
lating and Displaying Traffic Simulations" on page 1012.
2. Create a coverage prediction by throughput as explained in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on
page 947, with the following exceptions:
a. On the Conditions tab, select a simulation or group of simulations from the Load conditions list. The coverage pre-
diction will display the results based on the selected simulation or on the average results of the selected group of
simulations.
950
b. On the Display tab, you can display results by Peak RLC cumulated throughput, Effective RLC cumulated through-
put, or Cumulated application throughput. The coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For
information on defining the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
This coverage prediction displays the surface area covered by each cell and colours it according to its cumulated throughput.
For more information on using simulation results in coverage predictions, see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation
Results" on page 1030.
9.2.9.2.9 Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicator

Downlink and uplink quality indicator coverage predictions calculate and display the values of different quality indicators
(BLER, BER, etc.) based on the best LTE radio bearers and on C⁄(I+N) for each pixel.
To make a coverage prediction by quality indicator:
4. Select Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL) or Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL) and click OK. The coverage predic-
tion’s Properties dialog box appears.
The quality indicator coverage prediction is always based on the best server. The Noise figure defined in the terminal
type’s properties dialog box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the
Noise figure of the transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each
pixel according to the PDSCH C⁄(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception
equipment, and the quality indicator graphs from the reception equipment are used to determine the values of the
selected quality indicator on each pixel. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the
downlink coverage predictions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink
coverage predictions. Mobility is used to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
951
Figure 9.33: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by quality indicators

You can choose between displaying results by BER, BLER, FER, or any other quality indicator that you might have
added to the document. For more information, see "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 1072. The coverage
prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties
later:
Figure 9.35).
Figure 9.34: Coverage prediction by downlink BLER
952
Figure 9.35: Coverage prediction by uplink BLER

coverage predictions are visible on the map, it can be difficult to clearly see the results of the coverage prediction you wish to
analyse. You can select which predictions to display or to hide by selecting or clearing the display check box. For information
• "Displaying the Legend Window" on page 953.
• "Displaying Coverage Prediction Results Using the Tip Text" on page 953.

the Add to legend check box on the Display tab.

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• "Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 954.
• "Generating a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 955.
• "Exporting a Coverage Prediction Report" on page 957.
• "Viewing Coverage Prediction Statistics" on page 957.
The focus and hot spots define the area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you can only
have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone.
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo simulations, etc., while the focus and hot spots
are the areas taken into consideration when generating reports and results. When you create a coverage prediction report, it
gives the results for the focus zone and for each of the defined hot spots.
• Draw Polygon
direction.
• Draw Rectangle
spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the explorer window and selecting Add To > Focus
Zone or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
954
• You can save the focus zone or hot spots, so that you can use it in a different Atoll
document, in the following ways:
page 105.
• Exporting the focus zone or hot spots: You can export the focus zone or hot
spots by right-clicking the Focus Zone or the Hot Spots folder in the Geo
explorer and selecting Export from the context menu.
• You can include population statistics in the focus or hot spot by importing a popu-
lation map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing a Raster-format
Geo Data File" on page 144.

dialog box.
on page 81.
to move it down.
955
to move it down.
displayed.
lation map:
5. Click OK.
on page 163.
956


tics.
or percentage.
957


• "Studying Signal Reception" on page 958.
• "Analysing Interference" on page 960.
• "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Interference" on page 961.

The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the reference signal, SS, PBCH, PDSCH, PDCCH, and
PUSCH and PUCCH signal levels, C/(I+N), bearers, and throughputs, etc., for any point on the map. The analysis is provided for
a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and uplink load conditions can
be taken from the Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
958
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears (see
Figure 9.38) and the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver.
2. Select the Reception view.

3. At the top of the Reception view, select "Cells table" from Load.
4. Select the signal to be displayed from the Display list.
5. If you are making a reception analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage
prediction:
b. Click the Options button ( ) in the Reception view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
• Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
class.
6. Move the pointer over the map to display a reception analysis for the current location of the pointer.
In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The line from the pointer to its best server is slightly thicker than the other lines. The best server of the
pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level.
Select the load conditions to use in this analysis The RSRP from the best server (top-most
from simulations or from the Cells table. bar) and all interfering cells. Solid bars
indicate RSRP above the minimum RSRP.
The connection
status for the
current point.
: Successful
: Failed
Select the parameters of the probe user to be

studied.
Figure 9.38: Point analysis tool: Reception view

• The RS, SS, or PDSCH signal levels, or the RSRP (depending on the selection made from the Display list) from dif-
ferent transmitters (the colour of the bar corresponds to the colour of the transmitter on the map).
• The minimum RSRP: The empty portion of the bar indicates signal levels below the minimum RSRP.
• The availability of reference signal coverage, and service in downlink and uplink.
If there is at least one successful connection (for reference signals, downlink, or uplink), double-clicking the icons in
the right-hand frame opens a dialog box with additional information with respect to the best server:
• RS: Azimuth and tilt of the receiver, total losses, received reference signal power, reference signal C/(I+N), RSRP,
RSRQ, RSSI.
• Downlink: Diversity mode, received powers of the downlink channels, received total noise on the downlink chan-
nels, C/(I+N) of the downlink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, and per-user throughputs.
• Uplink: Diversity mode, received powers of the uplink channels, transmission power, allocated bandwidth, total
noise on the uplink channels, C/(I+N) of the uplink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, allocated
bandwidth throughputs, and per-user throughputs.
To get all the above information in a single report:
• Click the Report button ( ) in the Reception view toolbar. The Analysis Report dialog box appears.
959
For an LTE-A terminal connected to more than one LTE-A cell, the report contains all the above-mentioned infor-
mation for all the servers as well as aggregated throughput values combining the throughputs provided by all the
servers.
If you wish to get the details about the servers and interferers in the form of a table, you can use the Details view of the Point
Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Interference" on page 961).
9.2.9.6.2 Analysing Interference

In Atoll, you can study the interferers of a transmitter using the Point Analysis tool. The Interference view gives you informa-
tion on interference received on any downlink channel on any point on the map. The analysis is provided for a user-definable
probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The downlink and uplink load conditions can be taken from the
Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations.
To make an interference analysis:
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears (see
Figure 9.39) and the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver.
2. Select the Interference view.

3. At the top of the Interference view, select "Cells table" from Load.
4. Select the channel on which you wish to study the interference from the Display list.
5. If you are making an interference analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the cov-
erage prediction:
b. Click the Options button ( ) in the Interference view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
class.
6. Move the pointer over the map to make an interference analysis for the current location of the pointer.
In the map window, a thick arrow from the pointer to its best server is displayed. The best server of the pointer is the
transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level. Thinner arrows are also
displayed from the interfering cells towards the pointer, indicating the interferers. If you let the pointer rest on an
arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver location will be displayed in
the tip text.
Select the load conditions to use in this analysis The best server signal level (top-most bar),
from simulations or from the Cells table. total noise (black bar), and interference
from other cells.
Select the parameters of the probe user to be

studied.
Figure 9.39: Point Analysis tool: Interference view
The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level from the best server, a black bar indicating
the total noise (I+N) received by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each interferer. If
you let the pointer rest on a bar, details are displayed in the tip text:
960
• For the best server: Name, received signal level, and C/(I+N).
• For the total noise (I+N): The values of each component, i.e., I, N, and the downlink inter-technology noise rise.
• For each interferer: The effective interference and the various interference reduction factors.
To include inter-technology interference in the total noise (I+N) bar:
• Deselect the Intra-technology check box. When you select the Intra-technology check box, Atoll displays intra-
technology interference only.
If you wish to get the details about the servers and interferers in the form of a table, you can use the Details view of the Point
Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Interference" on page 961).
9.2.9.6.3 Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Interference

In Atoll, you can get all the details about the servers and interferers in the form of a table using the Point Analysis tool. The
Details view gives you information on useful as well as interfering signal levels received on any downlink channel on any point
on the map. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe receiver which has a terminal, a mobility, and a service. The
downlink and uplink load conditions can be taken from the Cells table or from Monte Carlo simulations.

prediction:
b. Click the Options button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
class.
In the map window, a thick arrow from the pointer to its best server is displayed. The best server of the pointer is the
transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level. Thinner arrows are also
displayed from the interfering cells towards the pointer, indicating the interferers. If you let the pointer rest on an
arrow, the interference level received on the reference signals from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver
location will be displayed in the tip text.
• Cell: The name of the cell from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed in decreasing
order of RSRP. The first row of the table is displayed in bold and italic indicating the best server of the pointer on
the map.
• Distance (m): The distance from the cell to the current location of the pointer on the map.
• Physical Cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell.
• ICIC Zone: Whether the pointer is located within the cell-centre or the cell-edge of its best serving cell.
• Diversity Mode (DL): The diversity mode currently selected by the best server for the pointer in downlink.
• Received RS Power (dBm): The received reference power from the cell.
• RSRP (DL) (dBm): The RSRP received from the cell.
• Received PDCCH Power (dBm): The received PDCCH power from the cell.
• Received PDCCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PDCCH resource element from the cell.
• Received PDSCH Power (dBm): The received PDSCH power from the cell.
• Received PDSCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PDSCH resource element from the cell.
• Received SS Power (dBm): The received SS power from the cell.
• Received SS EPRE (dBm): The received energy per SS resource element from the cell.
• Received PBCH Power (dBm): The received PBCH power from the cell.
• Received PBCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PBCH resource element from the cell.
961
Atoll lists all the cells from which the pointer receives an RSRP higher than the Min RSRP defined for these cells.
You can also display interference levels received from different cells in the Details view:
a. Click the Display Columns button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Columns to be Displayed dialog box ap-
pears.
b. To display a column, select its check box.
c. To hide a column, clear its check box.
d. Click Close.
The Details view displays the following interference-related information in the form of a table:
• RS Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on the
reference signals of the best server.
• PDCCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on
the PDCCH of the best server.
• PDSCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on
the PDSCH of the best server.
• SS Interference (dBm): The interference received from the SS of the interfering cell on the SS of the best server.
• PBCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from the PBCH of the interfering cell on the PBCH of the best
server.
• PDSCH AAS Interference (dBm): The interference received from the angular interference distribution diagram of
the interfering cell on the PDSCH of the best server.
• Channel Overlap Factor (dB): The co- and adjacent channel overlap between the frequency channel used by the
interfering cell and the best server.
• Collision Probability (%): The inter-cell interference coordination collision probability between the interfering cell
which is not synchronised with the best server.
• Multi-antenna Factor (dB): The interference increase due to multiple antennas used by the interfering cell.
The interference values displayed for the best server (first row) are the sum of all the interference levels from all the
interfering cells listed in the following rows.
To display only interfering cells for the pointer on the map, i.e., cells whose C/N is above the Min Interferer C/N
Threshold defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the LTE Radio Network Settings Properties dialog box:
• Select the Show interferers only check box.

962
between them.
figure.
A new base station is added, either by creating the base station and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating an LTE
Base Station" on page 895, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station
Template" on page 905. Once the new site has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it
would be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting
Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see Figure 9.41).
Now you can compare the two coverage predictions.
963
To compare two coverage predictions:

The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their names and
resolutions.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
base station.
964
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the prediction you want to com-
pare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their names and
resolutions.
• Intersection
• Merge
• Union
• Difference
965
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 9.45, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the

cell. The cells that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours are referred to as potential neighbours. When allocating neigh-
bours to all active and filtered transmitters, Atoll allocates neighbours only to the cells within the focus zone and considers as
potential neighbours all the active and filtered cells whose propagation zone intersects the rectangle containing the compu-
tation zone. If there is no focus zone, Atoll allocates neighbours only to the cells within the computation zone.
selected.
or you can define a group of cells either by using a focus zone or by grouping transmitters in the explorer window. For infor-
mation on creating a focus zone, see "The Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 61. For information on grouping transmitters
Atoll supports the following neighbour types in an LTE network:
• Intra-technology neighbours: Intra-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that also use LTE.
• Inter-technology neighbours: Inter-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that use a technology
other than LTE. See "Performing Inter-technology Neighbour Allocation" on page 1050.

b. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
966
c. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table from the context menu. The Neighbours table appears.

4. Right-click the cell for which you want to define neighbour constraints. The context menu appears.
5. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The cell’s Properties dialog box appears.
7. Under Exceptional Pairs, create a new exceptional pair in the row marked with the New row icon ( ):
a. Click the Edit button on the bottom-right of the dialog box. The exceptional pair list becomes editable.
b. Select the cell from the list in the Neighbours column.
9. Click OK.
You can also create exceptional pairs using the Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs table.
You can open this table by right-clicking the LTE Transmitters folder and selecting
Neighbours > Intra-technology > Exceptional Pairs from the context menu.

You can define the relative importance of the factors that Atoll will use to evaluate possible intra-technology neighbours. For
Weighting dialog box appears with a single tab: Intra-technology Neighbours.
4. Set the following importance factors:

• Distance Factor: Set the Min and Maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell being located within the max-
imum distance from the reference cell.
• Coverage Factor: Set the Min and Maximum importance of a neighbour being admitted for coverage reasons.
967
• Adjacency factor: Set the Min and Maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell being adjacent to the refer-
ence cell. The Adjacency factor will be used if you select the Adjacent cells as neighbours check box when defining
an automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neighbours, see "Allocating Intra-
technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 968.
• Co-site factor: Set the Min and Maximum importance of a possible neighbour cell being located on the same site
as reference cell. The Co-site factor will be used if you select the Co-site cells as neighbours check box when
defining an automatic neighbour allocation. For information on automatically allocating neighbours, see "Allo-
cating Intra-technology Neighbours Automatically" on page 968.

Atoll can automatically allocate neighbours in an LTE network. Atoll allocates neighbours based on the parameters you set in
the Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box. Depending on the best server selection method defined in the network
settings, the automatic neighbour allocation can be based on coverage areas calculated for best servers based on the refer-
ence signal levels or RSRP. For more information, see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
To allocate LTE neighbours automatically:
Allocation dialog box appears with a single tab: Intra-technology Neighbours.
• Max inter-site distance: Set the maximum distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour.
Manual.
• Max no. of neighbours: Set the maximum number of neighbours that can be allocated to a cell. This value can be
• Coverage conditions: The coverage conditions must be respected for a cell to be considered as a neighbour. Click
Define to change the coverage conditions. In the Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following
parameters:
bour allocation.
• Global min RSRP: Select this check box if you want to set a global value for the minimum RSRP. If you set a
global value here, Atoll will use either this value or the per-cell Min RSRP value, whichever is higher.
• RSRP margin: Enter the margin, with respect to the best server coverage area of the reference cell (cell A), at
which the handover process ends (see Figure 9.47). The higher the value entered for the RSRP margin, the
longer the list of potential neighbours. The area between the best server coverage and the RSRP margin
constitutes the area within which Atoll will search for neighbours.
• Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select this check box and enter a Cell edge coverage Probability.
• Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations. Indoor losses are
• % min covered area: Enter the minimum surface area, in percentage, that a possible neighbour cell’s coverage
area must overlap the reference cell’s coverage area.
5. Select the desired calculation parameters:
• Co-site cells as neighbours: Select this check box if you want cells located on the same site as the reference cell
to be automatically considered as neighbours.
• Adjacent cells as neighbours: Select this check box if you want cells that are adjacent to the reference cell to be
automatically considered as neighbours. A cell is considered adjacent if there is at least one pixel in the reference
cell’s coverage area where the possible neighbour cell is the best server, or where the possible neighbour cell is
the second best server (respecting the handover margin).
• Symmetric relations: Select this check box if you want the neighbour relations to be reciprocal. In other words, a
reference cell will be a possible neighbour of all of the cells that are its neighbours.
968
• Exceptional pairs: Select this check box if you want to be able to force or forbid neighbour relations defined in the
Exceptional Pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Defining Intra-technology Exceptional Pairs" on
page 967.
• Delete existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want Atoll to delete all current neighbours when allocating
neighbours. If you do not select the Delete existing neighbours check box, Atoll will not delete any existing neigh-
bours when automatically allocating neighbours; it will only add new neighbours to the list.
Figure 9.47: The handover area between the reference cell and the possible neighbour
6. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating neighbours. Atoll first checks to see whether the path loss
matrices are valid before allocating neighbours. If the path loss matrices are not valid, Atoll recalculates them.
neighbours. If no new neighbours have been found and if the Deleting existing neighbours check box is cleared, the
• Maximum number: The maximum number of neighbours that the reference cell can have.
• Importance (%): The importance as calculated with the options selected in "Configuring Importance Factors for
Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 967
reference cell, as identified in the Cell column. The possible reasons are:
• Co-site
• Adjacency
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Existing
• Relation type: The type of the neighbour relation: intra-carrier or inter-carrier. Cells whose channels have the
same centre frequency are intra-carrier neighbours. Other cells are inter-carrier neighbours.
• Coverage: The amount of reference cell’s coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in percentage and in square
kilometres.
• Adjacency: The area of the reference cell, in percentage and in square kilometres, where the neighbour cell is best
server or second best server.
page 76.
969
ing neighbours) in your document:
are listed on the Intra-technology Neighbours tab of each cell’s Properties dialog box.
you start the new allocation.
• When Exceptional pairs and Symmetric relations options are selected, Atoll con-
siders the constraints between exceptional pairs in both directions in order to
respect symmetry. However, if the neighbour relation is forced in one direction
and forbidden in the other, the symmetry cannot be respected.

new base station and other cells whose coverage area intersects the coverage area of the cells of the new base station.
2. In the LTE Transmitters folder, right-click the new base station. The context menu appears.
3. Select Neighbours > Intra-technology Neighbours > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic
Neighbour Allocation dialog box appears.

transmitters and other cells whose coverage area intersects the coverage area of the cells of the new transmitter.
2. In the LTE Transmitters folder, right-click the new transmitter. The context menu appears.
970

• "Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map" on page 971.

tion is symmetric.
appears.
3. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display Links check box.

4. Click the Browse button beside the Display Links check box. The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.
971

table on the current tab, e.g. reason, source, relation type, or neighbour frequency band.
creating a new field of type "Integer" in the Intra-technology Neighbour table for the
number of handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the new
column, you can select this field from the Field list along with "Value Intervals" as the
Display type. For information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to a
Data Table" on page 78.
and the neighbour.
972
appears.
Figure 9.50: Selecting a transmitter in the Neighbours table
973
Figure 9.51: Neighbours of Site 22_3(0) - Display according to the neighbour
You can display either forced neighbours or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow ( )
next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and

1. Create, calculate, and display a "Coverage by Transmitter (DL)" prediction, with the Display type set to "Discrete
values" and the Field set to "Transmitter" (for information on creating a coverage by transmitter prediction, see
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 932).
appears.
page 971.
4. Under Intra-technology Neighbours, select the Display coverage areas check box.
pears in yellow.
974
and the neighbour.
erties dialog box.
appears.

or deleting neighbours per cell. You can allocate or delete neighbours directly on the map or using the Cells tab of a transmit-
ter’s Properties dialog box.
• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Intra-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 975.
• "Allocating or Deleting Intra-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Neighbours Table" on page 976.
To allocate or delete an LTE cell’s intra-technology neighbours using its Properties dialog box:
975
9. If desired, you can enter the Max number of neighbours.
To allocate or delete LTE intra-technology neighbours using the LTE transmitters’ Neighbours table:
976

977
You can allocate or delete LTE intra-technology neighbours directly on the map using the mouse.
Likewise, to add or remove inter-technology neighbours using the mouse, you must activate the display of inter-technology
neighbours on the map. To do so, select the Display links check box in the Inter-technology neighbours frame of the Neigh-
bour Display dialog box.

978
bours.

in the AFP process.
Atoll calculates the importance for neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone.
Calculation dialog box appears with a single tab: Intra-technology Neighbours.
Manual.
• Take into account transmitter adjacency ("Intra-carrier Neighbours" tab only): Select this check box to verify
that neighbours are adjacent to their reference transmitters when calculating importance.
allocation.
• Global min RSRP: Select this check box if you want to set a global value for the minimum RSRP. If you set a global
value here, Atoll will use either this value or the per-cell Min RSRP value, whichever is higher.
• RSRP margin: Enter the margin, with respect to the best server coverage area of the reference cell, at which the
handover process ends.
clutter class.
979
• Cause: The reason Atoll has allocated value in the Importance column.
• Co-site
• Adjacency
• Symmetry
• Coverage
• Relation type: The type of the neighbour relation: intra-carrier or inter-carrier. Cells whose channels have the
same centre frequency are intra-carrier neighbours. Other cells are inter-carrier neighbours.

2. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder. The context menu appear.
• Average no. of neighbours: Select the Average no. of neighbours check box if you want to verify the average
• Empty lists: Select the Empty lists check box if you want to verify which cells have no neighbours (in other words,
• Full lists: Select the Full lists check box if you want to verify which cells have the maximum number of neighbours
set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table.
• Lists > max number: Select the Full lists check box if you want to verify which cells have more than the maximum
number of neighbours allowed. The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all the cells, or
specified for each cell in the Cells table.
• Missing co-sites: Select the Missing co-sites check box if you want to verify which cells have no co-site neighbours.
• Missing symmetrics: Select the Missing symmetrics check box if you want to verify which cells have non-sym-
• Exceptional pairs: Select the Exceptional pairs check box if you want to verify which cells have forced neighbours
• Distance between neighbours: Select the Distance between neighbours check box and enter the distance
• Average number of neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per cell for the plan
audited.
• Empty lists: x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list)
Syntax: |CELL|
• Full lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having Y number of neighbours listed
• Lists > max number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having more than Y number
of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists.
980
If the field Max number of intra-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty, the Full
Lists check and the Lists > max number check use the Default max number value defined
in the audit dialog box.
• Missing co-sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour plan.
• Non symmetric links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour plan.
• Missing forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour plan.
• Existing forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan.
• Distance between neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan that are

The intra-technology neighbour data of an Atoll document is stored in a series of tables. You can export the neighbour data
to use it in another application or in another Atoll document.
Atoll document.
9.3 Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP

The Atoll AFP (Automatic Frequency Planning module) enables you to automatically configure network parameters such as
the frequency channels and physical cell IDs. The AFP can also perform fractional frequency planning through automatic
configuration of the PSS ID in physical cell ID planning. The aim of the AFP is to allocate resources in a way that minimises
interference following the user-defined constraints. The AFP assigns a cost to each constraint and then uses a cost-based algo-
rithm to evaluate possible allocation plans and propose the allocation plan with the lowest costs.
The AFP cost function comprises input elements such as interference matrices, neighbour relations, and allowed ranges of
resources for allocation. The quality of the results given by the AFP depends on the accuracy of the input. Therefore, it is
important to prepare the input before running the AFP.
In the following sections, the AFP input elements are explained:
• "Working with Interference Matrices" on page 982
• "Defining Neighbour Relations and Importance" on page 983
• "Setting Resources Available for Allocation" on page 983
• "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on page 984.
Once the AFP input elements have been set up, the AFP can be used for:
• "Planning Frequencies" on page 985
Once you have completed an automatic allocation, you can analyse the results with the tools that Atoll provides:
• "Displaying the AFP Results on the Map" on page 989
• "Analysing the AFP Results" on page 992.
981
9.3.1 Working with Interference Matrices

In Atoll, the probability of interference between pairs of cells is stored in an interference matrix. An interference matrix can
be thought of as the probability that a user in a cell will receive interference higher than a defined threshold. You can calculate,
import, and store more than one interference matrix in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer.
• "Calculating Interference Matrices" on page 982
• "Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices" on page 982
9.3.1.1 Calculating Interference Matrices

Atoll calculates interference matrices in the form of co- and adjacent channel interference probabilities for each interfered
and interfering cell pair. The probabilities of interference are stated in terms of percentages of the interfered area. In other
words, it is the ratio of the interfered surface area to the best server coverage area of an interfered cell.
When Atoll calculates interference matrices, it calculates the ratio of the reference signal level to the total interference and
noise (I+N) for each pixel of the interfered service area between two cells (the interfered cell and the interfering cell). For co-
channel interference, a pixel is considered interfered if this ratio is lower than the per-channel reference signal C/N corre-
sponding to the minimum RSRP defined for the interfered cell. For adjacent channel interference, a pixel is considered inter-
fered if this ratio is lower than the reference signal C/N corresponding to the minimum RSRP defined for the interfered cell
less the adjacent channel suppression factor defined for the frequency band of the interfered cell.
You can amplify the degradation of the C/(I+N) by using a high quality margin when calculating the interference matrices. For
example, a 3 dB quality margin would imply that each interferer is considered to be twice as strong compared to a calculation
without any quality margin (i.e., 0 dB).
To calculate interference matrices:
2. Right-click the LTE Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New. The Interference Matrices Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
• Name: Enter a name for the new interference matrix.
• Resolution: Enter the resolution used to calculate the coverage areas of cells for the interference matrix calcula-
tion.
• Type: The type is set to Calculated for calculated interference matrices.
• Quality margin: Enter a quality margin.
5. Once you have created the new interference matrix, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate
it later:
• Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined interference matrix and calculate it immediately.
• OK: Click OK to save the defined interference matrix without calculating it. You can calculate it later by clicking the
Once calculated, the new interference matrix is available in the Interference Matrices folder and will be available for use the
next time you run the AFP.
You can modify the properties of an existing interference matrix by selecting Properties from the interference matrix context
menu. You can recalculate an existing interference matrix by selecting Calculate from the interference matrix context menu.
9.3.1.2 Importing and Exporting Interference Matrices

You can import interference matrices from external sources, such as the OAM, in Atoll from TXT (text), CSV (comma separated
value), and IM2 files. In the interference matrix file you want to import, the interference matrix entries must have the follow-
ing syntax:
<Interfered Cell><Sep><Interfering Cell><Sep><Co-channel Interference Probability><Sep><Adjacent channel
Interference Probability>
The separator <Sep> can be a tab, a comma, a semicolon, or space.
If the interference matrix file being imported contains the same interfered-interferer pair more than once, Atoll keeps the last
description of the pair.
Atoll does not perform a validity check on the imported interference file; you must therefore ensure that the imported infor-
mation is consistent with the current configuration. Furthermore, Atoll only imports interference matrices for active trans-
mitters.
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To import an interference matrix:

2. Right-click the LTE Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Import. The Open dialog box appears.
4. Select the file containing the interference matrix and click Open. The table Import dialog box appears.
For more information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
To export an interference matrix:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the LTE Interference Matrices folder.
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to export. The context menu appears.
4. Select Export. The Export dialog box appears.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
9.3.2 Defining Neighbour Relations and Importance

In Atoll, neighbour importance values are calculated by the automatic neighbour allocation process and can be used by the
AFP for frequency and physical cell ID allocation. For information on configuring neighbour importance weighting, see "Config-
uring Importance Factors for Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 967. For more information on calculating neighbour
importance values, see "Calculating the Importance of Existing Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 979.
For more details on the calculation of neighbour importance values, see the Technical Reference Guide.
9.3.3 Setting Resources Available for Allocation

The AFP allocates resources from a pool of available resources. For automatic frequency planning, the available resources are
defined by the channel numbers available in the frequency band assigned to any cell. In the frequency band properties, the
first and last channel numbers define the range of available channel numbers in the band. Channel numbers within this range
can be set as unavailable if they are listed in the excluded channels list. For more information, see "Defining Frequency Bands"
on page 1066.
For automatic physical cell ID planning, Atoll facilitates the management of physical cell IDs by letting you create domains,
each containing groups of physical cell IDs.
The procedure for managing physical cell IDs in an LTE document consists of the following steps:
1. Creating a physical cell ID domain, as explained in this section.
2. Creating groups, each containing a range of physical cell IDs, and assigning them to a domain, as explained in this sec-
tion.
3. Assigning a physical cell ID domain to a cell or cells. If there is no physical cell ID domain, Atoll will consider all 504
possible physical cell IDs when assigning them automatically.
To create a physical cell ID domain:
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Physical Cell IDs folder.
4. Right-click Domains in the Physical Cell IDs folder. The context menu appears.
7. Click in another cell of the table to create the new domain and add a new blank row to the table.
9. Under Groups, enter the following information for each group you want to create.
• Group: Enter a name for the new physical cell ID group.
• Min.: Enter the lowest available physical cell ID in this group’s range.
• Max: Enter the highest available physical cell ID in this group’s range.
• Step: Enter the separation interval between each physical cell ID.
• Excluded: Enter the physical cell ID in this range that you do not want to use.
• Extra: Enter any additional physical cell ID (i.e., outside the range defined by the Min. and Max fields) you want
to add to this group. You can enter a list of physical cell IDs separated by either a comma, semi-colon, or a space.
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You can also enter a range of physical cell IDs separated by a hyphen. For example, entering, "1, 2, 3-5" means that
the extra physical cell IDs are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
9.3.4 Configuring Cost Component Weights

You can define the weights for the AFP cost components that Atoll uses to evaluate possible frequency and physical cell ID
plans.
To configure the weights for the AFP cost components:
3. Select AFP > Configure Weights from the context menu. The Weights dialog box appears.
This dialog box enables you to define the relative weights of the cost components. The absolute values of the
constraint weights are calculated by the AFP using these relative weights. For more information, see the Technical
Reference Guide.
4. Click the Frequency Allocation tab. On this tab, you can set the weights for the following cost components:
• 1st order neighbours: The relative weight assigned to a first order neighbour relationship violation.
• Interference matrices: The relative weight assigned to an interference matrix-based relationship violation.
• Distance: The relative weight assigned to a distance-based relationship violation.
You can click the Reset button to set the weights to their default values.
5. Click the Physical Cell ID Allocation tab.
• In the Relation weights frame, you can set the weights for the following cost components:
• 1st order neighbours: The relative weight assigned to a first order neighbour relationship violation.
• 2nd order neighbours: The relative weight assigned to a second order neighbour relationship violation.
• Neighbours of a common cell: The relative weight assigned to the violation of an indirect neighbour relation-
ship between neighbours of a common cell.
• In 3GPP multi-RAT documents, the constraint weight Neighbours of a common cell

applies to LTE neighbours of a common LTE cell, UMTS cell, or GSM transmitter.
• In 3GPP2 multi-RAT documents, the constraint weight Neighbours of a common
cell applies to LTE neighbours of a common LTE or CDMA2000 cell.
• Interference matrices: The relative weight assigned to an interference matrix-based relationship violation.
• Distance: The relative weight assigned to a distance-based relationship violation.
• In the Constraint violation weights frame, you can set the weights for the following constraints:
• Physical cell ID: The relative weight assigned to a physical cell ID collision between two related cells.
• PSS ID: The relative weight assigned to a PSS ID (PCI Mod 3) collision between two related cells.
• SSS ID: The relative weight assigned to the SSS ID constraint violation (occurrence of two different SSS IDs)
between two related co-site cells.
• PCI Mod 6 (DL RS): The relative weight assigned to a downlink reference signal shifting (PCI Mod 6) collision
between two related cells.
• PCI Mod 30 (UL DMRS): The relative weight assigned to an uplink demodulation reference signal sequence
group (PCI Mod 30) collision between two related cells.
• PCFICH REG: The relative weight assigned to a physical control format indicator channel resource element
group (PCI Mod (number of frequency blocks / 2)) collision between two related cells.
6. Click OK.
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Constraint violation weights may be determined based on the numbers of available

resources for each constraint. For example, if the following constraints need to be taken
into account, their respective violation weights may be calculated supposing that the
constraint violation of a single resource of any given type presents the same amount of
imbalance in the network:
Constraint type Number of resources Violation weighta

Physical cell ID 504 71
PSS ID 3 1b
SSS ID 168 23
PCI Mod 30 17 2
PCFICH REG 21c 3
Total 713 100
a. ROUND(Number of resources/Total)
b. Artificially kept at 1 by slightly reducing the SSS ID weight so that
the PSS weight is not 0.
c. For a 10 MHz channel.
9.3.5 Planning Frequencies

You can assign frequencies, i.e., frequency bands and channel numbers, manually to cells or use the Automatic Frequency
Planning (AFP) tool to automatically allocate channels to cells. The AFP allocates channels to cells automatically in such a way
that the overall interference in the network is minimised. Once the allocation is complete, you can analyse the frequency plan
by creating and comparing C/(I+N) coverage predictions, and view the frequency allocation on the map.
When allocating frequencies, the AFP can take into account interference matrices, reuse distance, and any constraints
imposed by neighbours.
To automatically allocate frequencies:
3. Select AFP > Automatic Allocation. The Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box appears (see Figure 9.53).
The Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box is divided into three zones:
• The top line contains global information about the current allocation (resource being allocated and the total cost
of the current plan).
• The left-hand side of the dialog box contains tabs with input parameters.
• The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the allocation results.
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Figure 9.53: Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box for LTE Frequencies
4. From the Allocate list, select Frequencies for automatic frequency planning.
5. On the Relation Types tab, you can set the relations to take into account in automatic allocation:
• Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take interference matrices into account for the
allocation, and select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account,
they must be available in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be
calculated, and imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see
"Working with Interference Matrices" on page 982.
• Existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take neighbour relations into account for the allo-
cation. The AFP will try to allocate different frequencies to a cell and its neighbours.
Atoll can only take neighbour relations into account if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on
allocating neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 966.
• Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take relations based on distance into account for the
allocation. You can enter a Default reuse distance within which two cells must not have the same channel
assigned. However, it is highly recommended to define a reuse distance for each individual cell depending on the
size of the cell’s coverage area and the network density around the cell. If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance is
used instead of the default value entered here.
6. On the right-hand side of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current
frequency allocation. You can click Update to calculate the total cost take into account the parameters set in step 5.
You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 984.
7. Click Start. Atoll begins the process of allocating frequencies. Any messages generated by the AFP during automatic
allocation are reported on the Events tab.
While Atoll allocates frequencies, you can:
• Monitor the reduction of the total cost in the Progress tab.
• Compare the distribution histograms of the initial and current allocation plans in the Distribution tab.
• Pause the automatic allocation process by clicking Pause.
• Resume the automatic allocation process by clicking Continue or start the automatic allocation from the initial
state by clicking Restart.
Once Atoll has finished allocating frequencies, the proposed allocation plan is available on the Results tab. The Results
tab contains the following information:
• Name: The name of the cell.
• Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the cell.
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• Initial channel number: The channel number of the cell before automatic allocation.
• Channel number: The channel number of the cell after automatic allocation.
• Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell.
• Cost: The cost of the new frequency allocation of the cell.
In order to better view the progress graph and the results table, you can expand the right-
hand side zone of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box by clicking the Hide
Inputs button . You can also resize the dialog box.
8. Click Commit. The proposed frequency plan is assigned to the cells of the network.
9. Click Close to exit.
When you allocate frequencies to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However, if you
want to assign a frequency to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
To allocate the frequency to a cell manually:
1. On the map or in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you
want to allocate the frequency. The context menu appears.
4. Select a Frequency band and Channel number for the cell.
5. Set the Channel allocation status to Locked if you want to lock the frequency that you assigned.
6. Click OK.
9.3.6 Planning Physical Cell IDs

In LTE, 504 physical cell IDs are available, numbered from 0 to 503. There are as many pseudo-random sequences defined in
the 3GPP specifications. Physical cell IDs are grouped into 168 unique cell ID groups (called SSS IDs in Atoll), with each group
containing 3 unique identities (called PSS IDs in Atoll). An SSS ID is thus uniquely defined by a number in the range of 0 to 167,
and a PSS ID is defined by a number in the range of 0 to 2.
Each cell’s reference signals carry a pseudo-random sequence corresponding to the physical cell ID of the cell. The SSS and
PSS are transmitted over the centre six frequency blocks independently of the channel bandwidths used by cells. Mobiles
synchronise their transmission and reception frequency and time by first registering the PSS. Once the PSS ID of the cell is
known, mobiles register the SSS of the cell in order to obtain the SSS ID. The combination of these two IDs gives the physical
cell ID and the associated pseudo-random sequence that is transmitted over the downlink reference signals. Once the mobile
has the physical cell ID and the associated pseudo-random sequence, the cell is recognised by the mobile based on the
received reference signals. Channel quality measurements are also made on the reference signals.
Because the cell search and selection depend on the physical cell IDs of the cells, these must be correctly allocated to cells in
order to avoid unnecessary problems in cell recognition and selection.
Atoll facilitates the management of physical cell IDs by letting you create groups of physical cell IDs and domains, where each
domain is a defined set of groups. For more information, see "Setting Resources Available for Allocation" on page 983.
You can assign physical cell IDs manually or automatically to any cell in the network. Once allocation is completed, you can
audit the physical cell IDs, view physical cell ID reuse on the map, and make an analysis of physical cell ID distribution. Atoll
can automatically assign physical cell IDs to the cells taking into account the selected SSS ID allocation strategy (free or same
per site), allowed allocation domain, interference matrices, reuse distance, and any constraints imposed by neighbours.
To automatically allocate physical cell IDs:
3. Select AFP > Automatic Allocation. The Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box appears (see Figure 9.54).
The Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box is divided into three zones:
• The top line contains global information about the current allocation (resource being allocated and the total cost
of the current plan).
• The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the allocation results.
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Figure 9.54: Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box for LTE Physical Cell IDs
4. From the Allocate list, select Physical Cell IDs for automatic physical cell ID planning.
5. On the Relation Types tab, you can set the relations to take into account in automatic allocation:
• Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take interference matrices into account for the
allocation, and select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account,
they must be available in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be
calculated, and imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see
"Working with Interference Matrices" on page 982.
• Existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take neighbour relations into account for the allo-
cation. The AFP will try to allocate different physical cell IDs to a cell and its neighbours, and to the neighbours of
a common cell. In 3GPP multi-RAT documents, the AFP will also try to allocate different physical cell IDs to LTE cells
that are neighbours of a common GSM transmitter or UMTS cell. In 3GPP2 multi-RAT documents, the AFP will also
try to allocate different physical cell IDs to LTE cells that are neighbours of a common CDMA cell.
The AFP can take neighbours into account only if neighbours have already been allocated. If you want the AFP to
take both first and second order neighbours into account, you must set an option in the Atoll.ini file (see the Ad-
ministrator Manual).
• Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take relations based on distance into account for the
allocation. You can enter a Default reuse distance within which two cells must not have the same physical cell ID
assigned. However, it is highly recommended to define a reuse distance for each individual cell depending on the
size of the cell’s coverage area and the network density around the cell. If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance is
used instead of the default value entered here. A macro that automatically calculates a reuse distance for each
cell can be provided upon request.
6. On the Constraints tab, you can set the constraints to take into account in automatic allocation:
• Allocation domain: You can choose Per cell to allocate physical cell IDs from the physical cell ID domains defined
per cell, you can choose to allocate from the Entire (0-503) domain, or you can choose Custom and enter the
Excluded resources to exclude some physical cell IDs from the allocation.
You can enter non-consecutive physical cell IDs separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of physical cell
IDs separating the first and last one with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
• Allocation strategies: You can select Same per site as the SSS ID allocation strategy if you want the AFP to allocate
the same SSS ID to all the cells of a site. Select Free as the SSS ID allocation strategy if you want the AFP to ignore
the SSS ID collisions. With free allocation, the SSS ID will not necessarily be the same for all the cells of a site.
You can select the Take into account frequency plan check box if you want the AFP to consider the frequency plan
when determining physical cell ID collisions.
7. On the right-hand side of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current
physical cell ID allocation. You can click Update to calculate the total cost take into account the parameters set in
step 5.
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page 984.
8. Click Start. Atoll begins the process of allocating physical cell IDs. Any messages generated by the AFP during auto-
matic allocation are reported on the Events tab.
While Atoll allocates physical cell IDs, you can:
• Monitor the reduction of the total cost in the Progress tab.
• Compare the distribution histograms of the initial and current allocation plans in the Distribution tab.
• Pause the automatic allocation process by clicking Pause.
• Resume the automatic allocation process by clicking Continue or start the automatic allocation from the initial
state by clicking Restart.
Once Atoll has finished allocating physical cell IDs, the proposed allocation plan is available on the Results tab. The
Results tab contains the following information:
• Physical cell ID domain: The physical cell ID domain of the cell.
• Initial physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell before automatic allocation.
• Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• Initial PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation.
• PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• Initial SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell before automatic allocation.
• SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• Cost: The cost of the new physical cell ID allocation of the cell.
• SSS ID status: The value of the SSS ID status of the cell.
• PSS ID status: The value of the PSS ID status of the cell.
In order to better view the progress graph and the results table, you can expand the right-
hand side zone of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box by clicking the Hide
Inputs button . You can also resize the dialog box.
9. Click Commit. The proposed physical cell ID plan is assigned to the cells of the network.
When you allocate physical cell IDs to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However,
if you want to assign a physical cell ID to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
To allocate a physical cell ID to an LTE cell manually:
1. On the map or in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you
want to allocate a physical cell ID. The context menu appears.
4. Enter a Physical cell ID in the cell’s column.
5. You can set the PSS ID Status and SSS ID Status to Locked if you want to lock the physical cell ID that you assigned.
6. Click OK.
9.3.7 Displaying the AFP Results on the Map

You can display AFP results on the map in several ways:
• "Using the Find on Map Tool to Display AFP Results" on page 989.
• "Grouping Transmitters by Channels or Physical Cell IDs" on page 991.
9.3.7.1 Using the Find on Map Tool to Display AFP Results

In Atoll, you can search for frequency bands, channel numbers, physical cell IDs, PSS IDs, and SSS IDs, using Find on Map.
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displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. The current allocation plan and any
potential problems will then be clearly visible. For information on coverage predictions by transmitter, see "Making a Cover-
age Prediction by Transmitter" on page 932.
To find a frequency band using Find on Map:
2. From the Find list, select "LTE Channel."
3. From the Band list, select a frequency band.
4. From the Channel list, select "All."
5. Click Search.
Transmitters whose cells use the selected frequency band are displayed in red in the map window and are listed under
Results in the Find on Map window. Transmitters with cells using other frequency bands are displayed in grey in the
map window.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Find on Map window.
To find a channel number using Find on Map:
2. From the Find list, select "LTE Channel."
3. From the Band list, select a frequency band.
4. From the Channel list, select the channel number.
By default, Find on Map displays only co-channel transmitter cells. If you want adjacent channels to be displayed as
well, select the Adjacent channels check box.
5. Click Search.
Transmitters whose cells use the selected frequency band and channel number are displayed in red. Transmitters with
cells using two adjacent channel numbers in the same frequency band (i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are
displayed in yellow. Transmitters with cells using a lower adjacent channel number in the same frequency band are
displayed in green. Transmitters with cells using a higher adjacent channel number in the same frequency band are
displayed in blue. All other transmitters are displayed as grey lines.
If you cleared the Adjacent channels check box, transmitters with cells using the same channel number are displayed
in red, and all others, including transmitters with adjacent channels, are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Find on Map window.
By including the frequency band and channel number of each cell in the transmitter label,
the search results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
To find a physical cell ID, PSS ID, or SSS ID using Find on Map:
2. From the Find list, select "Physical Cell ID."
• Physical cell ID: If you want to find a physical cell ID, select Physical cell ID and select the physical cell ID from the
list.
• PSS ID: If you want to find a PSS ID, select PSS ID and select the PSS ID from the list: "All," "0," "1," or "2."
• SSS ID: If you want to find an SSS ID, select SSS ID and select the SSS ID from the list.
4. Click Search.
When you select a physical cell ID or an SSS ID, transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in
red. Transmitters that do not match the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
When you select a specific PSS ID, transmitters whose cells use the selected ID are displayed in red. Transmitters with
cells that use other IDs are displayed as grey lines. When you choose to search for all PSS IDs, transmitters whose first
cells use ID 0 are displayed in red, transmitters whose first cells use ID 1 are displayed in yellow, and transmitters
whose first cells use ID 2 are displayed in green.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Search Tool window.
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• By including the physical cell ID of each cell in the transmitter label, the search
results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
• Transmitters with more than one cell might use different PSS IDs in different cells.
Therefore, the search for all PSS IDs is only valid for single-cell transmitters.
9.3.7.2 Displaying AFP Results Using Transmitter Display Settings

You can display the frequency and physical cell ID allocation on transmitters by using the transmitters’ display settings.
To display the frequency allocation on the map:
5. Select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Cells: Channel number" as the Field.
6. Click OK. Transmitters will be displayed by channel number.
You can also display the frequency band and channel number in the transmitter label or tip text by selecting "Cells: Frequency
band" and "Cells: Channel number" from the Label or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
To display physical cell ID allocation on the map:
5. Select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Cells: Physical cell ID" as the Field.
6. Click OK. Transmitters will be displayed by physical cell ID.
You can also display the physical cell ID in the transmitter label or tip text by selecting "Cells: Physical cell ID" from the Label
or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
9.3.7.3 Grouping Transmitters by Channels or Physical Cell IDs

You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their frequency bands, channel numbers, or physical cell IDs.
To group transmitters by frequency bands, channel numbers, or physical cell IDs:
5. Under Available fields, scroll down to the Cells section.
• Frequency band
• Channel number
• Physical cell ID
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
8. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select the parameter in the Group these fields
in this order list and click . The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmit-
ters will be grouped.
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9. Arrange the parameters in the Group these fields in this order list in the order in which you want the transmitters to
be grouped:
9.3.8 Analysing the AFP Results

You can analyse the AFP results using the tools provided by Atoll:
• "Checking the Consistency of a Frequency Plan" on page 992.
• "Checking the Consistency of the Physical Cell ID Plan" on page 993.
• "Making a Cell Identifier Collision Zones Prediction" on page 996.
• "Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions" on page 997.
9.3.8.1 Checking the Consistency of a Frequency Plan

Once you have completed allocating frequencies, you can verify whether the allocated frequencies respect the specified rela-
tions by performing an audit of the plan. The frequency audit also enables you to check for inconsistencies if you have made
some manual changes to the allocation plan.
To perform an audit of the frequency plan:
3. Select AFP > Audit. The Resource Allocation Audit dialog box appears (see Figure 9.55).
The Resource Allocation Audit dialog box is divided into three zones:
• The top line contains global information about the current allocation (resource being audited and the total cost of
the current plan).
• The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the audit results.
Figure 9.55: Resource Allocation Audit dialog box for LTE Frequencies
4. From the Audit list, select Frequencies.

5. On the Relation Types tab, you can select the relation-based allocation criteria that you want to verify.
• Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the audit to take interference matrices into account, and
select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account, they must be avail-
able in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be calculated, and
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imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see "Working with
Interference Matrices" on page 982.
• Existing Neighbours: Select this check box if you want the audit to take neighbours into account. Atoll can only
take neighbour relations into account if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on allocating
neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 966.
• Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the audit to take reuse distance into account. For cells that do
not have a reuse distance defined in their properties, the value entered next to Default will be used for the audit.
6. On the right-hand side of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current fre-
quency allocation.
page 984.
7. Click Calculate. Atoll performs an audit of the current frequency plan. Any messages generated by the audit are
reported on the Events tab. The audit results are reported on the following tabs:
The Statistics tab provides overall statistics such as the numbers of various types of relations considered by the AFP
for frequency planning and the number of violated relations.
The Relations tab lists all the relations between cells that exist in the document. If you wish to display only the rela-
tions that violate the frequency allocation requirements, select the Show violations only check box. The Relations tab
contains the following information:
• Cell 1: First cell in a related cell-pair.
• Cell 2: Second cell in a related cell-pair.
• Frequency band 1: Frequency band of Cell 1.
• Channel 1: Channel number of Cell 1.
• Channel collision: Whether the channels of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
• Channel Overlap Factor: The ratio of overlap between the channels used by Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Cost: The cost of the current collisions, if any, between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Distance: The distance between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Reuse distance: Reuse distance defined for Cell 1.
• Distance relation importance: The importance of the distance-based relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Interference Matrices: Whether an interference matrix relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
• Interference matrix importance: The importance of the interference matrix relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Neighbour: Whether a neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
• Neighbour importance: The importance of the neighbour relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
The Cells tab lists the current allocation plan and the following information:
• Channel number: The channel number of the cell.
• Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell.
• Cost: The cost of the frequency allocation of the cell.
The Distribution tab shows the histogram of the current allocation plan.
In order to better view the audit results, you can expand the right-hand side zone of the
Resource Allocation Audit dialog box by clicking the Hide Inputs button . You can also
resize the dialog box.
9.3.8.2 Checking the Consistency of the Physical Cell ID Plan

Once you have completed allocating physical cell IDs, you can verify whether the allocated physical cell IDs respect the spec-
ified constraints and relations by performing an audit of the plan. The physical cell ID audit also enables you to check for incon-
sistencies if you have made some manual changes to the allocation plan.
For instance, a physical cell ID audit will detect the following in multi-RAT networks:
• LTE cells with identical physical cell IDs that are neighbours of the same GSM transmitter,
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• LTE cells with identical physical cell IDs that are neighbours of the same UMTS cell,
• LTE cells with identical physical cell IDs that are neighbours of the same CDMA cell.
To perform an audit of the physical cell ID plan:
3. Select AFP > Audit. The Resource Allocation Audit dialog box appears (see Figure 9.56).
The Resource Allocation Audit dialog box is divided into three zones:
• The top line contains global information about the current allocation (resource being audited and the total cost of
the current plan).
• The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the audit results.
Figure 9.56: Resource Allocation Audit dialog box for LTE Physical Cell IDs
4. From the Audit list, select Physical Cell IDs.

5. On the Relation Types tab, you can select the relation-based allocation criteria that you want to verify.
• Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the audit to take interference matrices into account, and
select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account, they must be avail-
able in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be calculated, and
imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see "Working with
Interference Matrices" on page 982.
• Existing Neighbours: Select this check box if you want the audit to take neighbours into account. Atoll can only
take neighbour relations into account if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on allocating
neighbours, see "Planning Intra-technology Neighbours" on page 966.
• Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the audit to take reuse distance into account. For cells that do
not have a reuse distance defined in their properties, the value entered next to Default will be used for the audit.
6. On the right-hand side of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current physical
cell ID allocation.
page 984.
7. On the Constraints tab, you can set the constraints to take into account in the audit:
• Allocation domain: You can choose Per cell to check if the allocated physical cell IDs belong to the physical cell ID
domains defined per cell, or you can choose to the Entire (0-503) domain or define a Custom domain by entering
the Excluded resources.
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You can enter non-consecutive physical cell IDs separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of physical cell
IDs separating the first and last one with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
• Allocation strategies: You can select the Same per site strategy for the SSS ID to check whether the same SSS ID
has been allocated to the cells of the same site. You can select the Different PSS ID per site check box to have the
audit verify whether co-site cells have different PSS IDs.
You can select the Take into account frequency plan check box if you want the audit to consider the frequency
plan when determining physical cell ID collisions.
8. Click Calculate. Atoll performs an audit of the current physical cell ID plan. Any messages generated by the audit are
reported on the Events tab. The audit results are reported on the following tabs:
The Statistics tab provides overall statistics such as the numbers of various types of relations considered by the AFP
for physical cell ID planning, the numbers of violated relations of each type, the number of collisions for each resource
type, the number of cells not satisfying the domain compliance criteria, and numbers of strategy violations for
selected allocation strategies.
The Relations tab lists all the relations between cells that exist in the document. If you wish to display only the rela-
tions that violate the physical cell ID allocation requirements, select the Show violations only check box. The Relations
tab contains the following information:
• Cell 1: First cell in a related cell-pair.
• Cell 2: Second cell in a related cell-pair.
• Cost: The cost of the current collisions, if any, between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Physical cell ID collision: Whether the physical cell IDs of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
• Physical cell ID 1: The physical cell ID of Cell 1.
• Physical cell ID 2: The physical cell ID of Cell 2.
• PSS collision: Whether the PSS IDs of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
• PSS 1: The PSS ID of Cell 1.
• PSS 2: The PSS ID of Cell 2.
• Per-site SSS constraint: Whether the per-site SSS constraint has been respected ( ) or not ( ).
• SSS 1: The SSS ID of Cell 1.
• SSS 2: The SSS ID of Cell 2.
• PCI Mod 6 collision (DL RS): Whether there is a PCI Mod 6 collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
• PCI Mod 30 collision (UL DMRS): Whether there is a PCI Mod 30 collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
• PCFICH REG collision: Whether there is a PCFICH REG collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
• Distance: The distance between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Reuse distance: Reuse distance defined for Cell 1.
• Distance relation importance: The importance of the distance-based relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Interference Matrices: Whether an interference matrix relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
• Interference matrix importance: The importance of the interference matrix relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Neighbour: Whether a neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
• Neighbour importance: The importance of the neighbour relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
• Second order neighbour: Whether a second-order neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
• Second order neighbour importance: The importance of the second-order neighbour relation between Cell 1 and
Cell 2.
• Neighbours of a common cell: Whether Cell 1 and Cell 2 are ( ) neighbours of a common cell or not.
• Importance of neighbours of a common cell: The importance of the relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2 through a
common neighbour cell.
The Cells tab lists the current allocation plan and the following information:
• Physical cell ID domain: The physical cell ID domain of the cell.
• Domain compliance: Whether the allocated physical cell ID belongs to ( ) the defined physical cell ID domain or
not ( ).
• Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
• Cost: The cost of the new physical cell ID allocation of the cell.
• SSS ID status: The value of the SSS ID status of the cell.
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• PSS ID status: The value of the PSS ID status of the cell.

The Sites tab identifies the sites where the Same per-site SSS ID allocation strategy was respected ( ) or not ( ).
The Distribution tab shows the histogram of the current allocation plan.
• The exclamation mark icon ( ) signifies that the collision may or may not be a
problem depending on your network design rules and selected strategies. On the
other hand, the cross icon ( ) implies an error.
• In order to better view the audit results, you can expand the right-hand side zone
of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box by clicking the Hide Inputs button
. You can also resize the dialog box.
9.3.8.3 Making a Cell Identifier Collision Zones Prediction

You can make a prediction of cell identifier collision zones to view areas covered by cells using the same physical cell ID or
other related parameters such as the PSS ID, SSS ID, PCI Mod 6 (DL RS), and PCI Mod 30 (UL DMRS). Atoll checks on each pixel
if one or more cell has the same cell identifier as the user’s best serving cell. If so, Atoll considers that there is cell identifier
collision.
To make a cell identifier collision zone prediction:
1. Select the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialogue appears.
2. Select Cell Identifier Collision Zones (DL) and click OK.
on page 100.
for each pixel.
• The Server parameter is set to "Best Signal Level." You can enter a Margin.
clutter class.
• You can select the Take frequency plan into account check box to determine the cell identifier collisions based on
the current frequency plan of the network.
• Under Identifier, you can select the cell identifier for which you wish to calculate the coverage prediction.
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Figure 9.57: Condition settings for a cell identifier coverage prediction

The coverage prediction results will be arranged according to cells, the number of interferers, or number of interferers
per cell. For information on adjusting the display, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, choose whether you want to calculate it now or later:
• Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and perform the calculation immediately.
• Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate the prediction later by
clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer. Once Atoll has finished calcu-
lating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
9.3.8.4 Analysing the Frequency Allocation Using Coverage Predictions

You can create and compare reference signal C/(I+N) coverage predictions before and after the automatic frequency alloca-
tion in order to analyse and compare the improvements brought about by the AFP. For more information on creating refer-
ence signal C/(I+N) coverage predictions, see "Studying Interference and C/(I+N) Levels" on page 941. For more information
on comparing two coverage predictions, see "Comparing Coverage Predictions" on page 962.

Interference is the major limiting factor in the performance of LTE networks. It has been recognised as the major bottleneck
in network capacity and is often responsible for poor performance. Frequency reuse means that in a given coverage area there
are several cells that use a given set of frequencies. The cells that use the same frequency are called co-channel cells, and the
interference from users with the same channel in the other co-channel cells is called co-channel interference. Unlike thermal
noise which can be overcome by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), co-channel interference cannot be countered by
simply increasing the carrier power of a transmitter. This is because an increase in carrier transmission power will increase the
interference to neighbouring co-channel cells. To reduce co-channel interference, co-channel cells must be physically sepa-
rated sufficiently by a distance, called the reuse distance. For a network with a limited number of frequency channels, a large
reuse distance can guarantee a high QoS for the system, but the capacity will be decreased.
Another type of interference in LTE networks is adjacent channel interference. Adjacent channel interference results from
imperfect receiver filters which allow nearby frequencies to interfere with the used frequency channel. Adjacent channel
interference can be minimised through careful filtering and channel assignment.
In Atoll, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of users at a given point in time. The distribution of users at a given
moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various network parameters such as the down-
link and uplink traffic loads, the uplink noise rise, the user throughputs, etc. Simulations are calculated in an iterative fashion.
another.
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To create snapshots, services and users must be modelled. As well, certain traffic information in the form of traffic maps or
subscriber lists must be provided. Once services and users have been modelled and traffic maps and subscriber lists have been
created, you can make simulations of the network traffic.
• "Defining Multi-service Traffic Data" on page 998.
• "Creating a Traffic Map" on page 998.
• "Exporting a Traffic Map" on page 1008.
• "Working with a Subscriber Database" on page 1008.
• "Calculating and Displaying Traffic Simulations" on page 1012.

parameters of network use, in terms of services, users, and equipment used.
• LTE radio bearers: Radio bearers are used by the network for carrying information. The LTE Radio Bearer table lists all
the available radio bearers. You can create new radio bearers and modify existing ones by using the LTE Radio Bearer
table. For information on defining radio bearers, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 1072.
• Services: Services are the various services, such as VoIP, FTP download, etc., available to users. These services can be
either of the type "voice" or "data". For information on modelling end-user services, see "Modelling Services" on
page 936.
• Mobility types: In LTE, information about receiver mobility is important to determine the user’s radio conditions and
throughputs. For information on modelling mobility types, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 937.
• Terminals: In LTE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA,
or a car’s on-board navigation device. For information on modelling terminals, see "Modelling Terminals" on
page 938.

Atoll provides three types of traffic maps for LTE projects.
These maps can be used for different types of traffic data sources as follows:
throughputs in the uplink and in the downlink or the number of users per activity status or the total number of users
(all activity statuses). For more information, see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on page 998.
page 1002, "Importing a User Profile Environment Based Traffic Map" on page 1004 and "Creating a User Profile Envi-
work statistics.
Each pixel has a user density assigned. The value either includes all activity statuses or it corresponds to a particular
activity status. For more information, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps (No. Users/km2)" on page 1005,
"Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 1005, "Converting 2G Network Traffic" on page 1007 and "Exporting
Cumulated Traffic" on page 1007

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You can enter either the throughput demands in the uplink and in the downlink or the number of users per activity status or
the total number of users (all activity statuses). You must have a coverage prediction by transmitter to create this traffic map.
If you do not already have a coverage prediction by transmitter in your document, you must create and calculate it first. For
4. Select Sector traffic map.
5. Select the type of traffic information you want to input. You can choose either Throughputs in uplink and downlink,
Total number of users (all activity statuses) or Number of users per activity status.
AGD (Atoll Geographic Data) format files that you have exported from another Atoll docu-
ment.
• If you have selected Throughputs in uplink and downlink, enter the throughput demands in the uplink and down-
link for each sector and for each listed service.
• If you have selected Total number of users (all activity statuses), enter the number of connected users for each
sector and for each listed service.
• If you have selected Number of users per activity status, enter the number of inactive users, the number of users
active in the uplink, in the downlink and in the uplink and downlink, for each sector and for each service.
10. Select the Traffic tab. Enter the following:
a. Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentage must
equal 100.
b. Under Mobilities (%), enter the percentage of each mobility type used in the map. The total percentage must
equal 100.
c. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter:
100.
100.
8. Under Clutter Distribution, for each clutter class, enter a weight to spread the traffic over the clutter classes and the
percentage of indoor users.
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You can update the information, throughput demands and the number of users, on the map afterwards. You must first recal-
culate the coverage prediction by transmitter. For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on
page 932. Once you have recalculated the coverage prediction, you can update the traffic map.
Select the updated coverage prediction by transmitter and define traffic values for the new transmitter(s) listed at the

There may also be information about the type of terminal devices they use to access different services.
A user profile models the behaviour of different user categories. Each user profile is defined by a list of services which are in
turn defined by the terminal used, the calls per hour, and duration (for calls of the type "voice") or uplink and downlink volume
(for calls of the type "data").
Environment classes are used to describe the distribution of users on a map. An environment class describes its environment
using a list of user profiles, each with an associated mobility type and a given density (i.e., the number of users with the same
profile per km²).
• "Modelling User Profiles" on page 1000.
browsing.

• Name: Enter a descriptive name for the user profile.
• Service: Select a service from the list. For information on services, see "Modelling Services" on page 936.
• Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For information on terminals, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 938.
1000
• Calls/hour: For services of the type "voice," enter the average number of calls per hour for the service. The calls
per hour is used to calculate the activity probability. For services of the type "voice," one call lasting 1000 seconds
presents the same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each.
For services of the type "data," the Calls/hour value is defined as the number of sessions per hour. A session is like
a call in that it is defined as the period of time between when a user starts using a service and when he stops using
a service. In services of the type "data," however, he may not use the service continually. For example, with a web-
browsing service, a session starts when the user opens his browsing application and ends when he quits the
browsing application. Between these two events, the user might be downloading web pages and other times he
may not be using the application, or he might be browsing local files, but the session is still considered as open. A
session, therefore, is defined by the volume transferred in the uplink and downlink and not by the time.
• Duration (sec.): For services of the type "voice," enter the average duration of a call in seconds. For services of the
type "data," this field is left blank.
• UL volume (KBytes): For services of the type "data," enter the average uplink volume per session in kilobytes.
• DL volume (KBytes): For services of the type "data," enter the average downlink volume per session in kilobytes.
6. Click OK.
density (i.e., the number of users with the same profile per km²). To get an appropriate user distribution, you can assign a
weight to each clutter class for each environment class. You can also specify the percentage of indoor subscribers for each
To create or modify an environment:

6. Enter a Name for the new environment.
7. In the row marked with the New row icon ( ), set the following parameters for each user profile/mobility combina-
tion that this LTE environment will describe:
9. For each clutter class, enter a weight that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
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where:

For example: An area of 10 km² with a user density of 100/km². Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 users. The area
is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and for Building is "4." Given
the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class and 800 in the Building clutter
class.
10. If you wish you can specify a percentage of indoor users for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simulations, indoor
losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to the path losses of indoor mobiles.
11. Click OK.

vector.

9. Select Traffic from the Data type list.
11. Select the Traffic tab (see Figure 9.58).
12. Under Traffic fields, you can specify the user profiles to be considered, their mobility type (km⁄h), and their density.
If the file you are importing has this data, you can define the traffic characteristics by identifying the corresponding
fields in the file. If the file you are importing does not have data describing the user profile, mobility, or density, you
can assign values. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map.
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• User profile: If you want to import user profile information from the file, under Defined, select "By field" and
column.
polygons, the number of subscribers per kilometre in case of lines, and the number of subscribers when the map
consists of points.
13. Under Clutter distribution, enter a weight for each class that will be used to calculate a user distribution.
Wk  Sk
N k = N Area  --------------------------

Wi  Si
i
where:
14. If you wish you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simulations,
1003

7. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported 8 bit raster formats: TIF, JPEG 2000, BIL,
IST, BMP, PlaNET©, GRC Vertical Mapper, and Erdas Imagine.
column.
page 47.
14. Click OK.

Atoll enables you to create a user profile environment traffic map based on by drawing it in the map window.
Draw Map Delete Map

Figure 9.59: Environment map editor toolbar
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9.4.2.2.4 Displaying Statistics on a User Profile Environment Traffic Map

You can display the statistics of a user profile environment traffic map. Atoll provides absolute (surface) and relative (percent-
age of the surface) statistics on the focus zone for each environment class. If you do not have a focus zone defined, statistics
are determined for the computation zone.
Si
-  100
 Sk
k
5. Click Close.
class.

ants) or on 2G traffic statistics. User density traffic maps provide the number of connected users per unit surface, i.e., the
density of users, as input. This can be either the density of users per activity status or the total density of users (all activity
statuses).
User density traffic maps can be created from sector traffic maps to extract and display the exact number of users per unit of
surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter weighting defined for the sector traffic maps. For more infor-
mation, see "Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps" on page 1007.

x users per pixel during the simulations, where x depends on the size of the pixels. These x users will have a terminal, a mobility
type, a service, and percentage of indoor users as defined in the Traffic tab of the traffic map’s properties dialog box.
4. Select User density traffic map (No. users/km2).

activity status.
only.
the downlink only.
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100.
100.
14. Under Services (%), enter the percentage of each service type used in the map. The total percentage must equal 100.
15. Under Clutter distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users.

4. Select User density traffic map (Number of users per km2).

5. Select the type of traffic information you want to enter. You can choose from:
activity status.
only.
the downlink only.
6. Click the Create button. The traffic map’s property dialog box appears.
100.
100.
11. Under Clutter distribution, enter for each clutter class the percentage of indoor users.
"Editing Polygons, Lines, and Points" on page 65. Atoll creates an item called Density values in the User Density Map
folder.
18. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e. the number of users per km2) for each contour you have drawn.
1006

ment.

packet and circuit service traffic, and then import these maps as traffic maps per user density into your LTE document. These
For more information on how to export cumulated traffic, see "Exporting Cumulated Traffic" on page 1007, and for informa-
tion on importing user density traffic maps, see "Importing a User Density Traffic Map" on page 1005.
To import a 2G traffic map into an LTE document:
1. Create a live data traffic map in your 2G document for each type of service, i.e., one map for packet-switched and one
on page 320.
3. Import the traffic exported in step 2 to your LTE document as a user density traffic map. For more information on

Atoll enables you to export the cumulated traffic of selected traffic maps in the form of user density traffic maps. During
export, Atoll converts any traffic map to user densities. The cumulated traffic is exported in 32-bit BIL, ArcView© Grid, or
Vertical Mapper format. When exporting in BIL format, Atoll allows you to export files larger than 2 GB. The exported traffic
map can then be imported as a user density traffic map.
• The entire project area: This option allows you to export the cumulated traffic over the entire project.
• The computation zone: This option allows you to export the cumulated traffic contained by a rectangle encom-
passing the computation zone.
7. Define a Resolution in metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1.
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• Service: Select the service that will be exported, or select "Voice services" to export voice traffic, or select "Data
services" to export data traffic.
• All activity statuses: Select all activity statuses to export all users without any filter by activity status.
9. In the Select traffic maps to be used list, select the check box of each traffic map you want to include in the cumulated
traffic.

6. Click Save.
• The Export region:
• Entire project area: Saves the entire traffic map.
• Only pending changes: Saves only the modifications made to the map.
• Computation zone: Saves only the part of the traffic map inside the computation zone.
9.4.4 Working with a Subscriber Database

The LTE module includes a subscriber database for modelling fixed user distributions in a network. The subscriber database
consists of subscriber lists. You can create subscriber lists in Atoll by adding subscribers to the list using the mouse, or by copy-
ing data from any other source such as a spreadsheet. You can also directly import subscriber lists in Atoll from text (TXT) and
comma separated value (CSV) files.
Atoll can allocate reference or serving base stations (cells) to subscribers. You can also have the subscriber antenna oriented
towards its serving cell to decrease interference. The automatic server allocation performs a number of calculations on the
subscriber locations.
• "Creating a Subscriber List" on page 1008.
• "Performing Calculations on Subscriber lists" on page 1012.
9.4.4.1 Creating a Subscriber List

You create subscribers in Atoll in two steps. First, you create a subscriber list, and then you add subscribers to the list. You can
add subscribers to the list directly on the map using the mouse. For more information, see "Adding Subscribers to a Subscriber
List Using the Mouse" on page 1011.
If you need to create a large number of subscribers, Atoll allows you to import them from another Atoll document or from an
external source. For more information, see "Importing a Subscriber List" on page 1011.
To create a subscriber list:
2. Right-click the Subscribers folder. The context menu appears.
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3. Select New List from the context menu. The Subscriber List N Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 9.60), where
N is an incremental digit.
Figure 9.60: New subscriber list dialog box - General tab
4. Select the General tab. The following options are available:

• Name: The name of the subscriber list. You can change the name of the list if desired.
• Coordinate system: The current coordinate system used by the subscriber list. You can change the coordinate
system of the list by clicking the Change button.
• Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data in the subscriber list. For information on sorting, see "Sorting Data" on
page 99.
• Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data in the subscriber list. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data"
on page 100.
5. Click the Display tab. You can modify how subscribers added to the list are displayed. For information on defining the
display properties, see "Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
6. Click OK. Atoll creates a new subscriber list.
The following parameters are available by default in a new subscriber list:
• ID: The subscriber ID in the subscriber list. It is an automatically created identification number.
• X and Y coordinates: The geographical coordinates of the subscriber. A subscriber’s location is always fixed.
• Height: The altitude of the subscriber antenna with respect to the ground (DTM).
• Name: You can assign a descriptive name to each subscriber.
• User profile: A user profile defines the traffic demand characteristics of subscribers. Atoll determines the terminal
used, the service accessed, and the activity status of subscribers during Monte Carlo simulations according to the
information in the user profiles. For more information, see "Modelling User Profiles" on page 1000.
• Terminal: The default terminal is the user equipment with an antenna, reception equipment, and noise character-
istics. The properties of this terminal are taken into consideration when performing calculations on the subscriber
list.
• Service: The service that the subscriber accesses by default. The properties of this service are taken into consid-
eration when performing calculations on the subscriber list.
• Mobility: The mobility type associated with the subscriber. It is used to identify the thresholds and graphs to be
used for the subscriber in calculations.
• Clutter: The name of the clutter class where the subscriber is located. This is a non-editable field whose contents
are automatically updated.
• Indoor: This field indicates whether the subscriber is indoor or outdoor.
• Best server: The serving transmitter of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calcu-
late it for the subscriber. The serving transmitter is the one to which the serving cell belongs.
• Serving cell: The serving cell of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for
the subscriber.
• Distance: The distance of the subscriber from its serving base station. This is a non-editable field whose contents
are automatically updated.
• Azimuth: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered with
respect to the north. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. Atoll
points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station.
1009
• Downtilt: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive when it
is downwards and negative when upwards. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for
the subscriber. Atoll points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station.
• Lock status: You can choose to lock the subscriber antenna orientation and serving transmitter. Use this option if
you do not want Atoll to change the assigned server or the antenna orientation.
• RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the sub-
scriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll
during calculations on subscriber lists.
• RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value
is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• Received RS power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This
value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value
is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This
value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink.
This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink.
This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
• RS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is gener-
ated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll
during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
• PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
• RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in
the downlink on the reference signals. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber loca-
tion in the downlink on the SS and PBCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location
in the downlink on the PDCCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location
in the downlink on the PDSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the subscriber location in the down-
link. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the subscriber’s terminal type’s reception equipment for the PDSCH
C⁄(I+N) level at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on
subscriber lists.
• Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode supported by the cell in downlink.
• Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
on subscriber lists.
• Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
• Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter
from the subscriber terminal in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber
lists.
• PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the
uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving
transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink on the PUSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
• Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of
the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the serving cell’s reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N)
level at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calcula-
tions on subscriber lists.
• Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode supported by the cell in uplink.
• Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the subscriber’s terminal after power control in the
uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
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• Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the subscriber
in the uplink by the eNode-B. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
• Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during
the calculations on subscriber lists.
• Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput available using the highest
bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during
the calculations on subscriber lists.
For information on how to select the columns to display in the subscriber list table, see "Selecting the Columns to
Display in the Subscriber Lists" on page 1012.
For more information on the calculations that you can carry out on subscriber lists, see "Performing Calculations on
Subscriber lists" on page 1012.
You can now move the pointer over the map and click once to place a new subscriber at the location of the pointer. Press ESC
or click the normal pointer button ( ), to finish adding subscribers on the map. For information on adding subscribers to a
list, see "Adding Subscribers to a Subscriber List Using the Mouse" on page 1011.
You can open the subscriber list table containing all the subscribers and their parameters.
To open the subscriber list table:
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Subscribers folder.
3. Right-click the subscriber list you want to open. The context menu appears.
9.4.4.1.1 Adding Subscribers to a Subscriber List Using the Mouse

You can use the mouse to add subscribers to an existing subscriber list. Atoll applies the default parameters defined in the
Table tab of the subscriber list Properties dialog box to all the subscribers you add to the list. For more information on the
Table tab, see "Creating a Subscriber List" on page 1008.
To add subscribers to a subscriber list using the mouse:
3. Right-click the subscriber list to which you want to add subscribers. The context menu appears.
4. Select Add Subscribers from the context menu. The pointer changes to subscriber addition mode ( ).
5. Move the mouse over the map window, and click once to add each subscriber.
6. Press ESC or click the normal pointer button ( ) to finish adding subscribers.
To place subscribers more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the
map. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on
page 54.
9.4.4.1.2 Importing a Subscriber List

You can also import subscriber lists from text files (TXT) or comma separated value files (CSV), including Microsoft Excel files
exported in CSV format.
To import a subscriber list:
4. Select the ASCII text file you want to open and click Open. The Import dialog box appears.
In the Import dialog box, you can change the reference coordinate system for the file being imported by selecting the
system from the Coordinates list. Atoll will convert the coordinates of the list to the coordinate system of the docu-
ment upon import.
For more information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 88.
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You can also export subscriber lists. For information on exporting table data, see "Export-
ing Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 86.
9.4.4.1.3 Selecting the Columns to Display in the Subscriber Lists

From the columns listed in "Creating a Subscriber List" on page 1008, you can select the ones to display in the Properties dialog
box of the Subscribers folder.
To select the columns to display in subscriber lists:
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Subscribers Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click the Column Selection tab.
5. Under Configuration, you can Open an existing configuration of the columns to display, Save the current settings in
an existing configuration file, or Save as a new configuration file.
6. Select the columns you want to display:
a. Select the column in the Available columns list and click to move it to the Columns to display list.
b. Select a column in the Columns to display list and click to move it to the Available columns list.
c. Change the order of the columns by selecting a column and clicking or to move it up or down in the list.
7. Click OK to close the Subscribers Properties dialog box.
9.4.4.2 Performing Calculations on Subscriber lists

You can perform calculations on subscriber lists without having to carry out simulations first. Atoll does not base calculations
performed on subscriber lists on the path loss matrices calculated for transmitters. This is because the path loss matrices are
calculated for a given receiver height (1.5 m by default) defined in the Properties dialog box of the Predictions folder, but each
subscriber in a subscriber list can have a different height. Therefore, Atoll recalculates the path loss, received power, and
other output for each subscriber when you perform calculations based on subscribers.
Atoll can perform an automatic server allocation for all the subscribers in a list.
To perform calculations on a subscriber list:
3. Right-click the subscriber list on which you want to perform calculations. The context menu appears.
4. Select Calculations > Automatic Server Allocation from the context menu. The Automatic Server Allocation dialog
box appears.
If you want the calculations to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and
enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin for signal level calculations
is based on the model standard deviation, and the shadowing margin for C/(I+N) calculations is based on the C/I stand-
ard deviation.
5. Click Calculate. The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Event Viewer.
6. Once the calculations are finished, click Close to close the Event Viewer.
7. Click Commit to store the results in the subscriber list. For the list of results that are available after the calculations,
see "Creating a Subscriber List" on page 1008.

To plan and optimise LTE networks, you will need to study the network capacity and to study the network coverage taking into
account realistic user distribution and traffic demand scenarios.
In Atoll, a simulation corresponds to a given distribution of LTE users. It is a snapshot of an LTE network. The principal outputs
of a simulation are a geographic user distribution with a certain traffic demand, resources allocated to each user of this distri-
bution, and cell loads.
You can create groups for one or more simulations and carry out as many simulations as required. A new simulation for each
different traffic scenario can help visualise the network’s response to different traffic demands. Each user distribution (each
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simulation generates a new user distribution) is a Poisson distribution of the number of active users. Therefore, each simula-
tion may have a varying number of users accessing the network.
LTE simulation results can be displayed on the map as well as listed in tabular form for analysis. Simulation outputs include
results related to sites, cells, and mobiles.
LTE simulation results can be stored in the cells table and used in C/(I+N) based coverage predictions.
• "LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm" on page 1013.
• "Creating Simulations" on page 1015.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution on the Map" on page 1017.
• "Displaying the Results of a Single Simulation" on page 1020.
• "Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results" on page 1027.
• "Adding New Simulations to an Atoll Document" on page 1028.
9.4.5.1 LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm

Figure 9.61 shows the LTE simulation algorithm. The simulation process in LTE consists of the following steps:
1. Mobile Generation and Distribution
Simulations require traffic data, such as traffic maps (raster, vector, or live traffic data) and subscriber lists. Atoll
generates a user distribution for each simulation using a Monte Carlo algorithm. This user distribution is based on the
traffic data input and is weighted by a Poisson distribution.
Each mobile generated during the simulations is assigned a service, a mobility type, and a terminal according to the
user profile assigned to it. A transmission status is determined according to the activity probabilities. The transmission
status is an important output of the simulation as it has a direct impact on the next step of the simulation process, i.e.,
the radio resource management (RRM), and has an impact on the interference level in the network.
The geographical location of each mobile is determined randomly for the mobiles generated based on the traffic data
from traffic maps. The mobiles generated based on the traffic data from subscriber lists are located on the subscriber
locations.
Figure 9.61: LTE simulation algorithm
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2. Best Server Determination

Atoll determines the best server for each mobile as described in "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
3. Downlink Calculations
The downlink calculations include the calculation of downlink reference signal, SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH C/(I+N),
determination of the best available bearer for the PDSCH C/(I+N), allocation of resources (RRM), and calculation of
user throughputs.
Enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC or time-domain ICIC) is performed on the downlink if ABS
patterns have been defined for cells. Interference calculation is based on the collisions between normal and blank
subframes used by the different cells. Frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination is performed on the
downlink if the cell supports Static DL ICIC. Here, interference calculation is based on the probabilities of collision
between the cell-centre and cell-edge resources used by the different cells.
4. Uplink Calculations
The uplink calculations include the calculation of PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N), determination of the best available bearer
for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N), uplink power control and uplink bandwidth allocation, resource allocation (RRM),
update of uplink noise rise values for cells, and calculation of user throughputs.
Enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC or time-domain ICIC) is performed on the uplink if ABS patterns
have been defined for cells. Interference calculation is based on the collisions between normal and blank subframes
used by the different cells. Frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination is performed on the uplink if the
cell supports Static UL ICIC. Here, interference calculation is based on the probabilities of collision between the cell-
centre and cell-edge resources used by the different cells.
During uplink noise rise control, if the maximum uplink noise rise is higher than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maxi-
mum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is increased by the difference. This allows the users served by the neighbour
cells to transmit at higher powers, i.e., they are allowed to create more interference. If the maximum uplink noise rise
is less than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is decreased by the differ-
ence. This causes the users served by the neighbour cells to transmit at lower powers, i.e., they are forced to create
less interference. This can also lead to an increase or decrease in the number of users served by the neighbouring cells
in the uplink.
5. Radio Resource Management and Cell Load Calculation
Atoll uses an intelligent scheduling algorithm to perform radio resource management. The scheduling algorithm is
explained in detail in the Technical Reference Guide. The scheduler:
a. Determines the total amount of resources in each cell. The amounts of cell resources, specially at cell-edges, de-
pend on the cell’s ABS pattern as well as on the number of cell’s cell-edge resource blocks defined for Static DL
inter-cell interference coordination in the cell’s frame configuration.
b. Selects the first N users from the users generated in the first step, where N is the Max number of users defined in
the cell properties.
c. Sorts the users in decreasing order by service priority.
The effective service priority is determined by the QCI priority and the user-defined service
priority. For example:
• A service with QCI 1 will have a higher priority than any service with QCI 2, irrespec-
tive of the user-defined service priority.
• A service with QCI 1 and user-defined service priority 1 will have a higher priority
than any service with QCI 1 and user-defined service priority 0.
The priorities of the different QoS class identifiers are defined by the 3GPP are listed in
"Modelling Services" on page 936.
d. Allocates the resources required to satisfy the minimum throughput demands of the users starting from the first
user (with the highest priority service) to the last user.
e. If resources still remain in the resource pool after this allocation, allocates resources to the users with maximum
throughput demands according to the used scheduling algorithm.
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For their minimum throughput demands, LTE-A users are only scheduled on their primary
serving cells. At this stage, LTE-A users may be rejected due to "Scheduler Saturation" or
"Resource Saturation".
For their maximum throughput demands, LTE-A users are scheduled separately on each of
their serving cells, primary and secondary. Each user’s remaining throughput demand
(maximum – minimum) is distributed over each of its serving cells proportionally to the
resources available on each serving cell and to the user’s downlink effective RLC channel
throughput or uplink effective RLC allocated bandwidth throughput on each of its serving
cell.
Within each serving cell, resource allocation for the maximum throughput demands is
carried out according to the scheduler used by that particular cell.
An alternate method for distributing LTE-A users’ remaining throughput demand over their
serving cells is also available through an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information,
The total user throughput is the sum of the throughputs obtained from each of the user’s
servers taking part in carrier aggregation. For detailed information on RRM and scheduling,
see the Technical Reference Guide.
At the end of the simulations, an active user can be connected in the direction corresponding to his activity status if:
• he has a best server assigned (step 2.),
• he has a bearer in the direction corresponding to his activity status (step 3. and step 4.),
• he is among the users selected by the scheduler for resource allocation (step 5.), and
• he is not rejected due to resource saturation (step 5.).
A user may be rejected in step 2. for "No Coverage," step 3. or step 4. for "No Service," and step 5. for:
• "Scheduler Saturation," i.e., the user is not among the users selected for resource allocation,
• "Resource Saturation," i.e., all of the cell’s resources were used up by other users or if, for a user active in uplink, the
minimum uplink throughput demand was higher than the uplink allocated bandwidth throughput,
• "Backhaul Saturation," i.e., the user was among the lowest priority service users served by a cell of a site whose
defined maximum S1 interface throughputs were exceeded while allocating resources for the minimum throughput
demands.
• Rejected LTE-A users are only counted in the statistics of their primary serving cells.
• Connected LTE-A users are counted in the statistics of all their serving cells, pri-
mary and secondary.

In Atoll, simulations enable you to study the capacity of your LTE network and model the different network regulation mech-
anisms, such as power control, noise rise control, uplink bandwidth allocation, and scheduling, in order to optimise network
performance and maximise capacity.
You can create one simulation or a group of simulations that will be performed in sequence. You must have at least one traffic
map or subscriber list in your document to be able to perform simulations.
4. On the General tab of the dialog box, enter a Name for this simulation or group of simulations, and some Comments
if you want.
5. Under Execution on the General tab, you can set the Number of simulations to be carried out. All simulations created
at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer.
6. Under Load constraints on the General tab, you can set the constraints that Atoll must respect during the simulation:
• Max DL traffic load: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum downlink traffic load, click the button
( ) beside the box and select Global threshold. Then, enter a maximum downlink traffic load. If you want to use
the maximum downlink traffic load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box
and select Defined per cell.
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• Max UL traffic load: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum uplink traffic load, click the button ( )
beside the box and select Global threshold. Then, enter a maximum uplink traffic load. If you want to use the max-
imum uplink traffic load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and select
Defined per cell.
• Backhaul capacity: Select the Backhaul capacity check box if you wish to take the maximum downlink and uplink
S1 interface throughputs defined per site to be taken into account in radio resource management and scheduling.
7. Under Power control on the General tab, select the UL noise rise control (best effort) check box if you want to acti-
vate the uplink noise rise control in the simulations.
The uplink noise rise control method can be changed from the default best effort method
to a strict method using an option in the Atoll.ini file. Uplink noise rise control becomes a
part of the simulation convergence criteria when the strict method is used. For more infor-
mation, see the Technical Reference Guide.

• Select subscriber lists to be used: Select the subscriber lists you want to use for the simulation.
When you perform simulations for subscriber lists, Atoll does not base the calculations on
subscriber lists on the path loss matrices calculated for transmitters. This is because the
path loss matrices are calculated for a given receiver height (1.5 m by default), but each
subscriber in a subscriber list can have a different height. Therefore, Atoll recalculates the
path loss, received power, and other output, for each subscriber when you perform simu-
lations on subscribers.
9. On the Advanced tab, enter the following:

• Generator initialisation: Enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. If you enter "0," the default, the
• Under Convergence, enter the following parameters:

• Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to make conver-
gence.
• DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between
two iterations.
• UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
• UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two
iterations.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer. You can now use the results
from completed simulations for LTE coverage predictions. For more information on using simulation results in coverage
predictions, see "Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 1030.
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parameters. You can, for example, display the traffic according to activity status, service, serving cell, or throughputs.
vals that are to be displayed. You can also define the colours of the icon and the icon itself. For information on changing display
characteristics, see "Defining the Display Properties of Objects" on page 47.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Activity Status" on page 1017.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Connection Status" on page 1017.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Throughput" on page 1018.
• "Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Uplink Transmission Power" on page 1019.
• "Displaying Traffic Simulation Results Using Tip Text" on page 1019
You can make the traffic distribution easier to see by hiding geographic data and
coverage predictions. For information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map
9.4.5.3.1 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Activity Status

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by the activity status.
To display the traffic distribution by the activity status:
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Activity status" as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by activity status (see Figure 9.62).
Figure 9.62: Displaying the traffic distribution by activity status

4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Connection status" as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by activity status (see Figure 9.63).
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4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Service" as the Field.
9.4.5.3.4 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Throughput

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by throughput.
To display the traffic distribution by throughput:
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Value intervals" as the Display type and one of the following throughput
types as the Field:
• In the downlink:
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application channel throughput
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application cell capacity
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application user throughput
• In the uplink:
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application channel throughput
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application cell capacity
• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application allocated bandwidth throughput
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• Peak RLC, effective RLC, or application user throughput

5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by throughput (see Figure 9.65).
Figure 9.65: Displaying the traffic distribution by throughput
9.4.5.3.5 Displaying the Traffic Distribution by Uplink Transmission Power

In this example, the traffic distribution is displayed by the uplink transmission power of the mobiles. You can analyse the effect
of the uplink power control.
To display the traffic distribution by uplink transmission power:
4. On the Display tab of the dialog box, select "Value intervals" as the Display type and "Transmission power (UL) (dBm)"
as the Field.
5. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed by uplink transmission power (see Figure 9.66).
Figure 9.66: Displaying the traffic distribution by uplink transmission power
9.4.5.3.6 Displaying Traffic Simulation Results Using Tip Text

You can display information by placing the pointer over a mobile generated during a simulation to read the information
displayed in the tip text. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab. For information
on defining the tip text, see "Defining the Object Type Tip Text" on page 51.
To display simulation results in the form of tip text:
• In the map window, place the pointer over the user that you want more information on. After a brief pause, the tip
text appears with the information defined in the Display tab of the Simulations folder properties (see Figure 9.67).
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Figure 9.67: Displaying the traffic simulation results using tip text

want to access.
One tab gives statistics of the simulation results. Other tabs in the simulation properties dialog box contain simulation
results as identified by the tab title.
The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following sections:
• Request: Under Request, is data on the connection requests:
trial; radio resource allocation has not yet finished. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic
input.
activity status and the UL and DL throughput demands that all users could theoretically generate are provided.
put demands) is given.
• Results: Under Results, is data on the connection results:
• The total number and percentage of users unable to connect: rejected users, and the number of rejected users
per rejection cause.
• The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per activity status, and the total
UL and DL throughputs they generate. This information is also provided by service.
• Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink in all the cells of the site.
• Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
• Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
• Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
• Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number
of users covered by the cells of the site.
• Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink, uplink,
or downlink and uplink both.
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• Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink and uplink
both.
• Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink.
• Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in uplink.
• Number of connected users (inactive): The number of inactive users connected to any cell of the site.
• No service: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No
service."
• No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was
"No service."
• Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Scheduler saturation."
• Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Scheduler saturation."
• Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Resource saturation."
• Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Resource saturation."
• Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Backhaul saturation."
• Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Backhaul saturation."
• Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
• Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
• Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
• Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
• Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of
the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per site and transmitter:
• Layer: The layer to which the cell belongs.
• Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation.
• Cell-edge Traffic Ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the cell-edge
users.
• Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
• UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
• ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for cell-edge users.
• Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control
based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
• Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart
antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
• AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart
antennas.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (DL): The downlink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO.
the downlink.
nected in the downlink.
the downlink.
the uplink.
nected in the uplink.
the uplink.
• Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users
covered by the cell.
1021
• Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink
and uplink both.
• Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both.
• Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink.
• Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink.
• Number of connected users (inactive): The number of inactive users connected to the cell.
• No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service."
• No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No ser-
vice."
• Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Sched-
uler saturation."
• Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Scheduler saturation."
• Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Resource saturation."
• Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
• Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Back-
haul saturation."
• Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Backhaul saturation."
puts of the users connected in the downlink.
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink.
puts of the users connected in the uplink.
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink.
• Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with
respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
random trial).
• Height: The height of the user terminal (antenna).
• User profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
• Subscriber ID: The ID of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic map.
• Subscriber list: The subscriber list of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic
map.
the user profile.
• Activity status: The assigned activity status. It can be Active DL, Active UL, Active DL+UL, or Inactive.
• Connection status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
is given.
• Clutter class: The code of the clutter class where the user is located.
• Best server: The best server of the user.
• Serving cell: The serving cell of the user.
• Layer: The layer to which the serving cell belongs.
• Number of aggregated servers (DL): The number of servers, primary and secondary, providing throughput to an
LTE-A user through carrier aggregation in downlink.
• Number of aggregated servers (UL): The number of servers, primary and secondary, providing throughput to an
LTE-A user through carrier aggregation in uplink.
1022
For LTE-A users, by default, the Mobiles tab displays calculated radio parameters (signal
levels, C/(I+N), etc.) corresponding to their primary serving cells, and aggregated through-
put values summed over all their aggregated servers.
To display detailed results for LTE-A users, i.e., separate calculated values for all the aggre-
gated servers, select Actions > Detailed Display. The Mobiles tab displays one line per
aggregated server for each LTE-A user, hence providing the throughput offered by each
aggregated server to the LTE-A user.
• Azimuth: The orientation of the user’s terminal antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered
with respect to the North. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server.
• Downtilt: The orientation of the user’s terminal antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive
when it is downwards and negative when upwards. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server.
• Path loss (dB): The path loss from the best server calculated for the user.
• 2nd best server: The second best server of the user.
• 2nd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the second best server calculated for the user.
• 3rd best server: The third best server of the user.
• 3rd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the third best server calculated for the user.
• RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the user
location in the downlink.
• RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the user location in the downlink.
• RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the user location in the downlink.
• Received RS power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
• Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
• Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
• Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
• Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
• RS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
• SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
• PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
• PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
• PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
• RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the reference signals.
• SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location
in the downlink on the SS and PBCH.
• PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the PDCCH.
• PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the PDSCH.
• Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the user location in the downlink.
• BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the user terminal’s reception equipment for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at
the user location in the downlink.
• Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode used by the cell in downlink for the user.
• Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the downlink.
• Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
• Application channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
(redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput
scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
• Peak RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the downlink.
• Effective RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
• Application user throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
• Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter
from the user terminal in the uplink.
• PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving
transmitter of the user in the uplink on the PUSCH.
• PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the user in the
uplink.
• Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of
the user in the uplink.
1023
• BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the serving cell’s reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N)
level at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink.
• Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode used by the cell in uplink for the user.
• Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the user terminal after power control in the uplink.
• Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the user in the
uplink by the eNode-B.
• Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the uplink.
• Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
• Application channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
• Peak RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC throughput attainable for the number
of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink.
• Effective RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC throughput attainable for the
number of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the
uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
• Application allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput
without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the
throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
• Peak RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the uplink.
• Effective RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
• Application user throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
• In Atoll, channel throughputs are peak RLC, effective RLC, or application through-
puts achieved at a given location using the highest LTE bearer with the entire
channel resources.
• If a user is rejected, his user throughput is zero.
• The global network settings:
• PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe)
• PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks)
• Switching point periodicity
• Default cyclic prefix
• Uplink power adjustment margin
• Reference signal EPRE calculation method
• Best server selection criterion
• Best server selection method
• Special subframe configuration
• Adaptive MIMO switching criterion
• MU-MIMO activation criterion
• Multi-antenna interference calculation method
• Generator initialisation value
• Maximum number of iterations
• Global scaling factor
• Backhaul capacity limitation
• Uplink and downlink traffic load convergence thresholds
• Uplink noise rise convergence threshold
• Names of the traffic maps and subscriber lists used.

After you have created a group of simulations, as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 1015, you can display the aver-
age results of the group. If you wish to display the results of a single simulation in a group, see "Displaying the Results of a
Single Simulation" on page 1020.
1024
To display the averaged results of a group of simulations:

3. Right-click the group of simulations whose results you want to display.
One tab gives statistics of the simulation results. Other tabs in the simulation properties dialog box contain the aver-
aged results for all simulations of the group.
The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following sections:
• Request: Under Request, is data on the connection requests:
trial; radio resource allocation has not yet finished. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic
input.
activity status and the UL and DL throughput demands that all users could theoretically generate are provided.
put demands) is given.
• Results: Under Results, is data on the connection results:
• The total number and percentage of users unable to connect: rejected users, and the number of rejected users
per rejection cause.
• The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per activity status, and the total
UL and DL throughputs they generate. This data is also provided by service.
The Sites (Average) tab: The Sites (Average) tab contains the following average information per site:
nected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
nected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number
of users covered by the cells of the site.
• Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink, uplink,
or downlink and uplink both.
• Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink and uplink
both.
• Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink.
• Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in uplink.
• No service: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No
service."
• No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was
"No service."
• Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Scheduler saturation."
• Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Scheduler saturation."
• Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Resource saturation."
• Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Resource saturation."
• Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Backhaul saturation."
• Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Backhaul saturation."
1025
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
• Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of
the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells (Average) tab: The Cells (Average) tab contains the following average information per cell:
• Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation.
• Cell-edge Traffic Ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the cell-edge
users.
• Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
• UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
• ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for the cell-edge
users.
• Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control
based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
• Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart
antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
• AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart
antennas.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (DL): The downlink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO.
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL): The uplink capacity gain due to multi-user (collaborative) MIMO.
the downlink.
nected in the downlink.
the downlink.
the uplink.
nected in the uplink.
the uplink.
• Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users
covered by the cell.
• Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink
and uplink both.
• Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both.
• Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink.
• Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink.
• No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service."
• No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No ser-
vice."
• Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Sched-
uler saturation."
• Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Scheduler saturation."
• Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
• Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
• Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Back-
haul saturation."
• Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Backhaul saturation."
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink.
1026
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink.
• Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with
respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
• The global network settings:
• PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe)
• PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks)
• Switching point periodicity
• Default cyclic prefix
• Uplink power adjustment margin
• Reference signal EPRE calculation method
• Best server selection criterion
• Best server selection method
• Special subframe configuration
• Adaptive MIMO switching criterion
• MU-MIMO activation criterion
• Multi-antenna interference calculation method
• Generator initialisation value
• Maximum number of iterations
• Global scaling factor
• Backhaul capacity limitation
• Uplink and downlink traffic load convergence thresholds
• Uplink noise rise convergence threshold
• Names of the traffic maps and subscriber lists used.
9.4.5.6 Updating Cell Load Values With Simulation Results

update cell load values for each cell with the results calculated during the simulation.
you want to access.
d. Right-click the simulation whose results you want to access.
e. Select Properties from the context menu. The simulation properties dialog box appears.
3. On the Cells tab, click Commit results. The following values are updated for each cell:
• Traffic load (DL) (%)
• Cell-edge traffic ratio (DL) (%)
• Traffic load (UL) (%)
1027
• UL noise rise (dB)

• ICIC UL noise rise (dB)
• Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB)
• Angular distribution of interference (AAS)
• AAS usage (DL) (%)
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (DL)
• MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL)
• No. of users (DL)
• No. of users (UL)

When you have created a group of simulations, you can re-examine the same conditions by adding new simulations to the
Atoll document. In Atoll, you can add new simulations in the following ways:
input (radio, traffic, and simulation parameters) as those used to generate the group. It then generates a new user
distribution and performs the power control simulation.
distribution between simulations is different. Traffic parameter changes can not be taken into account. Finally, radio
data modifications (new transmitters, changes to the antenna azimuth, etc.) are always taken into account during the
power control (or throughput/power control) simulation.
However, any modifications to traffic parameters and radio data are taken into account during the power control sim-
ulation.
eter changes make.
• Duplicating a Group: When you duplicate a group of simulations, Atoll creates a new group with the same simulation
parameters as the ones used to generate the original group. You can then modify the simulation parameters before
calculating the group.

3. Right-click the group of simulations to which you want to add one or more simulations. The context menu appears.

1028
To replay a group of simulations:

• Under Load Constraints, you can set the constraints as explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 1015 that Atoll
must respect during the simulation.
• Under Power control, select the UL noise rise control (best effort) check box if you want to activate the uplink
noise rise control in the simulations.
traffic parameter changes in the replayed simulation.
7. On the Advanced tab, under Convergence, enter the following parameters:
• Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to make convergence.
iterations.
ations.
tions.

1029

When you create simulation or a group of simulations, you are basing it on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situ-
of the network against an increase of traffic load without changing traffic parameters or maps by using the global scaling
factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for envi-
ronment and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps).
1. Create a simulation or group of simulations as described in "Creating Simulations" on page 1015.
3. Enter a Global scaling factor. For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial
maps).
9.4.6 Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results

In Atoll, you can analyse simulation results by making coverage predictions using simulation results. In a coverage prediction
each pixel is considered as a non-interfering probe user with a defined terminal, mobility, and service. The analyses can be
based on a single simulation or on an averaged group of simulations.
When no simulations are available, Atoll uses the downlink traffic loads and uplink noise rise values stored for each cell to
make coverage predictions. For information on cell properties, see "Cell Description" on page 899; for information on modi-
fying cell properties, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 904.
Once you have made simulations, Atoll can use the information from the simulations instead of the defined parameters in the
cell properties to make coverage predictions. For each coverage prediction based on simulation results, you can base the
coverage prediction on a selected simulation or on a group of simulations, which uses the average of all simulations in the
group.
• Coverage by C/(I+N) Level: For information on making a downlink or uplink coverage by C/(I+N) level, see "Studying
Interference and C/(I+N) Levels" on page 941.
• Service Area Analysis: For information on making a downlink or uplink service area analysis, see "Studying Downlink
and Uplink Service Areas" on page 944.
• Effective Service Area Analysis: For information on making an effective service area analysis, see "Studying the Effec-
tive Service Area" on page 946.
• Coverage by Throughput: For information on making a downlink or uplink coverage by throughput, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on page 947.
• Coverage by Quality Indicator: For information on making a downlink or uplink coverage by quality indicator, see
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicator" on page 951.
When no simulations are available, you select "(Cells table)" from the Load conditions list, on the Conditions tab. However,
when simulations are available you can base the coverage prediction on one simulation or a group of simulations.
2. From the Load conditions list, select the simulation or group of simulations on which you want to base the coverage
prediction.

Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) enables radio engineers designing LTE networks to automatically calculate the optimal
stage of a LTE network by enabling the selection of the antenna, and its azimuth, height, and mechanical tilt. ACP not only
1030
transmitters.
suggested changes.
how you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to LTE networks are explained:
• "LTE Optimisation Objectives" on page 1031
• "LTE Quality Parameters" on page 1032
• "LTE Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 1034.
9.5.1 LTE Optimisation Objectives

Atoll. In projects using LTE, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following objectives are proposed by
default:
• LTE RSRP
• LTE RSRQ
• LTE RS Coverage
• LTE RS CINR
• LTE RSSI
• LTE 1st-Nth Difference
• Custom Coverage
Using RS EPRE reconfiguration parameters
By default, the LTE cells tab on the Reconfiguration tab of the Setup dialog box uses Total Power reconfiguration parameters
(see Figure 9.68).
Figure 9.68: Using Total Power reconfiguration parameters
1031
To use RS EPRE reconfiguration parameters instead of Total Power parameters:

1. Open the dialog box used to modify global LTE network settings as explained in "Modifying Global Network Settings"
on page 1069.
2. Select the Global Parameters tab.
3. Click Advanced. The Advanced Parameters dialog box appears.
4. Under Downlink transmit power calculation, set the downlink reference signal EPRE calculation method to User-
defined.
The next time you display the LTE cells tab on the Reconfiguration tab of the Setup dialog box, the Total Power check box is
replaced by the RS EPRE check box, and the table columns are inverted accordingly (see Figure 9.69).
Figure 9.69: Using RS EPRE reconfiguration parameters
9.5.2 LTE Quality Parameters

defined in the selected coverage prediction as the default for its own predictions.
However, if you have saved the display options of an ACP prediction as default, or if you are using a configuration file for ACP,
these defined ranges and colours will be used as the default, overriding the settings in the selected coverage prediction.
In projects using LTE, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following Quality parameters are proposed in
the Pixel Rules frame of the objectives’ properties pages:
• Signal level
• RS C
• RS C⁄N
• RSRP
• RS CINR
• RSRQ
• Overlap
• RSSI
To define the quality parameters for LTE:
page 1783.
1032
3. Under Parameters, expand the LTE folder.

4. Click on RSSI to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RSSI:
uate the coverage by RSSI using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RSSI through gain and losses (i.e., the
service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor), and
• The Calculation Method for RSSI. Select Using frequency plan or Ignoring frequency plan and ICIC.
5. Click on Signal Level to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
6. Click on RS C & RSRP to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RS C or RSRP.
uate the coverage by RS C or RSRP using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS C or RSRP through gain and losses (i.e.,
the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
7. Click on RS C⁄N to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RS C⁄N.
uate the coverage by RS C⁄N using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS C/N through gain and losses (i.e., the
8. Click on RS CINR & RSRQ to define in the right-hand pane how the ACP will evaluate coverage by RS CINR or RSRQ.
uate the coverage by RS CINR or RSRQ using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage pre-
diction.
• The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS CINR or RSRQ through gain and losses
(i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
• The Calculation Method for RS CINR & RSRQ. Select Using frequency plan or Ignoring frequency plan and ICIC.
margin.
1033
Since there is no coverage prediction type in Atoll equivalent to ACP’s LTE 1st-Nth Difference objective, the
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the LTE 1st-Nth Difference objective.
For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be automatically se-
lected by default in the Quality column of the LTE 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
9.5.3 LTE Quality Analysis Predictions

The quality analysis predictions enable you to display the signal quality predictions in the Atoll map window. These predictions
are the same as those displayed on the Quality tab of the optimisation’s Properties dialog box.

Signal Level Coverage by Signal Level (DL) (1)

RS C Effective Signal Analysis (DL) (1)

"RS Signal Level (DL) (dBm)"
RS C/N Effective Signal Analysis (DL) (1)

"RS C/N Level (DL) (dB)"
RSRP Effective Signal Analysis (DL) (1)

"RSRP Level (DL) (dBm)"
RS CINR Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL) (2)

"RS C/(I+N) Level (DL) (dB)"
RSRQ Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL) (2)

"RSRQ Level (DL) (dB)"
RSSI Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL) (2)

"RSSI Level (DL) (dBm)"

"Number of Servers"
(1) For more information, see "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 928.
(2) For more information, see "Studying Interference and C/(I+N) Levels" on page 941.
• You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the overlapping zones prediction.
1034
• Multiple frequency band optimisation is supported in LTE. However the predictions are provided separately for the
requested frequency band.
You can view the exact RS coverage value on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The RS coverage value is then
displayed in a tip text.
• Specify a best server threshold:
• or by setting the param.lte.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section
of the ACP.ini file.
• Specify a threshold margin:
• or by setting the param.lte.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of the
ACP.ini file.
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final states.

Data
An important step in the process of creating an LTE network is to analyse the network’s performance using drive test data.
This is done using measurements of the strength of the reference signal levels, SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH signal levels, and
various C/(I+N) at different locations within the area covered by the network. This collection of measurements is called drive
test data.
network.
• "Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool" on page 1045.

In Atoll, you can analyse networks by importing drive test data in the form of ASCII text files (with tabs, commas, semi-colons,
FMT).
• Information identifying scanned cells (for example, serving cells, neighbour cells, or any other cells). Cells may be iden-
tified by their IDs or physical cell IDs.
data files with the same format, you can create an import configuration. The import configuration contains information that
4. Select the file or files you want to open. You can import one or several files.
1035
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing CTRL and clicking each file you want to import.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with old versions of TEMS)
are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure using
the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
desired.
• Under Measurement conditions,
1036
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st measurement row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal sym-
bol used in the file.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-coordinates and the
Y-coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
d. If you are importing data that uses cells’ IDs as a cell identifier:
ii. In the By ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name that identifies the scanned cells’ IDs. For
example, if the string "ID" is found in the column names that identify the cell IDs of scanned cells, enter it here.
Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name.
e. If you are importing data that uses a physical cell ID as a cell identifier:
i. Under Server identification, select By physical cell ID.
ii. In the By physical cell ID identifier box, enter a string found in the column name identifying the physical cell
IDs of scanned cells. For example, if the string "PCI" is found in the column names identifying the physical cell
IDs of scanned cells, enter it here. Atoll will then search for the column with this string in the column name.
iii. Select the Physical cell ID format, Decimal or Hexadecimal.
iv. Under Additional identifier, you can select an additional identifier if the drive test data file being imported
contains additional columns for cell identification. You can select either Channel number or Frequency as ad-
ditional identifier and the column containing the additional identifier of the scanned cells. If you select Fre-
quency as additional identifier, you must also define the frequency unit used in the drive test data being
imported.
1037
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". Columns marked with
"<Ignore>" will not be imported.
• The data in the file must be structured so that the column identifying the physical
cell ID is placed before the data columns for each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be
able to properly import the file.
figuration:
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atoll’s installation folder. In
case you cannot write into that folder, you can click Browse to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.txt").
d. Click OK.
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you can select this
import configuration from the Configuration list.
• When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file
by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration
to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate
configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom
of the dialog box.
10. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import all, if you are importing more than one file. The drive test

you can select individual drive test data points to see the information at that location.
3. Select the display check box of the drive test data you want to display in the map window. The drive test data is dis-
played.
4. Click and hold the drive test data point on which you want more information. Atoll displays an arrow pointing towards
the serving cell (see Figure 9.74 on page 1043) in the same colour as the transmitter.

displayed according to any available attribute. You can also use the Display dialog box to define labels, tip text and the legend.
3. Right-click the drive test data path whose display you wish to set. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The drive test data path’s properties dialog box appears.
1038

In addition, you can display points by more than one criterion at a time using the Advanced option in the Display type
list. When you select Advanced from the Display type list, the Shadings dialog box opens in which you can define the
following display for each single point of the measurement path:
You can, for example, display a signal level in a certain colour, choose a symbol for each transmitter (a circle, triangle,
cross, etc.) and a symbol size according to the altitude.
• Fast display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
• You can not use Advanced display if the Fast display check box has been selected.

The imported drive test data is used to verify the LTE network. To improve the relevance of the data, Atoll allows you to filter
out incompatible or inaccurate points. You can then compare the drive test measurements with coverage predictions.
To compare drive test data with coverage predictions, you overlay coverage predictions calculated by Atoll with the drive test
data path displayed using the same parameter as that used to calculate the coverage prediction.
• "Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths" on page 1039
• "Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points" on page 1040
• "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 1042.
9.6.4.1 Filtering Measurement Points Along Drive Test Data Paths

When using a drive test data path, some measured points may present values that are too far outside the median values to
be useful. As well, test paths may include test points in areas that are not representative of the drive test data path as a whole.
For example, a test path that includes two heavily populated areas might also include test points from a more lightly popu-
lated region between the two.
You can filter out unreliable measurement points from the drive test data path either geographically, by filtering by clutter
classes and the focus zone, or using an advanced filter.
To filter out measurement points by clutter class:
3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you want to filter out measurement points. The context menu appears.
5. Under Clutter classes, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to exclude. Measurement points located
on the excluded clutter classes will be filtered out.
6. If you want to use the focus zone as part of the filter, select the Use focus zone to filter check box. Measurement
points located outside the focus zone will be filtered out.
1039
7. If you want to permanently delete the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete points outside the
filter check box.
• You can apply a filter on all the drive test data paths in the Drive Test Data folder
by selecting Filter from the context menu of the folder.
• If you want to use the measurement points that you permanently deleted, you will
have to import the drive test data path again.
To filter out measurement points using an advanced filter:

3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you want to filter out measurement points. The context menu appears.
5. Click More. The Filter dialog box appears. For more information on using the Filter dialog box, see "Advanced Data
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data folder.
9.6.4.2 Predicting the Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points

(see Figure 9.71).
1040
Figure 9.72: Selecting Measured Signal Levels for which Errors will be Calculated
predicted values.
Figure 9.73: Drive Test Data table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with error calculations)
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 1042.

You can create the following coverage prediction for all transmitters on each point of a drive test data path:
3. Right-click the drive test data path on which you wish to create the coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
5. Under Standard predictions, select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL)
6. Click the Conditions tab. At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be calculated. Under
Server, you can select whether to calculate the signal level from all transmitters, or only the best or second-best signal.
If you choose to calculate the best or second-best signal, you can enter a Margin. If you select the Shadowing taken
into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability. You can select the Indoor coverage check
box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
1041
prediction.
agation Models).
You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For more information on
the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 1042.

If predictions have been calculated along a drive test data path, you can display the statistics between the measured and the
predicted values on that path.
To display the statistics for a specific drive test data path:
appears.
5. Under For the following transmitters, select one or more transmitters to include in the statistics.
6. Under Select the predicted values, select the fields that contain the predicted values that you wish to use in the sta-
tistics.
7. Under Select the measured values, select the fields that contain the measured values that you wish to use in the sta-
tistics.
8. Enter the Measured values range for the statistics. Only the measured values within this range will be included in the
statistics.
9. Click OK.
Atoll opens a window listing statistics of comparison between measured and predicted values.
You can extract information for a selected transmitter from a field of a drive test data path. The extracted information is avail-
able in a new column in the drive test data table.
5. Under On the transmitter, select the transmitter for which you wish to extract a field.
6. Under For the fields, select the fields that you wish to extract for the selected transmitter.
7. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitter and with the selected
values.
9.6.4.6 Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path

In Atoll, you can analyse variations in measurements along any drive test data path using the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
You can also use the Drive Test Data analysis tool to find serving cells of points.
1042
To analyse measurement variations using the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
1. Select Tools > Drive Test Data from the menu bar. The Drive Test Data analysis tool appears (see Figure 9.74).
Figure 9.74: The Drive Test Data analysis tool
2. In the Drive Test Data analysis tool, click the Display button. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see
Figure 9.75).
Figure 9.75: The drive test data display parameters

• Select the check box next to each field you want to display in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at the same time by
selecting several fields. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing
Shift and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing CTRL and
clicking each field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on
the selected fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
4. You can display the data in the drive test data path in the following ways:
• Click the values in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
1043
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the best server (see Figure 9.74 on
page 1043) in the same colour as the transmitter.
5. You can display a secondary Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with
different orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You select the value to be
displayed from the right-hand list at the top of the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The values are displayed in the colour
defined in the Display Parameters dialog box.
6. You can zoom in on the graph displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool in the following ways:
• Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The con-
text menu appears.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data analysis tool zooms in on the data be-
tween the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
7. Click the data in the Drive Test Data analysis tool to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will centre
the map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
analysis tool, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data analysis tool (see Figure 9.74 on
page 1043).

You can export drive test data paths to files as vector data.

3. Right-click the drive test data path from which you wish to export CW measurements. The context menu appears.
5. Under Extract CW measurements:
a. Select one or more transmitters from the For the transmitters list.
b. Select the field that contains the information that you want to export to CW measurements from the For the fields
list.
1044
6. Under Extraction parameters of CW measurement paths:

a. Enter the Min. number of points to extract per measurement path. CW measurements are not created for trans-
b. Enter the minimum and maximum Measured signal levels. CW measurements are created with drive test data
9.6.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool
You can print and export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
To print or export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool:
1. Select Tools > Drive Test Data from the menu bar. The Drive Test Data analysis tool appears (see Figure 9.74 on
page 1043).
2. Define the display parameters and zoom level as explained in "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on
page 1042.
3. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
• To print the Drive Test Data analysis tool, select Print from the context menu.
• To export the Drive Test Data analysis tool, select Copy from the context menu, then paste.
9.7 Co-planning LTE Networks with Other Networks

network scenarios can be designed for any given area: a country, a region, a city, etc. For example, you can design an LTE and
a GSM network for the same area in Atoll, and then work with Atoll’s co-planning features to study the mutual impacts of the
two networks.
Manual.
• "Creating an LTE Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 1063

Before starting a co-planning project, you must have two networks designed for a given area, i.e., you must have an LTE Atoll
document and another Atoll document for the other network. Atoll switches to co-planning mode as soon as the two docu-
ments are linked together. In the following sections, the LTE document will be referred to as the main document, and the
other document as the linked document. Atoll does not establish any restriction on which is the main document and which is
the linked document.
1045

a. Click the main document’s map window. The main document’s map window becomes active and the explorer win-
d. Click Open.
The Explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where
are now available.
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll synchronises the display for the following:
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 1045, transmitters
and predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or
folders from the explorer window of the linked document to the explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display
GSM sites and measurement paths in an LTE document).
1. Click the linked document’s map window. The linked document’s map window becomes active and the explorer
opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The Explorer window of the main document
Clutter Classes, Traffic Maps, DTM, etc., in the other document.
ments. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not auto-
matically taken into account in the linked document.
1046
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main document’s Explorer window, and the linked
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
Figure 9.76 shows an example of LTE transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM transmitter data
displayed in a tip text.
Figure 9.76: GSM and LTE Transmitters displayed on the map

networks.

You can access the properties of the coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder in the main document’s Explorer
1047
8. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.

on page 232.
• Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.


you wish to analyse. You can select which coverage predictions to display or to hide by selecting or clearing the display check
box. For information on managing the display, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map Using the Explorer Windows" on
page 42.

The recommended process for analysing coverage areas, and the effect of parameter modifications in one on the other, is as
follows:
Prediction by Transmitter" on page 932 and "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 930.
5. Optimise the main network by changing parameters such as antenna azimuth and tilt or the cell power. You can use
a tool such as the Atoll ACP to optimise the network.
1048

the Add to legend check box on the Display tab.

You can compare coverage predictions by placing the pointer over an area of the coverage prediction to read the information
displayed in the tip text. Atoll displays information for all displayed coverage predictions in both the working and the linked
documents. The information displayed is defined by the settings you made on the Display tab when you created the coverage
prediction (step 3. of "Co-Planning Coverage Analysis Process" on page 1048).

You can compare the coverage areas of the main and linked documents by overlaying the coverage predictions in the map
window.
map window. The coverage prediction is displayed on the map.
coverage prediction is displayed on the map.
1049


the linked coverage prediction you want to compare with the coverage prediction of the main document. The Com-
parison Properties dialog box opens.
7. Click OK.
tions folder.

planning. For example, handovers between an LTE and a GSM network can be studied in Atoll by allocating neighbour GSM
sectors to LTE cells.

ble appears.
1050

Atoll fills the Number and Distance (m) fields automatically.
appears.

appears.
4. Under Inter-technology neighbours, select the Display links check box.
• Outwards non-symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main docu-
• Inwards non-symmetric: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each transmitter/cell in the
• Symmetric links: Selecting this option displays an exceptional pair link for each cell in the main document that has
appears.
1051
on the map. Exceptional pairs will remain displayed until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again.
The exceptional pair links can be displayed even if you do not have neighbours allocated. If you also select the Display links
check box under Intra-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both inter-technology and intra-technology exceptional pairs on
the map.

2. Press Shift and click the transmitter with which you want to set an exceptional pair. Atoll adds both transmitters to
2. Press Shift and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes both
2. Press Shift and click the transmitter that you want to remove from the list of exceptional pairs. Atoll removes the
1052

You can define the relative importance of the factors that Atoll will use to evaluate possible inter-technology neighbours. For

sons.
neighbours.

Atoll can automatically determine handover relations between networks of different technologies, for example, LTE and GSM.
In this case, inter-technology handovers from LTE to GSM may occur when the LTE coverage is not continuous. The network’s
overall coverage is extended by an LTE-to-GSM handover. Atoll can automatically determine neighbours in the linked docu-
ment for cells in the main document and vice versa. Inter-technology neighbours are stored in the database.
Allocation dialog box appears with a single tab: Inter-technology Neighbours.
5. Define the Max inter-site distance between the reference cell and a possible neighbour.
Manual.
6. Define the Max number of neighbours (inter-technology neighbours) that can be allocated to a cell. This value can be
1053
7. Clear the Use coverage conditions check box to base neighbour allocation on a distance criterion and go to next step. 
Or select it to base neighbour allocation on coverage conditions, as follows:
a. Click the first Define button to change coverage conditions for the cells in the main document. The LTE Coverage
Conditions dialog box appears.
bour allocation.
• Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select this check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
• Indoor coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. These are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
b. Click the second Define button to change coverage conditions for the transmitters/cells in the linked document.
bour allocation.
• Global reception threshold: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be provided by the GSM transmitter.
• Indoor coverage: If desired, select this check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
If the linked document is a UMTS/CDMA document, the UMTS/CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In
the UMTS/CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Max Ec/Io: If desired, select this check box and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the
reference cell.
• DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink
load for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
clutter class.
If the linked document is a TD-SCDMA document, the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the
TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which to be provided by the reference cell.
• Margin: Enter the margin relative to the pilot signal level of the best server.
clutter class.
8. In the % min covered area box, enter the minimum percentage of the cell’s coverage area that the neighbour’s cov-
erage area should also cover to be considered as a neighbour.
9. Under Force:
• Carriers to allocate (only if linked document is UMTS or CDMA): select the carrier(s) on which you want to calcu-
late the allocation. You can choose one or more carriers; Atoll will allocate neighbours only to cells using the
selected carrier(s).
• Co-sites as neighbours: Select this check box to include the co-site transmitters/cells in the neighbour list of the
LTE cells. The check box is automatically selected when the neighbour allocation is based on distance.
list of the LTE cells.
• Delete existing neighbours: Select this check box to delete all existing neighbours in the neighbours list and per-
form a new neighbour allocation. If this check box is not selected, Atoll keeps the existing neighbours in the list.
1054

11. Once the calculations are finished, Atoll displays the list of neighbours in the Results section. The results include the
names of the neighbours, the number of neighbours of each cell, and the reason they are included in the neighbours
list. The reasons include:

Exceptional pairs
is selected
is selected
Distance

is selected
Existing
to assign to cells.
At this point you can compare the automatic allocation results proposed by Atoll with the current neighbour list (exist-
14. Click Close.

appears.
4. Under Inter-technology Neighbours, select the Display links check box.
• Outwards non-symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour
• Inwards non-symmetric: Shows a neighbour link for each transmitter/cell in the linked document that has a neigh-
bour defined with a cell in the main document. These links are represented with straight dashed lines of the same
colour as the transmitter in the linked document.
• Symmetric links: Shows a neighbour link for each cell in the main document that has a neighbour defined with a
1055
appears.
the map until you click the Edit Relations on the Map button again.
If you select the Display links check box under Inter-technology Neighbours, Atoll displays both inter-technology and intra-
technology neighbours on the map. The figure below shows the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of the transmitter
Site22_2.

Although you can let Atoll allocate inter-technology neighbours automatically, you can adjust the overall allocation of inter-
technology neighbours by allocating or deleting inter-technology neighbours per cell. You can allocate or delete inter-tech-
nology neighbours directly on the map, or using the Cells tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box, or using the Inter-tech-
nology Neighbours table.
• "Allocating or Deleting a Cell’s Inter-technology Neighbours Using its Properties Dialog Box" on page 1056.
• "Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Inter-technology Neighbours Table" on
page 1057.
• "Allocating and Removing Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map" on page 1059.

1056


dialog box.
Allocating or Deleting Inter-technology Neighbours Using the Transmitters’ Inter-technology Neighbours Table
To allocate or delete inter-technology neighbours between transmitters/cells in the linked document and cells in the main
document using the Inter-technology Neighbours table:
appears.
1057

1058

Allocating and Removing Inter-technology Neighbours Directly on the Map
dialog box.

1059
bours.

Atoll calculates the importance for inter-technology neighbours of active and filtered transmitters within the focus zone.
Manual.
a. Click the first Define button to open the LTE Coverage Conditions dialog box and change these parameters:
bour allocation.
per clutter class.
bour allocation.
• Global reception threshold: Enter the minimum BCCH signal level to be provided by GSM transmitters.
per clutter class.
If the linked document is a UMTS document, the UMTS Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the UMTS Cov-
erage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
1060
bour allocation.
• Min pilot signal level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by the reference cell.
• Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell.
• Max Ec/Io: Select the Max Ec/Io option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the
reference cell.
per clutter class.
If the linked document is a CDMA document, the CDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the CDMA
Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Min Ec/Io: Enter the minimum Ec/Io which must be provided by the reference cell.
• Max Ec/Io: Select this option and enter the maximum Ec/Io which must not be exceeded by the reference cell.
• DL load contributing to Io: You can specify whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink
per clutter class.
If the linked document is a TD-SCDMA document, the TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box appears. In the
TD-SCDMA Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
bour allocation.
• Margin: Enter the margin relative to the pilot signal level of the best server.
per clutter class.
possible neighbour in the Max inter-site distance box.
Manual.
calculated.
1061
• Co-site
• Symmetry
• Coverage

in the audit.
• Average no. of neighbours: Select the Average no. of neighbours check box if you want to verify the average
• Empty lists: Select the Empty lists check box if you want to verify which cells have no neighbours (in other words,
• Full lists: Select the Full lists check box if you want to verify which cells have the maximum number of neighbours
set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell in the Cells table.
• Lists > max number: Select the Full lists check box if you want to verify which cells have more than the maximum
number of neighbours allowed. The maximum number of neighbours can be either set here for all the cells, or
specified for each cell in the Cells table.
• Missing co-sites: Select the Missing co-sites check box if you want to verify which cells have no co-site neighbours.
• Missing symmetrics: Select the Missing symmetrics check box if you want to verify which cells have non-sym-
• Exceptional pairs: Select the Exceptional pairs check box if you want to verify which cells have forced neighbours
• Distance between neighbours: Select the Distance between neighbours check box and enter the distance
• Average number of neighbours: X; where, X is the average number of neighbours (integer) per cell for the plan
audited.
• Empty lists: x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having no neighbours (or empty neighbours list)
Syntax: |CELL|
• Full lists (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having Y number of neighbours listed
• Lists > max number (default max number = Y): x/X; x number of cells out of a total of X having more than Y number
of neighbours listed in their respective neighbours lists.
If the field Max number of inter-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty, the Full
Lists check and the Lists > Max Number check use the Default Max Number value defined
in the audit dialog box.
• Missing co-sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour plan.
• Non symmetric links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour plan.
1062
• Missing forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour plan.
• Existing forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan.
• Distance between neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour plan that are

Atoll document.
9.7.4 Creating an LTE Sector From a Sector in the Other Network

2. In the map window, right-click the linked transmitter based on which you want to create a new LTE transmitter. The
document as well.
3. Right-click the LTE Transmitters folder of the main document. The context menu appears.
4. Select Update Folder Configuration from the context menu.
1063
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas and remote antennas are not
included when you select Update Folder Configuration and have to be set up manually.

co-planning projects where networks using different technologies, for example, LTE and GSM, must both be taken into consid-
eration.

process.
have just created.

4. Right-click the setup you created in "Creating a New Co-planning Optimisation Setup" on page 1064. The context
menu appears.
1064

• Click the Run button to run the optimisation immediately. For information on running the optimisation, see "Running
an Optimisation Setup" on page 1825. For information on the optimisation results, see "Viewing Optimisation Results"
on page 1829.
• Click the Create Setup button to save the defined optimisation to be run later.

the other document.
3. Select Document > Unlink to unlink the documents and end co-planning mode.

The following sections describe different advanced parameters and options available in the LTE module that are used in cover-
age predictions as well as Monte Carlo simulations.
• "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 1066.
• "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066.
• "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 1070.
• "Defining Frame Configurations" on page 1071.
• "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 1072.
• "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 1072.
• "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073.
• "Defining LTE Schedulers" on page 1076.
• "Defining LTE UE Categories" on page 1078.
• "Smart Antenna Systems" on page 1078.
• "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 1080.
• "Inter-cell Interference Coordination" on page 1081.
• "Modelling Shadowing" on page 1082.
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To define frequency bands:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Bands and select Open Table. The LTE
Frequency Bands table appears.
2. In the LTE Frequency Bands table, enter one frequency band per row. For information on working with data tables,
see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For each frequency band, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the frequency band, for example, "2.1 GHz - 10 MHz." Each LTE frequency band has a spe-
cific channel width. Mentioning the channel width in the frequency band name is a good approach. This name will
appear in other dialog boxes when you select a frequency band.
• Channel width (MHz): Enter the width for each channel in the frequency band.
• Inter-channel spacing (MHz): Enter the spacing between any two consecutive channels in the frequency band.
• First channel: Enter the number of the first channel in this frequency band.
• Last channel: Enter the number of the last channel in this frequency band. If this frequency band has only one car-
rier, enter the same number as entered in the First channel field.
• Step: Enter the step between any two consecutive channel numbers in the frequency band.
• Excluded channels: Enter the channel numbers which do not constitute the frequency band. You can enter non-
consecutive channel numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of channel numbers separating
the first and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
• Start frequencies (MHz): Enter the start frequency for TDD frequency bands, and the downlink and the uplink start
frequencies for FDD frequency bands.
• Adjacent channel suppression factor (dB): Enter the adjacent channel interference suppression factor in dB. Inter-
ference received from adjacent channels is reduced by this factor during the calculations.
• Number of frequency blocks: Enter the number of frequency blocks (i.e., the number of resource block widths in
the frequency domain) used for the channel bandwidth.
• Sampling frequency (MHz): Enter the sampling frequency used for the channel bandwidth.
• Duplexing method: Select the duplexing method used in the frequency band from the list.
TDD-specific parameters are hidden when there is no TDD frequency band defined in the
Frequency Bands table. These parameters include Switching point periodicity and Special
subframe configuration (see "The Global Network Settings" on page 1066) and TDD
subframe configuration (see "Cell Description" on page 899).
For example, if you wish to define the E-UTRA Band 1 with 10 MHz channels and EARFCNs corresponding to the centre
frequencies of the channels (50, 150, 250, 350, 450, 550), you can set:
• Name: E-UTRA Band 1 - 10MHz
• Channel width: 10
• Inter-channel spacing: 0
• First channel: 50
• Last channel: 550
• Step: 100
• UL start frequency: 1920
• Adjacent channel suppression factor: 28.23
• Number of frequency blocks: 50
• Sampling frequency: 15.36
• Duplexing method: FDD

Atoll allows you to set network level parameters which are common to all the transmitters and cells in the network. These
parameters are used in coverage predictions as well as during Monte Carlo simulations by the radio resource management
and scheduling algorithms.
This section explains the options available on the Global Parameters and Calculation Parameters tabs of the LTE Network
Settings folder properties, and explains how to access them:
• "The Options on the Global Parameters Tab" on page 1067.
• "The Options on the Calculation Parameters Tab" on page 1069.
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9.8.2.1 The Options on the Global Parameters Tab

The global LTE parameters include:
• Default cyclic prefix: The total symbol duration in LTE comprises the useful part of the symbol, carrying the data bits,
and a cyclic prefix part, which is a portion of the useful data part repeated at the beginning of each symbol. The cyclic
prefix is the method used by LTE to counter inter-symbol interference (ISI). The cyclic prefix and the orthogonality of
subcarriers ensure that there is negligible intra-cell interference in LTE. LTE supports two cyclic prefix types: normal
and extended.
• PDCCH overhead: The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) can take up to 4 symbol durations in each subframe
in the downlink. In Atoll, the PDCCH is considered to include the PCFICH, PHICH, and PCH as well.
The PBCH, PSS, SSS, and the downlink reference signals consume a fixed amount of resources in the downlink. Their
corresponding overheads are hard-coded in Atoll in accordance with the 3GPP specifications.
• PUCCH overhead: The Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) can consume a number of frequency blocks in the
uplink.
The uplink demodulation and sounding reference signals consume a fixed amount of resources in the uplink. Their
corresponding overheads are hard-coded in Atoll in accordance with the 3GPP specifications.
The amounts of resources corresponding to different signals and channels in LTE can be calculated and displayed in
Atoll. For more information, see "Displaying LTE Cell Details" on page 1088.
• Switching point periodicity (TDD only): There can be either one or two DL-UL switching points in TDD frames in case
of full-frame and half-frame periodicities, respectively. You can select the subframe configuration, i.e., the configura-
tion of uplink and downlink subframes in a frame, for each cell according to the selected switching point periodicity.
• Special subframe configuration (TDD only): The configuration of the special subframe in TDD frames. This configura-
tion describes the durations and formats of DwPTS, GP, and UpPTS in the special subframe.
DwPTS is used for transmission of the reference signal, PDCCH, PSS, and PDSCH. Reference signals are located in a
DwPTS in the same manner as in any normal subframe. The PDCCH can at most be transmitted over two OFDM
symbols (symbol durations) because the third symbol duration in a DwPTS is used for the PSS transmission. The
resource elements left in DwPTS after excluding the RS, PDCCH, and PSS overheads are used for data transmission,
i.e., PDSCH. UpPTS is only used for SRS and PRACH.
• RS EPRE: The reference signal energy per resource element can be either calculated automatically using the maximum
power and the EPRE offsets for different downlink channels defined per cell, or entered per cell by the user.
• Calculated (equal distribution of unused EPRE): The reference signal EPRE for each cell will be calculated by Atoll
using the cell’s maximum power (user-definable) and the EPRE offsets. For transmitters with more than one trans-
mission antenna port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for ref-
erence signal transmission on other antennas) will be distributed among all the downlink signals and channels
equally.
• Calculated (with boost): The reference signal EPRE for each cell will be calculated by Atoll using the cell’s max-
imum power (user-definable) and the EPRE offsets. For transmitters with more than one transmission antenna
port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for reference signal
transmission on other antennas) will be allotted to the reference signal resource elements only. This corresponds
to a 3 dB boost in the RS EPRE with 2 transmission antenna ports and 6 dB boost with 4 ports.
• Calculated (without boost): The reference signal EPRE for each cell will be calculated by Atoll using the cell’s max-
imum power (user-definable) and the EPRE offsets. For transmitters with more than one transmission antenna
port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for reference signal
transmission on other antennas) will be considered lost.
• User-defined: You will be able to enter the reference signal EPRE for each cell. The cells’ maximum power will be
calculated by Atoll using the RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets.
• Independent of max power: You can enter the reference signal EPRE and the maximum power. Atoll does not
verify the validity of the entered values.
• Best server selection criterion: You can select the best server selection criterion: reference signal level or RSRP.
Depending on the selected method, Atoll compares either the reference signal level or the RSRP from different trans-
mitters at each pixel (or mobile) to determine the best server.
• Best server selection method: You can select the best server selection method to be used in Monte Carlo simulations:
Random, Layer priority, or Traffic balancing. In Atoll, the best server selection for any pixel, subscriber, or mobile is
performed as follows:
a. Atoll creates the following lists of potential servers (serving cells), each sorted in descending order of the best
server selection criterion:
LTE users:
i. A list of potential serving cells whose cell type includes “LTE”
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LTE-A users:
ii. A list of potential primary serving cells whose cell type includes “LTE-A PCell”
iii. A list of potential primary serving cells whose cell type includes “LTE”
iv. A list of potential secondary serving cells whose may include “LTE-A SCell DL” and “LTE-A SCell UL”
Among the above lists, list ii. has priority over lists iii. and iv.
b. From all of the above lists, optionally, Atoll eliminates potential serving cells located too far from the pixel, sub-
sriber, or mobile, i.e., farther than the round-trip time distance corresponding to the cell’s PRACH preamble for-
mat.
c. From all of the above lists, Atoll eliminates incompatible potential servers depending on the mobile speed and
compatibility between the cells’ layers and the layers supported by the user’s service and terminal.
d. From each list, Atoll eliminates the potential serving cells whose reference signal level or RSRP is less than the
highest reference signal level or RSRP of each list less the selection margin.
e. Atoll selects the serving cell for LTE users from the remaining list i., a primary serving cell for LTE-A users from the
remaining list ii., or a serving cell for LTE-A users from the remaining list iii. if no cell of type “LTE-A PCell” is se-
lectable from list ii.
The serving cell selected for coverage predictions is the first cell in the list (belonging to the highest priority layer
if the prediction is being calculated for the "Best" layer.)
The serving cell selected for Monte Carlo simulations depends on the serving cell selection method:
• Random: Each user is assigned to one of the remaining potential servers at random.
• Layer priority: Each user is assigned to the first cell belonging to the highest priority layer.
• Traffic balancing: Atoll tries to balance the numbers of users of different services per serving cell.
At this stage, users without any serving cell assigned are rejected for “No Coverage”.
Once a primary serving cell has been selected, Atoll eliminates the selected cell as well as any other co-channel
cell from list iv. Here, co-channel cells are cells whose channels overlap the channel being used the primary serving
cell.
By default, Atoll supports intra-eNode-B carrier aggregation. This means that, at this stage,
Atoll also eliminates cells belonging to other eNode-Bs than that of the selected primary
cell from list iv.
If you wish to switch to multi-eNode-B carrier aggregation, you can do so by adding an
option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
f. For LTE-A users with a primary serving cell of type “LTE-A PCell” selected from list ii., Atoll selects secondary serv-
ing cells from list iv. as follows:
The serving cell selected for coverage predictions is the first cell in the list (belonging to the highest priority layer
if the prediction is being calculated for the "Best" layer.)
The serving cell selected for Monte Carlo simulations depends on the serving cell selection method:
• Random: Each user is assigned to one of the remaining potential servers at random.
• Layer priority: Each user is assigned to the first cell belonging to the highest priority layer.
• Traffic balancing: Atoll tries to balance the numbers of users of different services per serving cell.
This step is carried out until either list iv. is empty, or the numbers of downlink or uplink secondary serving cells
assigned to the user become equal to the maximum numbers defined in the terminal properties.
The primary and secondary serving cells once assigned to a mobile do not change during Monte Carlo simulations. For
more information on defining layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 1070.
• Uplink power adjustment margin: The margin (in dB) that will be added to the bearer selection threshold, for safety
against fast fading, when performing power control in uplink.
• Adaptive MIMO switching criterion: You can select whether the MIMO mode selection will be based on the RS C/N,
RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N). Atoll compares the selected criterion with the AMS threshold defined for the
reception equipment.
• MU-MIMO activation criterion: You can select whether MU-MIMO is activated based on the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or
PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N). Atoll compares the selected criterion with the MU-MIMO activation threshold defined for
the reception equipment.
• Multi-antenna interference calculation method: You can select the calculation method for interference from multi-
antenna cells. The calculated interference can be either proportional to the number of antennas or independent of
the number of antennas.
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Figure 9.80 and Figure 9.81 give examples of downlink and uplink FDD resource blocks for the single antenna case using the
normal cyclic prefix.
Figure 9.80: LTE downlink resource blocks
Figure 9.81: LTE uplink resource blocks
9.8.2.2 The Options on the Calculation Parameters Tab

The LTE calculation parameters include:
• Min interferer C/N threshold: Minimum requirement for interferers to be considered in calculations. Interfering cells
from which the received carrier-power-to-noise ratio is less than this threshold are discarded.
For example, setting this value to -20 dB means that interfering cells from which the received signals are 100 times
lower than the thermal noise level will be discarded in calculations. The calculation performance of interference-
based coverage predictions, interference matrices calculations, and Monte Carlo simulations can be improved by
setting a high value for this threshold.
• Height: The receiver height at which the path loss matrices and coverage predictions are calculated. Calculations
made on mobile users (from traffic maps) in Monte Carlo simulations are also carried out at this receiver height. Cal-
culations made on fixed subscribers (from subscriber lists) in Monte Carlo simulations are carried out at their respec-
tive heights.

You can change global network settings in the properties dialog box of the LTE Network Settings folder.
To set the network level parameters:
2. Right-click the LTE Network Settings folder. The context menu appears.
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4. Select the Global Parameters tab. In this tab you can set the frame structure parameters.
Under Frame structure you can modify the following: the Default cyclic prefix, the PDCCH overhead, the PUCCH over-
head, and, for TDD networks, the Switching point periodicity and the Special subframe configuration.
Switching point periodicity and Special subframe configuration are hidden when there is
no TDD frequency band defined in the Frequency Bands table (see "Defining Frequency
Bands" on page 1066.
5. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced Parameters dialog box appears.
6. In the Advanced Parameters dialog box, you can set:
• Downlink transmit power calculation: Under Downlink transmit power calculation, you can select the downlink
reference signal EPRE calculation method or set it to user-defined.
• Best server selection: In this section, you can choose the serving cell layer selection Criterion and Method.
• Uplink power adjustment: In this section, you can enter the uplink power adjustment Margin.
• Adaptive MIMO switching: In this section, you can choose the adaptive MIMO switching Criterion.
• MU-MIMO: In this section, you can choose the MU-MIMO activation Criterion.
• Multi-antenna interference calculation: In this section, you can choose the multi-antenna interference calcula-
tion Method.
Figure 9.82: LTE Global Parameters
7. Select the Calculation Parameters tab. In this tab you can set:
• Calculation limitation: In this section, you can enter the Min interferer C/N threshold.
• Receiver: In this section, you can enter the receiver Height.
• System: In this section, select the Max range check box if you want to apply a maximum system range limit, and
enter the maximum system range in the text box to the right.
8. Click OK. The global parameters are used during coverage predictions and simulations for the entire network.
9.8.3 Defining Network Deployment Layers

An LTE network can be deployed in multiple layers of heterogeneous cells, i.e., of different sizes (macro, micro, small cells,
etc.), and possibly using different frequencies. Such LTE networks are referred to as HetNets, or heterogeneous networks. In
Atoll, different network layers with different priorities and selection margins can be defined for your LTE network. During cell
selection, network layer priorities and selection margins are taken into account to determine the serving cells.
To create a new network layer:
3. In the Network Settings folder, right-click Layers. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Layers table appears.
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5. In the Layers table, each row describes a network layer. For the new network layer, enter:
• Index: The layer index is automatically assigned by Atoll to each new layer that you create.
• Name: The name of the network layer.
• Priority: The priority of the network layer.
• Max speed (km/h): The highest speed of a mobile user that can connect to cells of this layer.
• Selection margin (dB): The margin with respect to the highest received reference signal level or RSRP within which
the cells of this layer are candidates for selection as servers.
6. When you have finished adding network layers, click the Close button ( ).
9.8.4 Defining Frame Configurations

Frame configurations model channel and frame structure parameters for different channel bandwidths and cells. Frame
configurations also define ICIC-related parameters for cells using static downlink or uplink ICIC.
To create a new frame configuration:
3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Frame Configurations. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Frame Configurations table appears.
5. In the Frame Configurations table, each row describes a frame configuration. For the new frame configuration, enter:
• Name: The name of the frame configuration.
• Total number of frequency blocks: The total number of frequency blocks to which the frame configuration corre-
spond.
• PDCCH overhead: The Physical Downlink Control Channel overhead in terms of numbers of OFDM symbols per
subframe. If this field is left empty, Atoll uses the default overhead defined in the global network parameters.
• PUCCH overhead: The Physical Uplink Control Channel overhead in terms of average numbers of frequency blocks
per channel. If this field is left empty, Atoll uses the default overhead defined in the global network parameters.
• Cyclic prefix: The cyclic prefix. If this field is left empty, Atoll uses the default cyclic prefix defined in the global
network parameters.
• PRACH preamble format: The PRACH preamble format imposes a maximum range of a serving cell. When deter-
mining the best server, Atoll checks whether the distance of the studied pixel, subscriber, or mobile from a cell is
less than or equal to the distance corresponding to the round trip time allowed by the cell’s PRACH preamble
format. For example, a cell with PRACH preamble format 0 can be best server within a distance ≤ 14521 m. If the
PRACH preamble format is left empty, the best server coverage is not limited by distance. The PRACH preamble
format does not limit interference from any cell.
Distance corresponding to signal

PRACH preamble format
round-trip time in metres
0 14521
1 77290
2 29511
3 107269
4 2811
• The PRACH preamble format 4 can only be used for TDD cells. The best server cov-
erage limit due to PRACH preamble format 4 is only used when a cell uses a TDD
frequency band and:
• Normal cyclic prefix with special subframe configuration higher than 4, or
• Extended cyclic prefix with special subframe configuration higher than 3.
If a cell’s PRACH preamble format is set to 4 but the above conditions are not true,
PRACH preamble format 0 is used in the calculations instead.
• The PRACH preamble format models the distance-related boundary of the best
server coverage. In order to model the PRACH overhead, you must use the Max
Traffic Load (UL) (%) field available per cell. For example, for a PRACH overhead of
5 % of the frame, you can set the Max Traffic Load (UL) (%) to 95 %.
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• ICIC mode: The inter-cell interference coordination method. You can select from Time-switched FFR, Hard FFR,
Soft FFR, and Partial Soft FFR. For more information on different ICIC modes, see "Inter-cell Interference Coordi-
nation" on page 1081.
• Cell-edge power boost (DL) (dB): The downlink cell-edge power boost, i.e., the ratio of the power transmitted on
the cell-edge resource blocks with respect to the power transmitted on cell-centre resource blocks, for Soft FFR
and Partial Soft FFR ICIC modes. If you leave this column empty, Atoll automatically calculates the power boost
depending on the numbers of cell-centre and cell-edge frequency blocks.
• Group 0 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks associated with PSS ID 0.
You can enter non-consecutive frequency block numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of
frequency blocks separating the first and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1,
2, 3, 4, 5").
In time-switched and soft FFR, the frequency block group associated with a cell’s PSS ID serves cell-centre as well
as cell-edge users. The other two frequency block groups, associated with the other two PSS IDs, only serve cell-
centre users.
In hard and partial soft FFR, the frequency block group associated with a cell’s PSS ID covers cell-centre as well as
cell-edge users. The other two frequency block groups, associated with the other two PSS IDs, serve neither cell-
edge nor cell centre users.
If no frame configuration is defined for a cell using static ICIC, Atoll considers that group 0 frequency blocks cor-
respond to the first 1/3rd of the total number of frequency blocks, group 1 frequency blocks correspond to the
second 1/3rd of the total number of frequency blocks, and group 2 frequency blocks correspond to the third 1/
3rd of the total number of frequency blocks.
6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Frame Configurations table.
9.8.5 Defining LTE Radio Bearers

LTE radio bearers carry the data in the uplink as well as in the downlink. In the Atoll LTE module, a "bearer" refers to a combi-
nation of MCS, i.e., modulation, and coding schemes. The Radio Bearers table lists the available radio bearers. You can add,
remove, and modify bearer properties, if you want.
To define LTE bearers:
3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Radio Bearers. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Radio Bearers table appears.
5. In the table, enter one bearer per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables"
on page 76. For each LTE bearer, enter:
• Radio bearer index: Enter a bearer index. This bearer index is used to identify the bearer in other tables, such as
the bearer selection thresholds and the quality graphs in reception equipment.
• Name: Enter a name for the bearer, for example, "16QAM 3/4." This name will appear in other dialog boxes and
results.
• Modulation: Select a modulation from the list of available modulation types. This column is for information and
display purposes only.
• Coding rate: Enter the coding rate used by the bearer. This column is for information and display purposes only.
• Bearer efficiency (bits/symbol): Enter the number of useful bits that the bearer can carry in a symbol. This infor-
mation is used in throughput calculations.
For information on the relation between bearer efficiency and spectral efficiency, see "Relation Between Bearer
Efficiency And Spectral Efficiency" on page 1087.
6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the LTE Bearers table.
9.8.6 Defining LTE Quality Indicators

Quality indicators depict the coverage quality at different locations. The Quality Indicators table lists the available quality indi-
cators. You can add, remove, and modify quality indicators, if you want.
To define quality indicators:
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3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Quality Indicators. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Quality Indicators table appears.
5. In the table, enter one quality indicator per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data
Tables" on page 76. For each quality indicator, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the quality indicator, for example, "BLER" for Block Error Rate. This name will appear in
other dialog boxes and results.
• Used for data services: Select this check box to indicate that this quality indicator can be used for data services.
• Used for voice services: Select this check box to indicate that this quality indicator can be used for voice services.
6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Quality Indicators table.
9.8.7 Defining LTE Reception Equipment

LTE reception equipment model the reception characteristics of cells and user terminals. Bearer selection thresholds, quality
indicator graphs, and MIMO gains are defined in LTE reception equipment.
To create a new piece of reception equipment:
3. In the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Reception Equipment. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The Reception Equipment table appears.
5. In the Reception Equipment table, each row describes a piece of equipment. For the new piece of equipment you are
creating, enter its name.
6. Double-click the equipment entry in the Reception Equipment table once your new equipment has been added to the
table. The equipment’s Properties dialog box opens.
The Properties dialog box has the following tabs:
• General: On this tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
• Thresholds: On this tab (see Figure 9.83), you can modify the bearer selection thresholds and adaptive MIMO
switching (AMS) and MU-MIMO activation thresholds for different mobility types.
A bearer is selected for data transfer at a given pixel if the received carrier-to-interference-and-noise ratio is high-
er than its selection threshold. For more information on bearers, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 1072.
AMS threshold is the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) threshold, according to the option set in the
Advanced parameters ("The Global Network Settings" on page 1066), for switching from SU-MIMO to transmit or
receive diversity. MU-MIMO activation threshold is the minimum required RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or PUSCH
C/(I+N) for activating MU-MIMO. For more information on MIMO, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems"
on page 1080.
Figure 9.83: Reception Equipment - Bearer Selection Thresholds
i. Click the Selection thresholds button. The C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) dialog box appears (see Figure 9.84).
ii. Enter the graph values.
iii. Click OK.
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Figure 9.84: C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) dialog box
For more information on the default values of the bearer selection thresholds, see "Bearer Selection Thresholds"
on page 1086. For converting receiver equipment sensitivity values (dBm) into bearer selection thresholds, see
"Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values" on page 1086.
• Quality Graphs: On this tab (see Figure 9.85), you can modify the quality indicator graphs for different bearers and
for different mobility types. These graphs depict the performance characteristics of the equipment under different
radio conditions. For more information on bearers, quality indicators, and mobility types, see "Defining LTE Radio
Bearers" on page 1072, "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 1072, and "Modelling Mobility Types" on
page 937, respectively.
Figure 9.85: Reception Equipment - Quality Indicator Graphs
i. Click the Quality graph button. The Quality Graph dialog box appears (see Figure 9.86).
iii. Click OK.
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Figure 9.86: Quality Indicator Graph
• PDSCH/PUSCH MIMO Gains: On this tab (see Figure 9.87), you can modify the SU-MIMO and diversity gains for
different bearers, mobility types, BLER values, and numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports. The
MIMO throughput gain is the increase in channel capacity compared to a SISO system. Diversity gains can be
defined for different diversity modes: transmit/receive diversity, SU-MIMO, and MU-MIMO. Diversity gain is
applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is transmit or receive diversity. SU-
MIMO diversity gain is applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is SU-MIMO. MU-
MIMO diversity gain is applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is MU-MIMO.
For more information on bearers and mobility types, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 1072 and "Model-
ling Mobility Types" on page 937, respectively. For more information on the different MIMO systems, see "Multi-
ple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 1080.
No MIMO gain (diversity, SU-MIMO, and MU-MIMO) is applied if the numbers of transmis-
sion and reception antennas are both equal to 1.
Figure 9.87: Reception Equipment - PDSCH/PUSCH MIMO Gains
i. Click the Max MIMO gain graphs button. The Max MIMO Gain dialog box appears (see Figure 9.88).
iii. Click OK.
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You can define the gains for any combination of mobility type, bearer, and BLER, as well as the default gains for
"All" mobility types, "All" bearers, and a Max BLER of 1. During calculations, Atoll uses the gains defined for a spe-
cific combination if available, otherwise it uses the default gains.
Figure 9.88: Max MIMO Gain dialog box
• PBCH/PDCCH MIMO Gains: On this tab (see Figure 9.89), you can enter diversity gains for PBCH and PDCCH for
different mobility types, and numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports. The PBCH diversity gain is
applied to the PBCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the cell and terminal both support any form of MIMO in downlink. The
PDCCH diversity gain is applied to the PDCCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the cell and terminal both support any form
of MIMO in downlink.
Figure 9.89: Reception Equipment - PBCH/PDCCH MIMO Gains
7. Click OK. The Properties dialog box closes. The settings are stored.
8. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Reception Equipment table.
9.8.8 Defining LTE Schedulers

In Atoll, schedulers perform the selection of users for resource allocation, the radio resource allocation and management
according to the QoS classes of the services being accessed by the selected users.
The scheduling process is composed of the following three steps:
1. Selection of users for resource allocation: The Max number of users defined for each cell is the maximum number of
users that the cell’s scheduler can work with simultaneously. At the start of the scheduling process, the scheduler
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keeps only as many users as the maximum number defined for resource allocation. If no limit has been set, all the
users generated during Monte Carlo simulations for this cell are considered, and the scheduler continues to allocate
resources as long as there are remaining resources.
2. Resource allocation for supporting the Min throughput demands: This is the minimum throughput that a service
must get in order to work properly. The scheduler is either able to allocate the exact amount of resources required to
fully support the minimum throughput demands, or the service does not get any resources at all.
The scheduler allocates resources, for supporting the minimum throughput demands, in the order of service priority.
The effective service priority is determined based on the QCI priority and the user-defined service priority. For exam-
ple, the order of resource allocation will be as follows: users of the service with the highest QCI priority and the highest
user-defined service priority to users of the service with the lowest QCI priority and the lowest user-defined service
priority.
In order to be connected, users active in downlink and uplink must be able to get their minimum throughput in both
directions. If a user active in downlink and uplink gets his minimum throughput in only one direction, he will be
rejected.
3. Resource allocation for supporting the Max throughput demands: Once the resources have been allocated for sup-
porting the minimum throughput demands in the previous step, the remaining resources can be allocated in different
ways to support the maximum throughput demands of the users.
For allocating resources to support the maximum throughput demands, the following types of scheduling methods
are available:
• Proportional fair: The proportional fair scheduling method allocates the same amount of resources to all the users
with a maximum throughput demand. Therefore, the resources allocated to each user are either the resources it
requires to achieve its maximum throughput demand or the total amount of resources divided by the total
number of users in the cell, which ever is smaller. The proportional fair scheduler can also model the effect of
resource scheduling over time, i.e., how a proportional fair scheduler benefits from fast fading, by applying multi-
user diversity gains (MUG) to user throughputs.
• Proportional demand: The proportional demand scheduling method allocates resources proportional to the
demands of users who have a maximum throughput demand. Therefore, users with higher maximum throughput
demands will have higher resulting throughputs than the users with lower maximum throughput demands.
• Round Robin: The round robin scheduling method allocates the same amount of resources to all the users with a
maximum throughput demand. Therefore, the resources allocated to each user are either the resources it requires
to achieve its maximum throughput demand or the total amount of resources divided by the total number of users
in the cell, which ever is smaller.
• Max C/I: This scheduling method allocates the resources required by the users to achieve their maximum
throughput demands in the order of their PDSCH C/(I+N) in downlink and of their PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) in
uplink. This means that users who are under good radio conditions will get the resources they require. The end
result of this scheduling method is that the cumulated cell throughputs are maximised.
For all the scheduling methods, resources are allocated to support the maximum throughput demand until either the
maximum throughput demands of all the users are satisfied or the scheduler runs out of resources.
The Schedulers table lists the available schedulers. You can add, remove, and modify scheduler properties, if you want.
To define LTE schedulers:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Schedulers and select Open Table.
The Schedulers table appears.
2. In the table, enter one scheduler per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Working with Data
Tables" on page 76. For each scheduler, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the scheduler. This name will appear in the cell properties.
• Scheduling method: Select the scheduling method used by the scheduler for allocating resources to support the
maximum throughput demands.
• Target throughput for voice services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all voice-
type services.
• Target throughput for data services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all data-
type services.
• Bearer selection criterion: Select the criterion for the selection of the best bearer.
• Bearer index: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest bearer index
among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
• Peak RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest peak
RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
• Effective RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest
effective RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
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• Uplink bandwidth allocation target: Select the aim of the uplink bandwidth allocation.
• Full bandwidth: All the frequency blocks are used for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) calculations, i.e., no band-
width reduction is performed.
• Maintain connection: The number of frequency blocks is reduced one by one in order to increase the PUSCH
& PUCCH C/(I+N) so that the mobile is able to get at least the lowest bearer.
• Best bearer: The number of frequency blocks is reduced in order to increase the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) so
that the mobile is able to get the highest bearer available. The definition of the highest bearer depends on the
Bearer selection criterion, i.e., highest index, highest peak RLC throughput, or highest effective RLC through-
put.
When the Bearer selection criterion is set to Effective RLC throughput, Atoll calculates the effective RLC
throughput for all possible combinations of [number of frequency blocks, bearers], and keeps the number of
frequency blocks and the bearer which provide the highest effective RLC throughput.
3. Double-click a row corresponding to any scheduler in the Schedulers table. The scheduler’s properties dialog box
appears.
The General tab contains the scheduler properties described above. For Proportional fair schedulers, the properties
dialog box displays an additional MUG tab. On the MUG tab, you can edit the downlink and uplink throughput gains
due to multi-user diversity for different radio bearers and mobility types. You can also define the maximum PDSCH
and PUSCH C/(I+N) values above which their are no gains due to multi-user diversity.
To edit the downlink multi-user diversity gains for a radio bearer and a mobility type:
a. Click the DL MUG Graph button. The DL MUG dialog boxes appears.
b. Edit the downlink multi-user diversity gain values for different numbers of simultaneously connected downlink us-
ers.
c. Click OK.
To edit the uplink multi-user diversity gains for a radio bearer and a mobility type:
a. Click the UL MUG Graph button. The UL MUG dialog boxes appears.
b. Edit the uplink multi-user diversity gain values for different numbers of simultaneously connected uplink users.
c. Click OK.
4. Click OK.
5. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Schedulers table.
9.8.9 Defining LTE UE Categories

LTE user equipment capabilities are standardised into different categories according to 3GPP specifications.
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click UE Categories, and select Open Table.
The LTE UE Categories table appears.
2. The LTE UE Categories table has the following columns:
• Name: Name of the UE category.
• Max number of transport block bits per TTI (DL): The maximum number of transport block bits per subframe in
the downlink. This parameter defines the highest downlink throughput that a terminal can support.
• Max number of transport block bits per TTI (UL): The maximum number of transport block bits per subframe in
the uplink. This parameter defines the highest uplink throughput that a terminal can support.
• Highest supported modulation (UL): The highest modulation supported in the uplink.
• Max number of reception antenna ports: The maximum number of antenna ports supported by a terminal in the
downlink.
• LTE-A to LTE Downgrade Category: Name of the UE category to be used if an LTE-A terminal is connected to an
LTE-only cell. According to 3GPP specifications, an LTE-A terminal that uses UE category 6 or 7 when connected to
an LTE-A cell uses UE category 4 when connected to an LTE-only cell. Similarly, an LTE-A terminal that uses UE cat-
egory 8 when connected to an LTE-A cell uses UE category 5 when connected to an LTE-only cell
3. Click the Close button ( ) to close the LTE UE Categories table.
9.8.10 Smart Antenna Systems

Smart antenna systems use digital signal processing with more than one antenna element in order to locate and track various
types of signals to dynamically minimise interference and maximise the useful signal reception. Different types of smart
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antenna modelling techniques exist, including beam switching, beam steering, beamforming, etc. Adaptive antenna systems
are capable of using adaptive algorithms to cancel out interfering signals. Atoll’s LTE module includes:
• A conventional beamforming smart antenna that models linear adaptive array systems. The conventional beamformer
works by forming beams in the direction of the served mobiles. The smart antenna model dynamically calculates and
applies weights on each antenna element in order to create beams in the direction of served users. The antenna pat-
terns thus created have a main beam pointed in the direction of the useful signal.
During Monte Carlo simulations, the power transmitted towards the served mobile from a cell is calculated by forming
a beam in that direction. For cells using smart antennas, the smart antenna weights are dynamically calculated for
each mobile being served. Beamforming is performed in interfered as well as interfering cells and the downlink C/(I+N)
is calculated by taking into account the effects of beamforming. The smart antenna simulation results include the
angular distribution of the transmitted power spectral density for each cell. These results are then used to carry out
interference-based coverage predictions for the base stations using smart antennas. In coverage predictions, beam-
forming is performed to calculate the smart antenna gain towards each pixel of the studied cell dynamically in order
to determine the received power. To calculate the interference, the simulation results for the angular distributions of
downlink transmitted power spectral density are used in order to determine the power transmitted by an interfering
cell in the direction of each served pixel of the studied cell.
• A grid-of-beams (GOB) smart antenna that models beam-switching antenna systems. Such antenna systems include
pre-defined array weights corresponding to various transmission patterns or beams. Each user is served using the
best-suited array weights. A grid of beams in Atoll comprises a list of antenna patterns. Each antenna pattern usually
has a different azimuth. All the antenna patterns are stored in the Antennas table, and can be accessed individually
from the Antennas folder.
During Monte Carlo simulations, Atoll selects the best suited beam from the GOB for each mobile generated. The best
suited beam is the one which provides the highest gain in the direction of the mobile. Interfering signals received at
each mobile are attenuated according to the antenna pattern of the selected beam. If the targeted and interfered
users are in the same direction with respect to the beam selected for the targeted user, the interference will be high.
Otherwise, the interfering signals will be attenuated.
Although the number of beams in a GOB is not limited, calculation times with a large
number of beams will be longer.
TDD LTE networks are more suitable for smart antennas than FDD because of the similar uplink and downlink channel char-
acteristics in TDD. Information gathered from a mobile in the uplink can be assumed valid for downlink as well. The following
section explains how to work with smart antenna equipment in Atoll:
• "Defining Smart Antenna Equipment" on page 1079.
9.8.10.1 Defining Smart Antenna Equipment

Smart antenna equipment are used to define conventional beamforming smart antenna and grid-of-beams (GOB) smart
antenna systems.
To create smart antenna equipment:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder and the Smart Antennas folder, right-click
Smart Antenna Equipment, and select Open Table from the context menu. The Smart Antenna Equipment table
appears.
2. In the Smart Antenna Equipment table, each row describes a piece of smart antenna equipment. For information on
working with data tables, see "Working with Data Tables" on page 76. For the new smart antenna equipment, enter:
• Name: Enter a name for the smart antenna equipment.
• Smart Antenna Model: Select a smart antenna model from the list. By default, Conventional Beamformer and
Grid Of Beams models are available.
• Main Antenna Model: Select the main antenna model to be used with the smart antenna equipment. The list con-
tains the antennas available in the Antennas table. When you assign the smart antenna equipment to a trans-
mitter, you can choose to replace the current main antenna model with this model.
3. Double-click the equipment entry in the Smart Antenna Equipment table once your new equipment has been added
to the table. The equipment’s Properties dialog box opens.
4. Under the General tab, you can modify the parameters that you set previously.
5. To modify the properties of the smart antenna model assigned to the smart antenna equipment, click the Parameters
button under Smart Antenna Model. The smart antenna model’s properties dialog box appears.
a. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name of the smart antenna model.
b. Click the Properties tab. On the Properties tab, you can define the following:
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For Conventional Beamformer smart antenna model:

• Number of elements: The number of antenna elements in the smart antenna system.
• Single element pattern: The antenna model to be used for each antenna element. You can select an antenna
model from the list. The list contains the antennas available in the Antennas folder.
• Diversity gain (cross-polarisation): Select the Diversity gain (cross-polarisation) check box if you are using
cross-polarised smart antennas and want to add diversity gains to the calculated downlink (all channels except
RS) beamforming gains. You can define the diversity gains per clutter class on the Clutter tab of the smart
antenna model’s properties dialog box.
For Grid Of Beams smart antenna model, select the antenna patterns corresponding to the various beams of the
model. This list contains all the antenna patterns defined in the Antennas table whose Physical Antenna name
contains "GOB". The horizontal patterns of the selected beams are shown in the bottom pane.
c. If you are working with a Conventional Beamformer smart antenna model, a Clutter tab is also available. On the
Clutter tab, you can define the following parameters per clutter class:
• Array gain offset (dB): Enter an offset to be added to the calculated beamforming array gains on the PDSCH.
Positive offset values are considered as gains while negative values as losses.
• Power combining gain offset (dB): Enter an offset to be added to the calculated power combining gains on
the RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH. Positive offset values are considered as gains while negative values as
losses.
• Diversity gain (cross-polarisation) (dB): Enter the diversity gains for cross-polarised smart antennas to be
applied to the SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH.
d. Click OK. The smart antenna model properties are saved.
6. Click OK. The smart antenna equipment properties are saved.
7. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Smart Antenna Equipment table.
9.8.11 Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems use different transmission and reception diversity techniques. MIMO diver-
sity systems can roughly be divided into the following types, all of which are modelled in Atoll:
Transmit and Receive Diversity
Transmit or receive diversity uses more than one transmission or reception antenna to send or receive more than one copy
of the same signal. The signals are constructively combined (using optimum selection or maximum ratio combining) at the
receiver to extract the useful signal. As the receiver gets more than one copy of the useful signal, the signal level at the receiver
after combination of all the copies is more resistant to interference than a single signal would be. Therefore, diversity
improves the C/(I+N) at the receiver. It is often used for the regions of a cell that have insufficient C/(I+N) conditions.
In Atoll, you can set whether a cell supports transmit or receive diversity by selecting the corresponding diversity support
modes in cell properties (see "Cell Description" on page 899). Diversity gains on downlink and uplink can be defined in the
reception equipment for different numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types, bearers, and maxi-
mum BLER. For more information on uplink and downlink diversity gains, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on
page 1073. Additional gain values can be defined per clutter class. For information on setting the additional uplink and down-
link diversity gain for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
During calculations in Atoll, a user (pixel, mobile, or subscriber) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell that
supports transmit or receive diversity, will benefit from the downlink or uplink diversity C/(I+N) gains.
Single-User MIMO or Spatial Multiplexing
SU-MIMO uses more than one transmission antenna to send different signals (data streams) on each antenna. The receiver
can also have more than one antenna to receive different signals. Using spatial multiplexing with M transmission and N recep-
tion antenna ports, the throughput over the transmitter-receiver link can be theoretically increased M or N times, whichever
is smaller, M or N. SU-MIMO improves the throughput (channel capacity) for a given C/(I+N), and is used for the regions of a
cell that have sufficient C/(I+N) conditions. SU-MIMO (single-user MIMO) is also referred to as SM (spatial multiplexing) or
simply MIMO.
In Atoll, you can set whether a cell supports SU-MIMO by selecting the corresponding diversity support mode in cell properties
(see "Cell Description" on page 899). SU-MIMO capacity gains can be defined in the reception equipment for different
numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types, bearers, and maximum BLER. For more information on
SU-MIMO gains, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 1073.
supports SU-MIMO, will benefit from the SU-MIMO gain in its throughput depending on its PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N).
As SU-MIMO improves the channel capacity or throughputs, the PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) of a user is first determined. Once
the C/(I+N) is known, Atoll calculates the user throughput based on the bearer available at the user location. The obtained
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user throughput is then increased according to the SU-MIMO capacity gain and the SU-MIMO gain factor of the user’s clutter
class. The capacity gains defined in Max SU-MIMO gain graphs are the maximum theoretical capacity gains using SU-MIMO.
SU-MIMO requires rich multipath environment, without which the gain is reduced. In the worst case, there is no gain. There-
fore, it is possible to define an SU-MIMO gain factor per clutter class whose value can vary from 0 to 1 (0 = no gain, 1 = 100 %
gain). For information on setting the SU-MIMO gain factor for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter
Class Properties" on page 153.
The SU-MIMO capacity gain vs. C/(I+N) graphs available in Atoll by default have been generated based on the maximum theo-
retical SU-MIMO capacity gains obtained using the following equations:
CC MIMO
G MIMO = ---------------------
-
CC SISO
TX RX  C  I + N 
Where CC MIMO = Min  N Ant N Ant   Log 2  1 + ------------------------------------------ is the channel capacity at a given C/(I+N) for a MIMO
TX RX
 Min  N Ant N Ant 
TX RX
system using N Ant transmission and N Ant reception antenna ports. CC SISO = Log 2  1 + C   I + N   is the channel capacity
for a single antenna system at a given C/(I+N). C/(I+N) is used as a ratio (not dB) in these formulas. You can replace the default
SU-MIMO capacity gain graphs with graphs extracted from simulated or measured values.
Adaptive MIMO Switch
This is a technique for switching from SU-MIMO to transmit or receive diversity as the reference signal conditions get worse
than a given threshold. AMS can be used in cells to provide SU-MIMO gains to users that have better reference signal C/N or
C/(I+N) conditions than a given AMS threshold, and diversity gains to users that have worse reference signal C/N or C/(I+N)
conditions than the threshold. AMS provides the optimum solution using transmit and receive diversity and SU-MIMO
features to their best.
supports AMS, will benefit from the gain to be applied, diversity or SU-MIMO, depending on the user’s RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or
PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) and the AMS threshold defined in the reception equipment. Diversity gain is applied to the user’s
PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) if the value of the selected AMS criterion is less than the AMS threshold, and SU-MIMO is used if the
value or the selected AMS criterion is higher than the AMS threshold.
Multi-User MIMO or Collaborative MIMO
MU-MIMO (Multi-User MIMO) or collaborative MIMO is a technique for spatially multiplexing two users in good radio condi-
tions. A cell with more than one antenna port can serve two different users over the same frequency-time allocation. This
technique provides considerable capacity gains and can be used with single-antenna user equipment, i.e., it does not require
more than one antenna at the user equipment as opposed to SU-MIMO, which only provides considerable gains with more
than one antenna at the user equipment.
In Atoll, you can set whether a cell supports MU-MIMO by selecting the corresponding diversity support mode in cell proper-
ties (see "Cell Description" on page 899). MU-MIMO capacity gains result from the scheduling and RRM process. Using
MU-MIMO, schedulers are able to allocate resources over two spatially multiplexed parallel frames in the same frequency-
time resource allocation plane. MU-MIMO can only work under good radio conditions and if the cell has more than one recep-
tion antenna port. Therefore, the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) must be higher than the MU-MIMO activate
threshold defined in the reception equipment in order for the scheduler to be able to multiplex users.
During the calculations of Monte Carlo simulations in Atoll, each new user connected to the first antenna port creates virtual
resources available on the second antenna port. These virtual resources can then be allocated to a second user connected to
the second antenna port without increasing the overall load of the cell. This way, each new mobile consumes the virtual
resources made available be the previous mobile, and may make new virtual resources available on the other antenna port.
The MU-MIMO capacity gain resulting from this collaborative multiplexing is the ratio of the traffic loads of all the mobiles
connected to both parallel frames to the traffic load of the cell. The MU-MIMO capacity gain can be defined per cell by the
user or it can be an output of the Monte Carlo simulations. This gain is used during the calculation of throughput coverage
predictions. The channel throughput is multiplied by this gain for pixels where MU-MIMO is used as the diversity mode.
9.8.12 Inter-cell Interference Coordination

Inter-cell interference coordination is a means of improving the signal quality at cell edges by using different resources at cell
edges of potentially mutually interfering cells. There are two categories of interference coordination techniques used in
OFDMA systems: static and dynamic inter-cell interference coordination.
Static interference coordination is performed through fractional frequency planning. Fractions of a channel are allocated to
different sectors for use at cell edges. This allocation does not change over time. On the other hand, dynamic interference
coordination, or interference-aware scheduling, is carried out by the scheduler. There is no fixed fractional frequency alloca-
tion per sector. Resources allocated to cell-edge users are dynamically determined by the schedulers of each eNode-B for each
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subframe. The aim is to not reuse the same resources at cell edges of potentially mutually interfering cells (i.e., coordinate
the allocation of resources), thus avoiding interference.
Atoll supports different forms of static ICIC using fractional frequency reuse (FFR). Without fractional frequency reuse, cells
transmit at constant power over the entire duration of the frame and across all the resource blocks. The fact that neighbouring
cells use the same resource blocks leads to high interference and poor signal quality at cell edges.
In time-switched FFR, all the power is concentrated on some of the resource blocks during a part of the frame while others
are not transmitted at all. During the rest of the frame, the same power is transmitted over all the resource blocks. Cell edges
of neighbouring cells are covered by different resource blocks to avoid interference.
In hard FFR, all the power is concentrated on some of the resource blocks, while others are not transmitted at all. Neighbour-
ing cells use different resource blocks to avoid interference throughout the coverage area.
In soft FFR, some resource blocks are transmitted at higher power than others. Cell edges of neighbouring cells are covered
by different resource blocks to avoid interference.
In partial soft FFR, some resource blocks are transmitted at higher power than others, and some are not transmitted at all.
Cell edges of neighbouring cells are covered by different resource blocks to avoid interference.
No FFR
Time-switched FFR Hard FFR
Soft FFR Partial soft FFR
Figure 9.1: Various static ICIC modes (P: power, F: frequency

in 50% of the measured cases, the result will be better and in 50% of the measured cases, the result will be worse.
Atoll uses a model standard deviation for the clutter class with the defined cell edge coverage probability to model the effect
of shadowing and thereby create coverage predictions that are reliable more than fifty percent of the time. The additional
losses or gains caused by shadowing are known as the shadowing margin. The shadowing margin is added to the path losses
calculated by the propagation model.
edge coverage probability of 85 %. If the calculated shadowing margin is 7 dB for a specific point, the target signal will be equal
to or greater than -77 dBm 85 % of the time.
In LTE projects, the model standard deviation is used to calculate shadowing margins on signal levels. You can also calculate
shadowing margins on C/I values. For information on setting the model standard deviation and the C/I standard deviations for
each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 153.
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level and C/(I+N) for:
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Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo simulations. Atoll uses the values defined
for the model standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the signal level coverage predictions. Atoll uses the values
defined for the C/I standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the interference- based coverage predictions.
You can display the shadowing margins per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter
Class" on page 1083.
9.8.13.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins per Clutter Class

To display the shadowing margins per clutter class:
3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins dialog box appears.
• Cell edge coverage probability: Enter the probability of coverage at the edge of the cell. The value you enter in
• Standard deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin:
• Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin of the signal level.
• C/I: The C/I standard deviation. Atoll will display the C/I shadowing margin.
5. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed.

Analyses of LTE networks co-existing with other technology networks can be carried out in Atoll. Inter-technology interfer-
ence may create considerable capacity reduction in an LTE network. Atoll can take into account interference from co-existing
networks in Monte Carlo simulations and coverage predictions.
The following inter-technology interference scenarios are modelled in Atoll:
• Interference received by mobiles on the downlink: Interference can be received by mobiles in an LTE network on the
downlink from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-downlink interference) might be created by the use
of same or adjacent carriers, wideband noise (thermal noise, phase noise, modulation products, and spurious emis-
sions), and intermodulation. In Atoll, you can define interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for different technol-
ogies (GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, etc.). These graphs are then used for calculating the interference from the external
base stations on mobiles. This interference is taken into account in all downlink interference-based calculations. For
more information, see "Defining Inter-technology IRFs" on page 1084.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-downlink interference) might be created by insufficient
separation between the uplink frequency used by the external network and the downlink frequency used by your LTE
in Atoll using the Inter-technology DL noise rise definable for each cell in the LTE network. This noise rise is taken into
account in all downlink interference-based calculations. For more information on the Inter-technology DL noise rise,
see "Cell Description" on page 899.
• Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of an LTE network on the uplink
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separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your LTE
network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Inter-technology UL noise rise definable for each cell in the LTE network. This
noise rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in Monte Carlo simulations but not in cover-
age predictions. For more information on the Inter-technology UL noise rise, see "Cell Description" on page 899.

Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your LTE network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
An IRF depends on:

• The interfering technology (GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, etc.)
nal base stations is linked to your LTE document, i.e., when Atoll is in co-planning mode. For more information on how to
menu appears.
• Technology: The technology used by the interfering network.
• Interferer bandwidth (kHz): The width in kHz of the channels (carriers) used by the interfering network. This
• Victim bandwidth (kHz): The width in kHz of the channels (carriers) used by the interfered network. This channel
width must be consistent with that used in the main document.
• Reduction factors (dB): Click the cell corresponding to the Reduction factors (dB) column and the current row in
the table. The Reduction factors (dB) dialog box appears.
i. Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separation,
Freq. delta (MHz), values relative to the centre frequency of the channel (carrier) used in the main document.
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ii. When done, click OK.

6. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Inter-technology Interference Reduction Factors table.
You can link more than one Atoll document with your main document following the procedure described in "Switching to Co-
planning Mode" on page 1045. If the linked documents model networks using different technologies, you can define the inter-
ference reduction factors in your main document for all these technologies, and Atoll will calculate interference from all the
external base stations in all the linked documents.
9.9 Tips and Tricks

The following tips and tricks are described below:
• "Obtaining User Throughputs for All the Subscribers of a Subscriber List" on page 1085.
• "Working With User Densities Instead of User Profiles" on page 1086.
• "Bearer Selection Thresholds" on page 1086.
• "Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values" on page 1086.
• "Relation Between Bearer Efficiency And Spectral Efficiency" on page 1087.
• "Modelling VoIP Codecs" on page 1087.
• "Working with EARFCNs instead of Channel Numbers" on page 1088.
• "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks" on page 1088.
• "Displaying LTE Cell Details" on page 1088.
Obtaining User Throughputs for All the Subscribers of a Subscriber List
This procedure is only recommended if you have a proper subscriber list and have
complete knowledge of the services they use.
Atoll generates a realistic user distribution containing active and inactive users during Monte Carlo simulations. The status of
these users is determined through the user’s service usage parameters defined in the user profile. In Atoll, subscribers in a
subscriber list must have a user profile assigned to them in order to be taken into account in Monte Carlo simulations. In
Monte Carlo simulations based on subscriber lists, Atoll determines active users from among the users listed in the subscriber
list and carries out RRM and resource allocation for calculating user throughputs.
If you wish to determine user throughputs for all the subscribers in a subscriber list, you can run a Monte Carlo simulation
with the subscriber list as input after modifying the user profiles assigned to the subscribers such that the probability of activ-
ity for all the subscribers is 100 %.
1. Create a subscriber list with subscribers having an activity probability of 100%:
a. Create as many user profiles as there are services used by the subscribers in the list.
b. Assign only one service to each user profile.
c. Assign the following service usage parameters to the user profiles that you create:
i. For Voice services, set:
• Calls/hour = 1.
• Duration (sec.) = 3600.
ii. For Data services:
• Calls/hour = 1.
• UL volume (KBytes) = Service uplink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
• DL volume (KBytes) = Service downlink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
d. Assign these user profiles to subscribers in the subscriber list.
2. Create a Monte Carlo simulation based only on this subscriber list.
The simulation results will contain all the subscribers in the subscriber list with their respective user throughputs
determined by Atoll after the scheduling process.
1085
Working With User Densities Instead of User Profiles
If you do not currently have reliable LTE multi-service traffic, you can provide Atoll with user density information per service,
for example, traffic data from adapted GSM Erlang maps. In this case, you do not have to create user profiles. As well, Atoll
does not have to determine the user activity probabilities to create traffic scenarios during simulations. The distribution of
traffic during simulations will only depend on the user densities per service.
If you know the user densities for each service, you can set user activity probabilities to 100 % in your LTE document, as shown
below:
1. For Voice services, set:
• Calls/hour = 1.
• Duration (sec.) = 3600.
2. For Data services:
• Calls/hour = 1.
• UL volume (KBytes) = Service uplink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
• DL volume (KBytes) = Service downlink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
The above settings will set the user activity probabilities to 100 %. If you create a traffic map based on environment classes,
the user density values that you define in your environment classes will be the actual user densities. This means that, for
X users/km² defined in the environment class for a given user profile, the Monte Carlo simulator will generate exactly X users/
km² for each service of the user profile.
In this way, you can know beforehand the exact number of active users, and their services, generated during the simulations.
This procedure should only be used when appropriate traffic data is not available.
Bearer Selection Thresholds
The default values of the bearer selection thresholds, the BLER quality graphs, and the bearer efficiency values in Atoll have
been extracted from the 3GPP TR 36.942 V8.0.0 (see Figure 9.92). These values correspond to an ideal (AWGN) radio channel,
and are too optimistic compared to actual radio channels. It is recommended to use more realistic values when available.
Figure 9.92: Link Adaptation in LTE
The spectral efficiency is the number of useful data bits that can be transmitted using any modulation and coding scheme per
Hz, the transition points between any two modulation and coding schemes give the default bearer selection thresholds in
Atoll, and the normalised values from the slopes of the graphs, that represent the reduction in the spectral efficiency, give
the block error rate.
Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values
You can convert the receiver sensitivity values, from your equipment data sheet, into bearer selection thresholds using the
following conversion method:
SF  N Used
CNR = RS + 114 – NF – 10  Log  ------------------------------
 N Total 
Where RS is the receiver sensitivity in dBm, NF is the noise figure of the receiver in dB, SF is the sampling frequency in MHz,
N Used is the number of subcarriers corresponding to the number of frequency blocks, N Total is the total number of subcar-
riers, i.e., the FFT size.
In the above explanation, the term receiver refers to the base station in uplink and to the mobile/user equipment in the down-
link.
1086
Relation Between Bearer Efficiency And Spectral Efficiency
Spectral efficiency of a modulation and

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1 Working Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

1.2 The Explorer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

1.3 Working with Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

1.4 Working with Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

1.4.10 Displaying the Map Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

1.5 Working with Coverage Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

1.6 Working with Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

1.7 Printing in Atoll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

1.8 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

1.8.3 Filtering Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

1.9 Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

2 Atoll Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

2.2 Creating an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

2.3 Making a Backup of Your Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

2.4 Making and Sharing Portable Atoll Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

3 Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

3.2 Supported Geographic Data Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

3.3 Importing Geo Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

3.3.1 Importing a Raster-format Geo Data File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

3.4 Digital Terrain Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

3.5 Clutter Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

3.6 Clutter Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

3.7 Contours, Lines, and Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

3.8 Scanned Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

3.9 Population Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

3.10 Custom Geo Data Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

3.11 Displaying Online Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

3.12 Setting the Priority of Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

3.13 Displaying Information About Geo Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

3.14 Geographic Data Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

3.15 Editing Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

3.16 Saving Geographic Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

4 Antennas and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

4.2 Working With Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

5 Calculations and Propagation Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

5.2 Defining Radio Calculation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

5.3 Managing Path Loss Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

5.4 Radio Prediction Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

6 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

6.2 Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

6.2.8.4 Setting Transmitters as Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

6.3 Studying Network Capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

6.4 Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, and MAIOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

6.4.4.2 The Network Validation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

6.5 The Atoll AFP Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

6.6 Analysing Network Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

6.7 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

6.8 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

6.9 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

6.9.1 Setting HCS Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

7 UMTS HSPA Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527

7.2 Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

7.2.8.1 Setting the Working Area of an Atoll Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

7.3 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

7.4 Optimising Network Parameters Using the ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666

7.5 Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670

7.5.4.2 Predicting Signal Level on Drive Test Data Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

7.6 Co-planning UMTS Networks with Other Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

7.7 Advanced Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702

8 CDMA2000 Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .719

8.1.1.6 Studying the Profile Around a Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735

8.2 Studying Network Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813