Telecom service provider SingTel on Monday announced the deployment of Ericsson’s SON optimization manager for SingTel’s WCDMA networks.
In a statement, Ericsson said its SON solution includes self-optimization features such as coverage capacity optimization and load balance (CCLB), and automatic neighbor relation (ANR) handling. Self-healing functions are being developed to automatically compensate for cell outages by adjusting the neighboring cells to find the optimal configuration.
SingTel will benefit as these features maintain a high performing network that can deliver a more consistent experience for SingTel customers with faster download speeds and reduced drop calls, said Ericsson.
Tay Yeow Lian, vice president of Mobile Core Engineering, SingTel, said that SON and other network enhancements enable its customers to benefit from up to 20 percent faster internet access in crowded places that are prone to network congestion. Dropped call at these packed locations will also be reduced by as much as 40 percent.
SingTel has already invested heavily in networks to deliver the fastest mobile services in Singapore. The 4G service provider offers speeds of up to 150Mbps and nationwide dual-band coverage.
Nicholas Seow, president and country manager of Ericsson Singapore, said that self-organizing networks are a critical enabler for the widespread deployment of mobile broadband technologies.
“Network complexity has reached the stage at which self-configuring, self-optimizing and self-healing functions are now indispensable for running a modern mobile network. Multiple standards and an expanding ecosystem of equipment providers need the automation of as much network planning, design, build and optimization as possible,” Seow added.
