ATOLL NEIGHBOURS

Neighbour Features in Atoll

Definitions
Importing Neighbours

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours

Planning Inter-technology Neighbours

Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map

Modifying Neighbour Relations Manually
Exporting Neighbour Relations

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Slide 2 of 27

Definitions
Reference Cell
The cell to which you are allocating neighbours

Possible Neighbours
The cells that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours

Intra-technology Neighbours
The cells defined as neighbours that use the same technology as the reference cell
E.g., UMTS-UMTS, GSM-GSM, LTE-LTE

Inter-technology Neighbours
The cells defined as neighbours that use a technology other than the reference cell
technology
E.g., UMTS-GSM, UMTS-LTE, GSM-LTE

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Importing Neighbours (1/2)

Possibility to copy/paste or to import a list of neighbours
Prerequisites
A text file with at least 2 columns

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Name of the reference cells

Name of neighbour cells

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Importing Neighbours (2/2)

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Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (1/11)

Possibility to define neighbourhood constraints to be considered during the automatic
neighbour allocation

List of neighbour relations you may force

or forbid

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Slide 6 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (2/11)

Allocation Parameters
Maximum Number of Neighbours

Global value for all cells or value specified for each cell

Maximum Inter-site Distance

Allocation Strategy Based on the Overlapping of Cell Coverage

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Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (3/11)

GSM Technology
Coverage
conditions

Calculation
options

Overlapping
criterion
Start allocation

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Do not select the option if

you want to keep existing
neighbours
Slide 8 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (4/11)

GSM Technology
Overlapping Criterion
% min covered area is defined by the formula : (SA SB) / SA where :
SA is the coverage area of A restricted by HO start and HO end
SB is the best server area of Cell B

B best server area

(Candidate)

A best server area

(Reference)

A
Best signal level
for A - HO end

Best signal level

for A - HO start

Minimum
BCCH of A

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Slide 9 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (5/11)

UMTS Technology
Intra-carrier neighbours: neighbours which perform handover using the same carrier

Inter-carrier neighbours: neighbours which perform handover using a different carrier

Coverage conditions

Overlapping
criterion
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Start allocation

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Calculation options

Do not select the option if

you want to keep existing
neighbours
Slide 10 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (6/11)

UMTS Technology Intra-carrier Neighbours
Overlapping Criterion
% min covered area is defined by the formula : (SA SB) / SA where :
SA is the best server area of cell A. Cell A is the first one in the AS
SB is the area where cell B can enter the as of cell A

A best server
area

(Candidate)
B

(Reference)

SA SB :

Area where :
Ec/Io(B) Ec/Io(A) Ec/Io
margin(A)

Minimum
Ec/Io for
A

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B best server area

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Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (7/11)

UMTS Technology Inter-carrier Neighbours
Overlapping Criterion (carrier saturation)
% min covered area is defined by the formula : (SA SB) / SB where :
SA is the best server area (on carrier 1) + handoff area of cell A
SB is the best server area of cell B (on carrier 2)

B best server area

(Carrier 2 candidate)

A best server area

(Carrier 1 reference)

Minimum
Ec/Io for
A

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Best Ec/Io for

A - Ec/Io
margin
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Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (8/11)

UMTS Technology Inter-carrier Neighbours
Overlapping Criterion (out of carrier coverage)
% min covered area is defined by the formula : (SA SB) / SB where :
SA is the coverage area of A + Ec/Io margin (and best server on carrier 1)
SB is the best server area of cell B (on carrier 2)
B best server area

(Carrier 2 - candidate)
B

Minimum Ec/Io for A

and A best server
area (carrier 1 reference)

Minimum Ec/Io for A

+ Ec/Io margin
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Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (9/11)

LTE Technology

Coverage conditions

Overlapping criterion

Start allocation

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Calculation options

Do not select the option if

you want to keep existing
neighbours
Slide 14 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (10/11)

LTE Technology
Overlapping Criterion
% min covered area is defined by the formula : (SA SB) / SA where :
SA is the coverage area defined by the RSRP Margin (orange ring below)
SB is the best server area of cell B
Cell B
Best server area

Cell A best reference

signal level area
(reference)

Cell B best reference

signal level area
(candidate)

Cell A
Best server area
RSRP Margin

Cell A reference
signal threshold
(from Min RSRP)

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Slide 15 of 27

Planning Intra-technology Neighbours (11/11)

Allocation Result
Sorted List of Neighbours with Allocation Reasons and Importance Value (0-1)

Allocation results

Sort and filtering tools

Summary report listing existing, new

and removed neighbours
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Commit selected
neighbours only
Slide 16 of 27

Planning Inter-technology Neighbours (1/5)

Possibility to define neighbourhood constraints to be considered during the automatic
neighbour allocation

List of neighbour relations you may force

or forbid

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Slide 17 of 27

Planning Inter-technology Neighbours (2/5)

Allocation Parameters
Maximum Number of Neighbours

Global value for all cells or value specified for each cell

Maximum Inter-site Distance

2 Allocation Strategies

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Based on distance
Based on overlapping between coverage areas

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Slide 18 of 27

Planning Inter-technology Neighbours (3/5)

Inter-technology Neighbour Automatic Allocation

Calculation options

Coverage conditions
Overlapping criterion
Start allocation

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Do not select the option if

you want to keep existing
neighbours
Slide 19 of 27

Planning Inter-technology Neighbours (4/5)

Coverage Conditions
GSM

BCCH signal level

Area where the BCCH signal level of the cell is either the highest one or within a margin of the highest
one

UMTS

Pilot quality (Ec/I0)

Area where the cell is either the best server in terms of pilot quality or a cell of the active set

LTE

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Reference signal level

Area where the reference signal level of the cell is either the highest one or within a margin of the
highest one

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Planning Inter-technology Neighbours (5/5)

Allocation Result

Sort and filtering tools

Allocation results

Summary report listing existing, new

and removed neighbours
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Commit selected
neighbours only
Slide 21 of 27

Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map (1/3)

Select the icon

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in the toolbar and click a transmitter on the map

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Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map (2/3)

Additional Display Options
Click the icon

from the toolbar

Symmetric link: site10_2(0) is

neighbour of site22_3(0) and
vice-versa
Direction of the neighbour
relation
Inwards link: site22_3(0) is
neighbour of site9_3(0)

Outwards link: site1_2(0) is

neighbour of site22_3(0)
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Slide 23 of 27

Displaying Neighbour Relations on the Map (3/3)

Possibility to display coverage area of cells neighbours according to any neighbour
characteristics on the map
Calculate and display a coverage by transmitter on the map
Display neighbour relations of the desired transmitter
Click the icon

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from the toolbar

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Slide 24 of 27

Modifying Neighbour Relations Manually

Possibility to add/remove neighbour relations on the map using the ctrl and shift
shortcuts
Possibility to add/remove neighbours in the transmitter property dialogue
Neighbour list of BRU038_G2

List of transmitters within a 30 km

radius from the selected one
(sorted in a ascending inter-site
distance order)

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Slide 25 of 27

Exporting Neighbour Relations

Possibility to Copy/Paste or to Export the List of Neighbours

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Slide 26 of 27

THANK YOU!