Self-Organizing Networks: Self-Planning, Self-Optimization and Self-Healing for GSM, UMTS and LTE

Foreword

Consumer uptake of mobile broadband represents the fastest adoption of any technology that our society has ever experienced. Faster than the Internet and earlier generations of mobile communications, the widespread use and acceptance of smartphone technology has been phenomenal. Tablets, Android devices, iPhones, application stores, social media and the data exchanges between end-users and clouds are all growing at near breakneck speed, and operators (our customers) are challenged to keep pace. Together as an industry, we are charged with providing the necessary bandwidth and capacity that people everywhere are coming to expect and anticipate.

The 4G LTE networks provide an incredible customer experience. I live in Stockholm, Sweden, and have had access to the LTE/4G network since TeliaSonera first launched it. It was the first commercial launch of an LTE network anywhere, and I was privileged to be a part of it. As a 4G subscriber, I have come to depend on the best possible connections wherever I find myself in the world. The same is true for subscribers of 3G/2G networks. Best possible connectivity plays an important role in my experience as a customer, and, like most customers, I expect it to work seamlessly.

Another important consideration of the 2G/3G evolution to LTE is the affordable operation of these overlaid multi-standard networks, during a time when operators are required to reduce operational expenditures. Most operators need to keep their OPEX at a constant ...