CellAdvisor RAN-Performance Indicator: All you need to know about Product feature
Last year, JDSU has launched 'RAN Performance Indicator' feature, for its Base Station Analyzer (BSA) (745X/785x) series product line. Marketed as RAN-PI, the feature gives insight into serving eNodeB's LTE UL and DL parameters, simultaneously, by pulling UL data from ‘True Site’ Handy, along with displaying DL data from BSA, on BSA screen.
As per JDSU, RAN-PI provides integrated communication assessment, by providing integrated measurements of the cell-performance (and user experience) (communication performance indicator). In short, the feature provides integrated view of user experience (DL) and cell-site performance (UL), of LTE base station, on BSA screen.
How does it work? According to JDSU, RAN-PI integrates parameters from ‘True Site’ and BSA, both, by scoring and then correlating measurements, according to some logic, which is customizable, as per customer requirement. The best part is, you can actually see, various parameters, including LTE UL/DL EAFRCN, CQI, EVM, DL Throughput and others on BSA screen simultaneously, which gives users enough insight to identifying problems and helps in resolving them quickly.
Why RAN-PI is important? First, it integrates JDSU's ‘True Site’ handy walk-test tool information, with BSA's own set of parameters. Second, users can choose which parameters need to display and rate them as per the acceptance test criteria, before displaying it on BSA screen. Lastly all parameters (pooled from ‘True Site’ and BSA), are displayed on single screen, which users can save directly to prepare final AT report.
While I was trying to understand, where this feature is going to be important, JDSU product team is quite quick to share a used case- eNodeB Acceptance Testing (AT) procedures. Traditionally, doing AT of a Cell Site requires carrying out SCFT or Post walk test, if it is Indoor DAS. Imagine now, you are asked to carry AT procedure for an Indoor DAS Cell Site. First thing you will do is to carry out Walk test with ‘True Site’ handy tool. While ‘True Site’ is powerful enough, it does not give complete picture after all. What if you are also carrying BSA with you and at a particular location, you measure both parameters, reported by BSA (which includes EVM, Frequency error) and ‘True Site’ (RSRP, RSRQ), and save integrated display of parameters, to analyze the problem and reach to conclusion immediately; that is quite possible. All you need to do is to carry BSA with you and connect ‘True Site’ to it on Bluetooth. BSA will then automatically fetch configured parameters on screen.