15th September 2004 - The chances of building a WCDMA network that has the right capacity in the right place for the traffic it will serve are slim. Who knows when high data applications will take off? What if the pricing of services is varied? Will the network be used for voice, data or video calls? Even if all these things are predicted correctly for the launch year will they to be right for the next year or the year after that?

To overcome variation in prediction the normal response is to overbuild. Overbuilding is expensive because capital is deployed too early. Turnkey contracts have been let for predicted levels of traffic several years after launch. Even if the predictions are correct the last base station required by the traffic will be needed just prior to the end of the planned period. It will be deployed with all of the others for the network launch.

SmartSite™ Activation
SmartSite™ Activation makes possible a more effective approach: build for coverage and enhance it in response to traffic. The advantage of SmartSite™ Activation is that it automatically optimizes the network given the availability of sites. Sites can be tagged so that they are only incorporated into the rollout plan when they become available. The plan can be easily and effectively revised as new traffic information becomes available. The rollout plan better matches the need.

SmartSite™ Activation generates several advantages:

• The present value of delaying rollout is between 8% and 12% of the network cost;

• Capacity is deployed more closely to where it is needed; and

• Later deployed equipment is likely to be better, cheaper and smaller.

SmartSite™ Activation is part of Symena’s Capesso™ range of automated optimization products.

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