News: Launch to save revenue in GPRS

Added: (Fri May 11 2001)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Actix APM can make the difference between
GPRS success and failure


London, 11 May 2001 - Leading provider of cellular network performance optimization solutions, Actix Limited, is offering mobile operators a ‘health check’ solution which gives a clear view, at the earliest stage, of how their new GPRS networks will perform, and helps to identify the causes of performance limiting bottlenecks and solutions that will lead to a more efficient design.

The new Actix Advance Performance Metrics (APM) solution presents consolidated views of data, taken from multiple sources and from multiple equipment vendors, so the relative and combined performance of different infrastructure equipment can be assessed. In addition to ensuring that all equipment is performing to specification, APM provides detailed performance information taken from the radio link that enables engineers to pinpoint the root cause of any problems and optimally tune the network.

The reports generated by Actix APM will enable managers to determine how their new GPRS networks will perform before they launch new services to their subscribers, as well as providing invaluable, ongoing monitoring of the network performance after start-up.

“We can now offer the industry’s first, total GPRS solution with which operators can make a complete health-check assessment across their networks,” said Rob Dobson, CEO of Actix. “Successful GPRS roll-out will depend to a very large extent on the performance of the radio link with subscribers, which is where up to 90% of the revenues currently lost in 2G networks occur. This radio link needs to be optimized so that it can support new services without degrading existing voice traffic.”

The new Actix APM offers a number of key benefits, including:
Detailed performance data across multiple vendor infrastructure and test mobiles
Is effective before the network moves into commercial use
Automated analysis and easily understood reports for personnel not having technical RF understanding
Detailed visibility of the ‘subscriber experience’
Independent verification of different vendors’ equipment

“If GPRS is to carry more subscribers, new services, support greater use per subscriber and a greater variety of new subscriber devices, as well as the new packet-switched data that GPRS will bring with it, and all at a higher quality of service, then operators must have precise and consistent means of testing and measuring performance. That’s why we have invested to develop our APM health-check solution, which can now make the difference between GPRS success and failure,” Rob Dobson concluded.

-ends-


Notes for editors

Making GPRS packet data work in a wireless network
Making packet data work in a wireless network is currently the major strategic issue for many operators, but GPRS brings extra layers of technical and operational complexity, particularly to the ‘last mile’ radio link of the network where it makes even greater demands on the spectrum available. Here traffic capacity must be maximized if operators are to accommodate the expected growth in voice traffic, let alone the demands for a new range of data services. The problem is that the ‘last mile’ is not only constrained by its finite wireless spectrum but it is also highly sensitive to many independent factors, such as subscriber usage patterns, radio propagation issues and interference levels.
The essential first step for new GPRS operators is to establish meaningful performance metrics for their new networks as the starting point, with the results of subsequent tuning and re-testing measured effectively on an ongoing basis. Most infrastructure vendors provide high-level performance monitoring tools for their own equipment, but operators also need to independently verify the performance of different vendors’ equipment and to gain the detailed data required to resolve any shortcomings.

About Actix

Actix is a privately-held company, founded in 1991, which has established an international reputation for developing market-leading performance measurement and optimization solutions for all major digital and analogue mobile cellular technologies. Actix has offices in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, the Asia Pacific and the USA. The company has 60 operator clients and over 1,000 engineers use its products in 20 countries.

For further information about Actix, visit the company's Web site at www.actix.com, or contact:

Sarah Britten Media and press enquiries to:
Actix Ltd Tim Guest or David Freedman
Tel: +44 (0)20 8735 6300 RPPR,
Fax: +44 (0)20 8735 6301 Tel: +44 (0)20 7881 3232
E-mail: sarah.britten@actix.com Fax: +44 (0)20 7730 0741
Email: timg@rppr.co.uk;
davidf@rppr.co.uk