Deploying any new technology, service or infrastructure component affects service provider operations on multiple levels, and the evolution of 4G wireless networks is no exception.
The transition to 4G will have an unusually significant impact on network operations. Fortunately, the problems and risks can be largely eliminated through careful advanced planning.
Operators are finding that 4G wireless network deployment is influencing infrastructure design and deployment in four primary areas - the radio network, backhaul, service interconnection and content management.
While each area has operational considerations, there are also operations issues between areas, as well as general operations issues relating to 4G services overall.
The introduction of 4G is having the biggest impact on network operations in the areas of commissioning and support of new cells and in linking adaptive radio behavior down into the network layer.
Self-organizing RF networks aren't necessarily going to organize at the backhaul and connectivity level, so it's critical that radio management not only provide OSS and network management system interfaces to current operations platforms, but that those interfaces support process automation between radio layers and the rest of the network.