Chapter 1 : Preliminary Study

o Introduction
1.
General
presentation
of
Ericsson:
Presentation of Ericsson
Ericssons Mobile and fixed
Networks
Ericsson Enterprise
Sites
2.
Project Overview
3.
How is QoS measured?
DriveTest
Definition
Drive Test tools
4.
Study of existing system
o Conclusion

Chapter 1
Preliminary Study

Introduction
Throughout this chapter, we will try to put this project in its general
context. We
will focus on presenting the host organization and the services that it offers,
then we will give a brief overview of the project, and last but not least, we
will do a small introduction about the quality of service in general and what
to expect in the following chapters.

1.2 Presentation of the host organization

1.2.1 Generalities
Ericsson, one of Sweden's largest companies, is also one of the largest
telecommunications provider in the world in terms of telecommunications
equipment and data communication systems, and related services, covering
a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks. In mid 2012,
Ericsson is one the world's largest mobile telecommunications equipment
maker with a market share of 38%.
Ericsson offers multiple services and products ; and has business with
operators worldwide. These services include an end to end approach,
starting with designing, building, integrating and finally optimizing.
Moreover, this company has always had a vision of becoming and remaining
the leader in telecom business by maintaining a very strong international
presence. Ericsson does not only have work with telecom operators but with
the so called verticals such as ministries Working in over 180 countries ,
this company has worldwide standards in Tunisia. Ericsson is collaborating
with all of the
telephone operators but mostly with Tunisia Telecom (TT).

1.2.2 Organization

Ericsson Mobile Platforms :

Ericsson Mobile Platforms is a supplier of technology platforms for
GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA platforms used in devices, such as mobile
handsets and PC cards. Through Ericsson Mobile Platforms, LM Ericsson
licenses open-standard, end-to-end interoperability tested GSM/EDGE and
WCDMA technology plat-forms. The product offerings include reference
designs, platform software, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
designs and development boards, development and test tools, training,
support and documentation.
Ericsson Mobile Platforms has operations at nine global locations, with
main operations in Sweden.

Ericsson Enterprise :
Ericsson Enterprise provides communications systems and services for
business, public entities and educational institutions. It addresses a variety
of enterprise needs through segmented offerings for both small and large
enterprises. It focuses on providing solutions for voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP)-based private branch exchanges (PBX), wireless local area
networks (WLAN), and mobile intranet solutions. With Mobile Enterprise,
users on the move are able to access a range of business-critical
communications and information applications from a variety of devices over
private or public, fixed or wireless networks.
Ericsson operates mainly from Sweden but has a global presence through
the market units and other partners/distributors.

1.3 Sites
The company has two departments : the first department is administrative
and it is located in Les Berges Du Lac.

The second department which is technical oriented, is located in the

technological pole of El Ghazela and this where I have been spending my
days of training.

Project overview:
This project consists of designing and building an interactive Android
application compatible with the latest Android platforms which will be
served as a monitoring tool that will enable users to monitor the Quality of
Service of different mobile cellular networks such as the 2G network and
the 3G network. The application will allow telecommunications specialists to
run different tests such signal monitoring, traffic monitoring, speed tests
and drive tests.
Learning the basics of Android and doing a research on the QoS of
mobile cellular networks are required in order to build the application.
The Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the capability of a network to
offer a service with a certain quality. The quality of a service can be related

to a number of different parameters such as the bit error rate, call success
rate, call drops, latency ...etc.
In order to maintain an acceptable Quality of Service, it is mandatory
to perform measurements. Drive test is a measuring method that analyzes
the network's performance of 2G network or the 3G network. Obtained
results and parameters through are eventually evaluated by Ericsson's radio
team and decisions are made based on those inputs in order to optimize the
Quality of Service.

How is the QoS measured ?

In order to maintain a reasonable level of quality of service it is
required to perform measurements from the perspective of an expert
(e.g. Telecommunication Engineer). This involves assessing the network
to see if it delivers the quality that the network planner has been
required to target. Drive test is a tool and method used for QoS
measurement.

1.1.1 Drive test

1.1.1.1Definition
The Drive Test is a measuring method performed in cellular
networks regardless of technology (GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, etc. ...). It
basically means collecting data on a moving vehicle. Its variation has
also intuitive: Walk Test, collect data by walking areas of interest.
The analysis of drive test is fundamental for the work of any
professional in the field of IT and Telecom comprising two phases: data
collection and data analysis.
Through the analysis of Key Performance Indicators, KPI, we can
identify problems such as call drops among others.. The drive tests allow
a deeper analysis in field. It allows identifying areas of each sector of
coverage, interference, evaluation of network changes and various other
parameters.

1.1.1.2Drive test tools

The drive test method requires mounting the following equipment
into the vehicle that is used for the test:
Tracking Mobile:
A tracking mobile is equipped with specific software and is used for
radio measurements (digital measurement). Using Hyper Terminal and a
serial cable, you can type commands that turns off the mobile or to call
someone, but its real interest lies in the fact that it can measure all radio
parameters (signal level, signal quality ... etc.) and reports the obtained
results to the connected computer.
A Global Positioning System (GPS):
Used to locate the exact position in the desired radio environment where
the measurement is being performed.
A laptop:
Allows acquisition, processing, saving measurements and recording
measurements retrieved from the mobile track (radio settings) and GPS
(geographical coordinates) in special files. Telecommunication engineers
can ascertain and determine the state of the tested site based on the
output shown on the screen

Example of the drive test equipment

Study of an existing system

The application tool that we developed represents an alternative
solution for the actual drive test in which telecom engineers are no longer
required to mount several equipment with them in the vehicle. Running the
application through a smartphone will replace will do its job.
There are numerous mobile applications that offer different services
such as signal monitoring and geolocation . However, most of these
applications are extremely expensive to purchase and are limited to a
certain number of operating systems. What makes our application different
from other applications is the fact that it can be installed in almost any
smartphone that has Android as its operating system. It is an open-source
app, therefore it can be upgraded to new features and functionalities.

Conclusion
In this chapter, we briefly presented our host company and gave a project overview and
explained the used tool to monitor the quality of service. In the next chapter, we need to study
the concept and evolution of cellular mobile networks as well as the different KPI in use.