Building a CDMA network is little use without the tools to ensure ongoing optimum performance

Network software
Glenayre now offers an integrated suite of software — called Options — that brings together three advanced solutions: BOS for monitoring and managing networks; WiNGS (Wireless Network Graphics System), which enables operators to plan networks "in graphic and vivid detail"; and CNET’s Traffic Trending Tool. This monitors network performance at each cell site, including the percentage of dropped or blocked calls, mobile to land call completions, page requests and mobile originations. When customer-defined thresholds for these reports are exceeded, Traffic Trending Tool alerts BOS, the network management solution, to send an alarm to the network operations center.

Proactive network monitoring such as this has allowed service providers to dramatically reduce network downtime.

Integrating these solutions can, claims Glenayre, provide new integrated capabilities. For instance, BOS alarms Traffic Trending Tool to alert the user to trends that may adversely affect service levels before customers are affected.
Reader enquiry number 15

Base range boost
Samsung Electronics of Korea has announced its next-generation telephone for the home, the CDMA wireless local loop (WLL) telephone. The WLL connects subscriber lines via base stations located within a radius of 2-6km, and is cheaper and easier to install than a wired system. For this reason, says Samsung, the system is receiving a lot of interest from developing countries which lack basic telecommunications infrastructure, as well as from more advanced nations.

The new telephone, which has access to both the wireless local loop and the CDMA cellular system, comes in two types: the SCW-F2000, which is a CDMA PCS (1.9GHz) handset, and the SCW-F200, a cellular (800MHz) unit. Both are capable of sending and receiving information, and can be connected to a personal computer or a digital G3 facsimile machine for sending and receiving character data.

The telephone comes with a short message service, voice mail/telephone number editing, a built-in four-line LCD display and three-way calling/call waiting functions.

Compared to other formats such as analog or TDMA, claims Samsung, the CDMA WLL can accommodate at least ten times more traffic over a single frequency. Its CDMA digital technology gives it clean sound quality, and it can handle both wired and wireless services.
Reader enquiry number 16

Chips for Everything
DSPC is a leading developer of chip sets and products for the cellular, PCS and wireless local loop markets. This US company develops, markets, licenses and supports ASICs and software based on digital signal processing (DSP) technology for numerous wireless applications. It entered the Japanese market in 1991 and has built up a significant presence there.

It began development of the D5400 CDMA chip set in 1995. This product offers complete dual mode CDMA/AMPS digital and analog baseband processing for subscriber units used in cellular, PCS and WLL applications.

The D5401, designed for mobile stations in use both in the US and international markets, is claimed to provide a compact baseband processing solution and to support 8kbit/s, 13 kbit/s and EVRC vocoders.

In 1997 DSPC announced that Fujitsu, Siemens and Kenwood were developing handset designs based on its D5400 CDMA chip set.

Other products include a TDMA baseband solution developed in collaboration with NEC Corporation. In 1995 DSPC acquired CTP Systems, which in the early 1990s developed a number of contract wireless services, including public base stations for the Japanese Personal Handyphone System, specialized modems for WLL and telepoint applications, and cable and satellite decoders for the broadcasting industry.

CTP Systems is now the Wireless PBX System Division of DSPC, and offers the CTPhone 1900 wireless system add-on for PBX systems, its first low-mobility application. The system is claimed to be ideal for traditional office environments, campuses, manufacturing floors, hospitals and other locations that would benefit from employee mobility.