Network Planning of Broadband Wireless Networks

Broadband Networks as deployed by service providers, such as Competitor Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) and others, require a time varying deployment plan that is cost competitive and robust in the face of variations in types, amounts, and locations of services to be provided. Broadband Networks, in general, consist of an access component (e.g. wireless access which is stressed herein), a concentration component (e.g. wireless aggregation point or hub), a service routing/distribution component (e.g. core central office or metro switch), and various combined or separate distribution components (e.g. long haul backbone data/voice network). Since access, aggregation and routing/distribution are subject to the largest potential variation in requirements, the methodology and the planning platform described here is directed at planning that portion of broadband networks. The paper examines the planning challenges for deploying Fixed Wireless Broadband (FWB) systems for local loop access, and presents a methodology and a suite of tools designed to model a FWB access network from end-to-end. We assisted service providers in effectively and efficiently analyzing and designing many networking scenarios, using these methods. These scenarios along with their related financial outcomes have been used to define robust FWB access network plans, tailored to meet the unique marketing and financial goals of the service provider (SP). The implementation of the above methodology has resulted in huge savings for the SP, based on an improvement in the process, competitive advantage in the markets where the SP ventured etc. The SP has also achieved an increase of tens of millions of dollars in annual service revenues with help from this network planning platform.