TeliaSonera and Ericsson have recently provided Self-Organizing Network (SON) functionality in a live Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.
According to Ericsson, managing neighbor cell relations to ensure optimal traffic handling to each device is one of the most labor-intensive areas for a mobile operator. The introduction of LTE multiplies the effort needed in this area for operators. The standardized Automatic Neighbor Relations (ANR) feature is now being introduced as the first feature in the overall SON solution.
ANR automatically sets up necessary neighbor relationships based on actual network conditions, thereby preventing failed handovers due to missing neighbors. In this way, ANR continuously secures and improves network performance. It also reduces the operators’ need for manual planning and the creation of neighbor relations.
Last week, TeliaSonera and Ericsson are said to have successfully tested the ANR feature in a live 4G network in Sweden. The ANR feature has now been proved in a live network for the first time with full user-equipment support.
Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “Our cooperation with TeliaSonera paves the way for a technology breakthrough. Thanks to this, operators will be able to handle handovers much more efficiently between neighboring cells in the LTE network. The network will automatically ensure that each user gets the best possible coverage and service performance.”
The tests in the 4G/LTE network were based on Ericsson LTE radio access and Ericsson Evolved Packet Core (EPC) packet core. The ANR feature primarily provides a function in the radio access network with policy planning and visualization in OSS and some functional interaction with the core network.