Case Study

WEBSITE: www.jdsu.com/test
Drive Test Case Study
Wireless service providers and their contractors use mobile RF measurements, collected via drive test, for
a number of tasks:
Evaluating service quality of LTE deployments that use several diferent technologies
monitoring competitor performance
optimizing distributed antenna system (DAS) installations.
The challenges with these different tasks are unique; however, the bottom line is the same: get accurate
measurements, meet tight deadlines, and minimize capital expenditures.
The Challenge
Migrating to LTE All North American wireless providers are implementing LTE, and the rest of the
world is following up quickly. Being a first-to-market LTE provider, with wide coverage and seamless
transitions from legacy networks, is a critically important advantage. Migrating to LTE, a provider
needs to support user equipment (UE) with a growing list of LTE chipsets, and the chipsets themselves
are constantly evolving. In many cases, data applications like YouTube and Netflix are using LTE while
voice is using a legacy 2G/3G network. And, LTE infrastructure typically still makes up only a fraction
of a providers coverage: phones often need to switch between LTE and legacy technologies and back as
an end-user travels through a mobile network. And, evaluating QoS parameters such as the carrier-to-
interference-plus-noise (CINR) ratio is complicated by the fact that different UE vendors use different
calculation standards.
Monitoring competitors Successful service providers are constantly aware of competitor
performance. To set themselves apart, they need to prove their coverage is stronger and their overall
quality of service better. They need to understand the customer experience and quantify a networks
performance. Evaluating this in a particular market means capturing and calculating a number of data
points. Typically, there are several competing vendors, different technologies, more than one frequency
band, and video, voice, and data being signaled. And again, different calculation standards complicate
the issue. All of the above illustrates the importance of maintaining competitive advantage and protecting
your most important assetspectrum.
Optimizing DAS DAS installations are proliferating as carriers scramble to enhance quality-of-
service in densely packed venues such as sports stadiums, shopping malls, and convention centers. In
such environments, cell-tower coverage simply cannot handle the dense traffic of tens of thousands of
voice calls and the image/video transfers endemic to smartphones. The carrier who does handle the
traffic sets itself apart as a provider, and that is why DAS are becoming so popular. To turn-up and verify
a DAS installation, a provider needs to perform in-building benchmarking while compensating for the
unreliability of GPS signals inside structures. The test equipment must be sufficiently robust to plot signal
data against reliable location data. Also of growing importance is the ability to import in-building DAS
design projects into the collection tool for direct access to the indoor environment data.
More than 90 percent
of data traffic and
70 percent of voice
traffic originates from
indoor environments.
To stay ahead of the
competition, you
need the right tools
with features that let
you efficiently test
indoors. Deliver high-
quality indoor service
to your customers
and youll reduce
churn and grow
valuable revenues.
2 Case Study: Drive Test

Product specifcations and descriptions in this document subject to change without notice. 2012 JDS Uniphase Corporation 30173140 000 0312 DRIVE-TEST.CS.NSD.TM.AE March 2012
Why JDSU?
JDSU is one of the worlds most experienced providers of network test and measurement equipment with
extensive, global sales and support resources. Its portfolio of equipment spans applications from research
and production labs to the field and technologies from 100 GE test platforms to fiber optic connection
tools. JDSU is a leading provider of mobile RF measurement equipment, having acquired the drive-test
division of Agilent Technologies in 2009.
Mobile service providers have long relied on JDSU equipment for its measurement reliability, cost-effective
flexibility, low-risk upgradeability, and ease-of-use. JDSU sales engineers understand providers needs, and the
broad JDSU portfolio ensures that theyll get the exact capabilities and features they need from a single provider.
The JDSU reputation for responsive and thorough service and support is a very important factor as well.
The JDSU Solution
The JDSU E6474A Network Optimization Platform provides
specific capabilities to address the drive test challenges outlined in
this article. It lets wireless service providers optimize wireless voice
and data network performance with a Windows based test solution
that can be used in site evaluation, base station turn-up, system
acceptance, and on-going optimization and troubleshooting. The
E6474A grows with the providers needs and provides industry-
leading performance during all phases of the network lifecycle.
For LTE deployments, the JDSU tools support a broad range of LTE chipsets. This means
that many different devices can be cost-effectively tested in parallel. The solution uses its
own JDSU receiver, as opposed to integrating a 3rd-party tool. This is a key advantage when
implementing LTE in a new set of frequency bands while keeping a CDMA or other legacy
network in their original frequencies.
Another important consideration with LTE testing is how the CINR signal-to-
noise ratio is calculated. Different phones may offer differently calibrated CINR
measurements, but the JDSU platform compares measurements and provides apples-to-
apples measurements with referential data.
The new JDSU drive-test indoor backpack lets technicians
comfortably test a combination of 2G, 3G, and 4G devices
combining voice and data calls with a receiver and operating
batteries. A technician can operate the system within in-building,
DAS environments for extended periods of time. This portable
solution integrates up to two hot-swappable batteries and ample
connectivity with a 7-port, industrial-grade, powered USB hub.
And, importantly for DAS testing, it supports all carrier technologies
including LTE, UMTS, GSM, Mobile WiMAX, 1xEVDO,
cdma2000, iDEN, and CW. The JDSU W1314A receiver collects measurements and performs all analyses
within the receiver hardware itself, minimizing laptop processing requirements.
In addition to these features, the solution integrates a highly flexible user interface, call sequencing, event
monitoring, protocol analysis, view synchronization, a mapping interface, and much more. And, of course, it
integrates seamlessly with other JDSU components.
Test & Measurement Regional Sales
NORTH AMERICA
TEL: 1 866 228 3762
FAX: +1 301 353 9216
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WEBSITE: www.jdsu.com/test