Performance analysis of GSM handover in RAN sharing technology / Mohd Arif Md Kurdi

Operators today face an inevitable overlap to anticipate and respond to the burgeoning demand for mobile broadband (MBB) subscriber. Thus, to meet the demand, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is develop and emerging faster than expected, while Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) continue to meet the needs of the vast majority of the world's mobile subscribers. To support two coexisting modes, GSM and UMTS plus LTE in the future, traditional models call for three sets of equipment and three networks, placing major pressure on operators from deployment to operation and maintenance (O&M). Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing or its other term such as SingleRAN, EvoRAN and SDR are said to be the problem solver for the mobile operators. However, as the term indicated, RAN sharing can give impact on the technical part of the network. Handover failure is expected to be one of the main issue when mobile operators deploying RAN sharing in their network. This research discussed on the impact of RAN sharing on the performance analysis of the GSM network at the BTS side in term of handover after the migration from current technology to RAN sharing technology. In this research, Nemo Analyze 6.1 software along with test phone and dongle for Nemo Outdoor software were used to capture parameters during drive test such as RXLevel, RXQuality, drop call and also call attempts. Data from Operation Support System (OSS) also were used in analysing the impact of RAN sharing. It has been proven that RAN sharing does not only gives it fair share in reducing cost for mobile operators but also help in improving their network as well.