7.2. GSM network design methods

In the process of designing a cellular mobile network, the following main tasks are solved:

- provision of radio coverage of the territory where mobile communication services should be provided to users;

- construction of a cellular network, the capacity of which will be enough to serve the traffic generated by subscribers with an acceptable level of congestion;

- optimization of the solution of the above tasks (using the minimum number of network subsystems and elements) throughout the entire life cycle of the cellular network.

It should be noted that throughout the entire life cycle of a cellular network, the number of its subscribers, the volume of traffic and its distribution over the territory under discussion are constantly changing. In addition, there are seasonal changes in traffic volume and its territorial distribution. The configuration of the cellular network must adapt to the changes taking place. Therefore, the design of a cellular network is a continuous process in which several stages can be distinguished:

- design of radio coverage of a given territory;

- design of the frequency plan (frequency repetition) in the service area;

- network capacity design.