Planning and Design Benefits

• Minimize your total cost of ownership through network design optimization
• An in-depth understanding of your requirements ensures a successful deployment day one
• Understand alternative designs options and the implications to your network
• Meet the capacity and resiliency requirements of current and future service offerings

Planning and Design Approach

Network planning and design services consist of a comprehensive set of activities involving:

• Network requirements gathering
• Network architecture selection

• Product and technology recommendations
• Electronic path validation/feasibility
• Detailed network analysis
• License coordination

The line-of-sight service includes:

• On-site visit and visual verification of the two end points
• Confirm Line-of-Sight at identified radiating centre line and minimum antenna height
• Ensures no obstructions in the path such as trees, current structures at the time of survey
• Using best judgement and tools, ensure that adequate Fresnel zone clearance is observed for each on path object
• Identify objects which may restrict link performance – e.g. rooftop objects, conductive metal surfaces, edges of roof, standing pools of water
• If required, analyse at ¼ points along of path to identify potential obstructions
• Recommended placements at each endpoint for the microwave antenna equipment

• General Pass/Fail on Line-of-Sight for specified path
• Provide alternatives if planned path does not achieve line-of-sight
• One set of flashpoints
• Digital photos for the link, 360 degrees, near and far field
• Comprehensive line of sight survey report

Site Survey

Site survey service is intended to verify that a particular site is suitable installing and deploying a microwave backhaul endpoint.  The output of the survey would include as a minimum:

• General suitability for microwave installation including proximity to nearby objects, existing equipment, potential radio interference, and any other objects which may impede the proposed microwave link
• Collect data to enable civil engineering to supplement construction drawings on mast locations, site modifications and radio/antenna installation locations
• Confirmation and documentation of conduits, power, grounding, structures, documenting any deficiencies and changes required to enable the site to be ready for microwave installation

• Photographs of the site, documented with any observations
• Site survey report packaged and submitted

The site survey service can be scheduled before or after signing the lease, if after, it would be the preconstruction visit. Typically the Line of Sight and Site Survey service would be performed during the same visit to minimize our customer’s “mobilization” costs.

Logistics

The scope of work included with logistic and pre-staging services:

• Receive raw materials (radios, antennas, cables),
• Once provided with Notice-to-proceed, kit into microwave links as per provided design
• Set-up and validate equipment operation
• Pre-configure equipment for advanced parameters including (for example):
  • IP parameters
  • RF and IF parameters specific to the microwave design
  • SNMP parameters per network management design
  • Quality of Service (QoS) parameters per design
  • Alarm Thresholds, Modulation and Timing parameters per design
  • Other customer specific configurations as per customer request
• Pre-label equipment
• Capture serial numbers per respective site, record in tracking tools
• Create MOP instruction packages for each link for crews to install
• Hand off kitted links and all installation documents to specific installation crews
• Manage and track equipment pickup, scan kit barcode and obtain signatures on delivery to crew
• Manage all spares, returns from crews, RMAs and quarantine materials
• Manage all inventory tracking using bar code scanners

Frequency and License

simaxcom will perform an interference analysis to determine frequencies that will not cause harmful interference to proposed microwave paths within the designed network.

simaxcom offers a turn-key license coordination option (US only) which includes all tasks required to satisfy regulatory and licensing requirements. Once completed, the licensee would just have to make a final payment to the FCC to finalize paperwork.