Uni-SON - Universal SON
One solution for many needs. Multiple radio access technologies such as GSM, 3G and LTE typically coexist in today’s wireless networks, with potentially disparate network elements from various vendors, base stations of varying form factors and multiple layers such as RAN and backhaul. SON can be now leveraged for all radio technologies, and Sysmetlab’s Uni-SON offering provides a one-stop solution that satisfies the maintenance and optimization needs for all multi-technology heterogeneous networks.
Sysmetlab’s Uni-SON Offering
Our Universal SON is a centralized SON solution that enables the management and optimization of multi-tech heterogeneous networks. It can ease the management of radio networks running any combination of LTE, 3G and/or 2G. Its centralized architecture provides a global view of the network, with decision variables that span different technologies and network layers. This helps when managing conflicts and determining the best configuration settings for each cell in terms of coverage, power level, neighbor relations and handover relationships. And Sysmetlab’s Uni-SON solution is designed to be vendor-neutral and highly interoperable.
Uni-SON Functions and Features
Objective
- To continuously configure, optimize and maintain radio access networks through the application of automation and intelligence
Management Capabilities
- Multi-tech network: GSM, UMTS and LTE
- Vendor-neutral: EMS interface for easy inter-op/vendor independence
- HetNets: manages different network layers for efficient unified network operation
Features
- Self-configuration and automatic cell color
- Automatic neighbor relations
- Mobility robustness optimization
- Coverage and capacity optimization
- Mobility load balancing
- Energy saving
- Interference management
- Minimization of drive tests
- Interference management
- RACH optimization
Architecture
- Works on a centralized architecture
- Sits north of the RAN Element Management System to fetch network statistics/state and push configuration changes back to the network
Performance
- Scalable to support a typical Tier-1 operators network
- Flexible multi-threading, multi-core, multi-blade architecture
Other Highlights
- Customizable: designed for easy customization of functionality for vendor-specific needs
- SON-coordination: automated and optimized conflict handling and resolution across features, technologies and network layers
- RAN simulations: ensures field readiness and algorithm effectiveness
- Policy control: provides operator control for policy parameters tuning in order to meet specified coverage, capacity or KPI objectives
- Standards compliance: Uni-SON–NMS interface design is based on the 3GPP Itf-N specification(s)
Uni-SON Architecture
Sysmetlab’s Uni-SON interfaces with the vendor’s EMS/NMS and sits north of the NMS. The Uni-SON periodically receives various performance measurements (PM) from sources such as UEs, base stations and drive test results through the EMS/NMS system. This data is then organized into an information model and used by optimization engines to identify the best configuration from an enormous number of potential settings. These settings are then applied throughout the EMS/NMS subsystem.
This optimization involves managing and processing huge amounts of data that can potentially run into terabytes. Sysmetlab’s flexible multi-threaded, multi-core and multi-blade Uni-SON architecture makes it possible to perform parallel processing on various subsets of data, and scales to support and manage even the largest Tier-1 radio access networks. Our optimization algorithms are designed to be extremely efficient and agile—making Uni-SON a performance-oriented solution that provides results.
