Case Study
UST optimized a newly-combined wireless network after a merger, improving customer experience and increasing traffic by 10%
OUR CLIENT
Founded nearly 30 years ago, this international telecommunications company has become a leading provider of mobile phone services across Europe and North America. Offering flexible, competitive services, the company has almost 115 million customers and generates approximately $80 billion in revenue annually.
THE CHALLENGE
Merging two vastly different 5G networks caused service degradation and frustrated customers
After acquiring a competitor, the company needed to merge the new network with its existing telecommunications infrastructure. But, the two networks operated on different underlying 5G and 4G LTE technology vendors and used different site models, hardware types, spectrum bandwidths, and various cell configurations. These variances also encompassed cell size, transmit power, and antenna tilt differences. The vastly different network designs created uneven cellular traffic distribution as well as spectrum and mobility management issues. These challenges led to slow transmission speeds and reduced service quality, negatively impacting the customer experience. The wireless telecom company needed help harmonizing and fine-tuning network parameters and features across the merged network to ensure consistent coverage, adequate signal strength, and optimal resource allocation.
THE TRANSFORMATION
RF optimization services streamlined the merged networks and improved traffic management
UST meticulously assessed both networks and recommended radio frequency (RF) optimization services, including a combination of traffic management techniques, efficient spectrum and mobility management, and ongoing network monitoring to ensure the single, merged network delivered a smooth, reliable user experience. The RF optimization engagement included:
- Spectrum harmonization - using strategies to efficiently utilize and harmonize combined spectrum holdings to maximize capacity and minimize interference
- Cell parameter and feature adjustments - for size, power, and tilt across the merged network to maximize coverage, reduce interference, and improve signal quality
- Performance monitoring and KPI optimization - by continuously monitoring network performance metrics, such as data throughput, call drops, and handover success rates, and building strategies to enhance network performance and maintain KPIs
- Traffic migration and load balancing - following a controlled traffic migration plan to seamlessly shift user traffic onto the merged network with minimal service disruptions
- 24x7 global delivery support - to provide continuous support and troubleshooting throughout the network merger process to ensure smooth network adaptation and performance
- Automated tools and processes - such as mPulse, mPIM, and mRFSAFE for KPI baselining, network dump processing, interference management, and optimizations to improve network performance
- Proactive interference reduction - using automated tools to identify and mitigate potential interference risks arising from merging different network equipment and spectrum holdings
- Post-merger optimization roadmap - with a customized roadmap for ongoing network optimization beyond the initial merger phase to ensure long-term network performance and to future-proof for technology advancements
THE IMPACT
Optimized, merged network helped wireless provider increase transmission speeds by 20%
By optimizing the single merged network, the global telecom company has increased network capacity, improved transmission speeds, expanded its coverage area to reach customers in previously underserved areas, opened new markets, attracted new customer segments, and gained market share. The company has also achieved these impressive results:
- Improved user throughput by 20%
- Increased traffic volume by 10%
- Reduced dropped calls by 5%
- Improved market score by 3.5% - from 96.3 to 99.78