MTN’s Obanewa for network optimisation

SENIOR Manager in-charge of Radio Frequency Planning and Optimization at MTN Nigeria, Olasoji Obanewa, has been named as a member of the 16 mobile operators representatives on the continent to make presentations at this year’s ‘Mobile Network Optimization - Africa,’ slated to hold in Cape Town, South Africa this month.

Senior Conference Producer at IIR Telecoms and Technology, organisers of the event, Ms Laura Marshall, said that the conference holding between February 27 through March 2, 2006 would focus purely on mobile network.

IIR is a leading knowledge and skills transfer company with a global network of 47 companies and 112 operating units.

Annually, IIR works with 650,000+ business executives providing them with knowledge and skills through training, conferences, seminars, e-Learning, blended solutions, exhibitions, consulting and mentoring.

“It is not a high-level strategic conference - instead it is filled with practical advice and strategies from 16 different mobile operators with real experience of optimising their networks,” Ms Marshall said.

Other confirmed speakers for the conference representing 16 mobile operators include Michiel Heyns, regional head, Planning and Optimisation at MTN South Africa, chief radio network planner at TeliaSonera Finland, Kari Junttila, National Planning and Optimisation Manager, Cell C, Lionel Chetty, and Mr. Jonathan Muwonge of Uganda Telecom among others.

She pointed out that it is not often that optimisation experts from mobile operators from around the world gather in Cape Town to share their experiences and offer solutions to the network problems their companies are facing today.

“The 16 African and European operators will be sharing their experience of optimising cell planning, frequency planning, indoor coverage and performance measurement for the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and third generation (3G) networks,” she said.

The conference officer also said that discussions would be focused on evaluating the key solutions for optimising radio networks in terms of capacity and coverage gains and cost-effectiveness, maximising cell capacity and coverage to minimise new base station deployment in rural areas, deploying Automated Cell Planning (ACP) for capacity and quality improvements.

Others topics also to deliberated upon include assessing the commercial viability and technical challenges of implementing dedicated indoor coverage solutions, examining the pros and cons of deploying GPRS and or EDGE for data service delivery as well as identifying and overcoming the technical and operational challenges of optimising a live 3G network.