{"id":2393,"date":"2022-11-30T12:21:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T12:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/?page_id=2393"},"modified":"2022-11-30T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T13:24:28","slug":"drive-test","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/?page_id=2393","title":{"rendered":"Drive Test"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Assessing the Quality of Experience (QoE) of 3G, 4G, and 5G\nmobile networks in a specific area by measuring throughput, network coverage,\nbandwidth, is of paramount importance to ensure a high user quality experience\non the network. Drive testing captures accurate real-world data of the RF\nenvironment when placed under a certain set of environmental and network\nconditions. New-age modern network simulation techniques made it possible for\nnetwork engineers to create a mathematical model to evaluate network performance.\nThough it is true to some extent, drive test in telecom remains the core of the\nnetwork evaluation process to evaluate how the user experience the network\nenvironment continuously.<\/o:p><\/p>

So, drive test in telecom is the best possible solution for\nmobile network operators (CSPs) to collect signal strength, mobile network\nlatency, voice call KPIs etc. along with GPS coordinates and constantly improve\nthe network.<\/o:p><\/p>

RF drive test tools are also used to check coverage criteria\nof the installed cell towers and to evaluate if the cell tower sectors are\nproviding the intended area of coverage as designed by Telcos. Data collected\nis stored in the log files and are further evaluated on RF logs post-processing\ntools which usually have GIS-based visualization capabilities.<\/o:p><\/p>

3E app converts any Android smartphone to a RF testing tool\non the mobile network and generates detailed data points. Unlike traditional RF\ntesting equipment 3E app also displays Information about 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G\ndrive test parameters from the end-user perspective without any dependency to\npurchase additional hardware from vendor. Like all the other RF drive test\nsoftware 3E app also performs drive test on the mobile network and post-drive\ntest analysis using web-based interactive Google maps UI and optimize the\ncellular network by identifying poor QoE areas and except the fact that there\nis no manual post processing required and hefty licensing costs.<\/o:p><\/p>

3E solution can be used in the following use cases as 4G\nnetwork tester, 4G LTE tester, 4G test equipment, 4G testing tool, 4G VOLTE\nTester, 4G LTE test equipment, LTE testing tool and drive test 4G LTE.<\/p>

\u2018Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT)\u2019 concept has been defined\nin Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications standard. Telecom\ncompanies apply this technique in planning, optimization, and troubleshooting\nmethods and examine network quality after upgradation and reconfiguration of\nnetwork. Since drive testing is time consuming, expensive, and often fails to\nrecognize the failure, embracing MDT approach helps operators generate reports,\nexample on call setup and coverage issues, clubbed with real-life Radio Access\nNetwork (RAN) analytics from drive test provides detailed information on\nnetwork performance.<\/o:p><\/p>

Drive Test Analysis for 4G LTE networks<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

Drive test mainly include identifying areas with no 4G\nconnectivity, handover issues, call drops, low throughputs, no data etc. Modern\nRF-based 4G drive test tools are useful in determining such network issues and\nto enhance the network performance for their users.<\/o:p><\/p>

User Experience of Network in specific geographical\nlocations i.e. hotspots can be discovered with drive test analysis. Mobile network\noperators are carrying out network-based tests for measuring coverage and\nquality of the cellular network signal, mobile network latency, voice\/data\nservices, user QoE and evaluate the performance KPIs using cellular drive test\nequipment.<\/o:p><\/p>

Classification of Drive Test in Telecom industry<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

Most of the MNOs depend on real-life user experience KPIs\nbased on performed drive tests and benchmark user QoE on the mobile network.\nNevertheless, traditional drive test involves huge investment in getting RF\ndrive test tools and sometimes incapable of mass deployment to get large\nimpression of mobile network around the coverage area.<\/o:p><\/p>

RF drive testing can be classed into following use cases:<\/o:p><\/p>

    \n
  • Single\n site verification (SSV) or Single Cell Function Test (SCFT)<\/o:p><\/li>\n
  • Multiple\n site verification (MSV) or cluster drive test<\/o:p><\/li>\n
  • Operator\n benchmarking drive test (Market level drive test)<\/o:p><\/li>\n<\/ul>

    Single Site Verification (SSV) or Single Cell Function\nTest (SCFT)<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

    SSV drive test or SCFT drive test is all about performing\n5G\/4G\/3G drive test analysis on a particular site (Example newly installed cell\ntower) and this is usually performed by drive testing or by walk testing around\nthe site.<\/span>
    <\/p>

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    In site level testing, site is ready for performing SSV\ntesting after completion of engineering, installation and integration and no\nactive alarms are observed. The main aim of SSV testing is to validate functional\nperformance of the site and identify\/flag workmanship issues, product issues\n& provisioning issues before turning the site on for commercial users. Such\nkind of SSV testing for site entails stationery and mobility drive tests\nconducted using smartphone app-based solution. 3E app is an Android based\napplication that can perform SSV tests for a site and includes CSFB Calls,\nVolte Calls, Ping Test, FTP file Uploads and Downloads etc.<\/o:p><\/p>

    Single cell functionality test or single site verification\nis a static test which collects each sector information of the cell site in\nterms of coverage and quality parameters depend upon the technology like 3G, 4G\nLTE, 5G in the cellular mobile network. We, at 3E, have always been at the\nforefront to assist our customers with their SSV network testing needs. Our\nusers have been using this app to make their LTE drive test procedure easy and\ngain desired output.<\/o:p><\/p>

    As the name suggests, network tests like drive test 3G, 4G\nLTE drive test, 5G drive test when performed on a group of cells is\ntermed as a \u2018Cluster drive test\u2019 or \u2018MSV\u2019.<\/o:p><\/p>

    Initially, in traditional drive test, network testers used\nto drive along target routes to collect information regarding coverage data\nthrough various iterations and field tests with cellular rf drive test\nequipment. But, as telecom businesses are expanding, it is cumbersome to refine\nexpanded networks in terms of size, capacity, and number of users. With cluster\ndrive test, operators can perform network tests by taking a group of cells and\ndeploy it in a particular location and investigate the network accordingly.<\/o:p><\/p>

    Cluster drive test is executed when the network is in active\nmode (i.e., providing service to customers) and inspect the interference amid\ntwo cells and handover taking place or not. Network parameter details like\nDrive Route, Quality plots of RSRQ, SINR, PUSCH, Coverage plot, Download and\nUpload throughput is accumulated. Operators use this data to get output which\nis further utilized to optimize the mobile network and deliver efficient\nservice to users. 3E\u2019s active RF tester app for 5G, 4G, 3G, 2G drive testing is\ncompatible and deployed on a variety of available Android smart phones for\ncluster (mass) drive testing, producing crowd sourced QoE data.<\/o:p><\/p>

    Multiple site verification or 4G LTE drive test must have\nmeasurements of radio parameters such as RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, PCI, EARFCN, and\nWCDMA drive test parameters like RSCP, RSSI, ECNO, PSC, UARFCN etc. at least at\nbasic level to identify primary network issues. Implementation of cell lock \/\nband lock feature allows RF engineers to measure all these parameters on\nselected bands as per their requirements.<\/o:p><\/p>

    3E app can help you perform cluster pre and post drive\ntests based on 2G 3G 4G drive test parameters under voice and data services.\nUsing this app, users can conduct drive test for various tests like Ping test,\nCall test, Speed test, HTTP test, SMS test and Stream test and analyze the\ndrive data for QoE monitoring. The app enables users to generate cluster\ndrive-based reports daily or hourly basis as per the client requirement for QoE\nmonitoring. Conducting drive test can resolve ARPU customer complaints based on\nnetwork usage and cost optimization techniques.<\/o:p><\/p>

    Operator benchmarking drive test (Market level drive\ntest)<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

    In this test, comparison is done in terms of number of call\ndrops, data throughputs, and other key KPIs on 4G \/ 5G networks between various\nnetwork operators and analyze who is providing better user experience. Usually,\nmarket level drive testing is performed by operators themselves\/ independent\nbodies\/ telecom regulators. For example, telecom regulators from various\ncountries constantly perform market level drive test to identify\nunderperforming operators whose user experience KPIs are not meeting regulatory\nrequirements.<\/o:p><\/p>

    \u2018Market level drive test\u2019 analysis is carried out based on a\nparticular market or an entire geographical area with the use of 5G, 3G, CDMA,\nLTE drive test tools. Operators conduct drive testing on an area to analyze\nuser experience with respect to other cellular service providers. Market level\ndrive testing can identify their strengths, example high data throughput\ncompared to competitors, and this provides them an opportunity to upsell their\nservices by advertisement campaigns.<\/o:p><\/p>

    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

    Drive test engineers \/ RAN testing engineers can perform\ndrive test by locking on to a specific cell, for instance, 4G LTE cell in their\ntest location and select the desired bandwidth such as LTE 40, LTE 25, and so\non. Here is the procedure to unlock cell lock \/ band lock feature on your\nAndroid smartphone and test with 3E solution.<\/o:p><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Assessing the Quality of Experience (QoE) of 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile networks in a specific area by measuring throughput, network coverage, bandwidth, is of paramount importance to ensure a high user quality experience on the network. Drive testing captures accurate real-world data of the RF environment when placed under a certain set of environmental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2393","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2393"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2425,"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2393\/revisions\/2425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3e-eng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}