Estudio técnico para el mejoramiento de la calidad de servicio ofrecido a los usuarios de la red WiMAX de ETAPA EP en la zona urbana de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

The municipal Company of Cuenca ETAPA EP provides wireless internet service through WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology, using the last mile access in areas where copper network coverage for broadband is insufficient. The objective of this project is to perform a technical study to improve the quality of service offered to internet users of the network WiMAX of ETAPA EP in the urban area of the city of Cuenca. Initially, the theoretical foundation that allows us to understand the architecture, operation, and main features of WiMAX technology is presented; at the same time, the characteristics of some simulation programs for planning telecommunication networks are reviewed and presented, of which ICS TELECOM is chosen for its digital mapping available, coverage prediction, and interference performance. Subsequently, a survey of the current state of the network by measurements of the tilt angle and azimuth of the transmitting antenna of each BTS is performed. With the data obtained from the measurements some simulations of coverage, interference analysis and network performance are performed. Additionally, traffic field tests and capacity are done. Then some drive tests that makes it possible to determinate the critical areas of the network and compare it with the results of the simulations are performed. Also, an analysis of the connection state of fixed users with data collection from the WiMAX manager M200 is undertaken. Finally, with the use of ICS TELECOM some network changes are proposed to improve coverage and solve the problems that were found. With the new azimuth and tilt parameters proposed, three BTSs of the Historical Center were modified, and then some new drive tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of the changes made, resulting in an improvement of 33, 3 % in the affected area.