Astellia enhances optimisation and trouble-shooting with Cigale Abis

29 January 2010  |  Michael Schwartz

The first company to inform us of its intentions for Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona next February is Astellia. Its Cigale Abis monitoring system is designed to improve trouble-shooting and optimisation.

Astellia has extended its GSM solutions with its Abis monitoring systems for radio optimisation and trouble-shooting. The Cigale Abis application helps operators check that their 2G network is fine-tuned to carry thousands of calls and SMS messages. Music festivals, sporting competitions or strategic sites such as airports attract thousands of people who need to use voice and SMS services at any time and from anywhere.

 “In 80% of cases, network issues are related to radio access. If they are not identified and solved rapidly, they result in revenue leakage, bad brand image and high customer churn” says Gérard Erabit, Marketing Director at Astellia. “This is where Astellia intervenes with its Cigale Abis application. Based on Astellia probes that capture signaling data, Cigale Abis analyses subscribers’ real traffic. The Abis interface is the ideal place to analyse precisely what users really experience in a targeted geographical area.”

Cigale Abis provides engineers with key performance indicators (KPIs) and radio metrics distribution to optimise radio coverage and fine-tune frequency plans. It is claimed to be “of great help in integrating new 2G sites and ensuring smooth network equipment swaps and upgrades.. It is a more reliable and cheaper alternative for drive test campaigns with costs reduced by more than 50% in most cases.”

Demanding high-value customers such as corporate fleets and VIPs require contracts guaranteeing top quality services. In order to create a competitive edge and avoid penalty payments, operators must be ready to identify, analyse and troubleshoot complex radio GSM issues in record time. In case of failed calls, traditional investigation methods based on OMC statistics and drive tests are time-consuming and not sufficient for precise analysis.

Using Cigale Abis, engineers can “trace and troubleshoot any individual communication down to radio level and analyse problems linked to handover failures, coverage holes, radio disconnections, interferences, congestion and defective equipment.”

More info:

• www.astellia.com