Motorola Takes LTE Self-Organizing Network (SON) to Next Level for Greater Network Optimization and Savings

LAS VEGAS, March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CTIA WIRELESS 2010 -- The Networks business of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced several improvements to its award-winning Long Term Evolution (LTE) self-organizing network (SON) solution that enables greater network optimization. These new features can also further simplify network management and reduce network operational expenses, bringing added value to Motorola's LTE SON solution. The Motorola solution targets the complete operator lifecycle, from pre-launch to market maturity, with customer business models showing resource savings of up to 75 percent in planning and optimization activities.

"We designed our LTE SON solution with advanced features and leading algorithms that go beyond the standards to offer a solution that helps operators reduce operational expenses from day one of their LTE network deployment," said Fred Gabbard, vice president, Motorola Networks. "In this next release, we are leveraging our heritage in radio frequency, OFDM expertise, cell designing and optimization techniques gleaned from years of real-world experience with public safety networks to offer more features and functionality, providing even greater network optimization and savings."

Motorola's SON is a 3GPP Release 8 standards-compliant solution that draws upon the company's research in network autonomics. In addition to lowering the cost of planning and deploying LTE, the advanced algorithms and features of Motorola's LTE SON solution will help the operator dynamically optimize its network for continuous best performance and make it simpler and easier to manage.

Motorola's LTE SON deploys quickly with limited technical expertise and is an integral part of an LTE network that delivers operational expense savings by automating previously manual steps involved in planning, deploying, optimizing and operating the network – hence reducing or eliminating the need for new operation and management resources that typically are required to manage an additional network technology (2G, 3G, plus LTE).

Deployed in July 2009, Motorola's first-generation SON is on a live LTE network at its test facility in Swindon, United Kingdom. At the site, operators can watch the real-time optimization of a live LTE network and see first-hand the efficiency of Motorola's SON solution to plan, deploy, operate and optimize an LTE system.

Motorola's experience with a live network plays an instrumental role in developing the software for this next-generation solution. The new features of Motorola's LTE SON include enhancements to auto neighbor relation (ANR) with inter-radio access technology support, automated session (call) tracing, automated cell outage detection, and SON change tracking and operator override. These allow operators to increase productivity and reduce system errors, which improves network quality and customer satisfaction, and ultimately decreases time to market.

The distributed architecture design of Motorola's LTE SON and the maturity of its algorithms means the network can respond more quickly by making intelligent and faster decisions at the network level. This approach eliminates the need to create and send additional, non-billable traffic onto the network, saving an operator's precious network capacity so it can be better utilized to serve customers by lessening backhaul requirements. In contrast, the central server approach generates network traffic that must be transmitted back and forth to the central server, making that bandwidth unavailable to meet customers' needs and requiring more of the network to be used for backhaul.

Motorola and LTE

Motorola is demonstrating its commercial readiness for LTE deployments through its involvement in more than 20 LTE trials or engagements with customers around the world - including its contract with Zain Saudi Arabia and activities with KDDI and China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC).  Motorola will provide the TD-LTE network for CMCC at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China that runs May 1- Oct. 31 and completed the first indoor over-the-air (OTA) TD-LTE data sessions at the site last month.

Motorola's first commercial LTE deployments will be based on its fourth-generation Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) products that have been proven and field-hardened and for which algorithms have been optimized to deliver best performance in a real-life environment.

Motorola's LTE solution is comprised of its OFDM broadband platform and a selection of radio options that include MIMO and smart antennas. It also features Motorola's SON solution that helps operators lower the operation and management-related OPEX. Motorola's second generation LTE eNodeB WBR 700 series offers flexible deployment options with frame based-mounted radios and remote radio heads to support a wide variety of LTE deployment scenarios across numerous FDD and TDD spectrum bands to meet the needs of the global market.

Motorola's LTE portfolio also includes its evolved packet core (EPC) solution - the Wireless Broadband Core (WBC) 700 portfolio, backhaul, network management solutions, video solutions that monetize LTE investment, and a complete portfolio of professional services. The Motorola WBC 700 is comprised of Motorola's mobility management entity (MME), packet and serving gateways (P-GW and S-GW), and a policy and charging rules function server (PCRF).

Motorola Networks business delivers fully integrated and customizable media solutions enabling operators to offer personalized, rich media experiences to their subscribers. As a global wireless infrastructure leader, Motorola is committed to 4G with WiMAX and LTE solutions that provide a way for operators to profitably meet the ever-growing demand for mobile broadband today while giving 2G and 3G customers a future path as we continue to support their legacy networks. Motorola brings its services, fourth-generation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) platform and 25 years of wireless data systems innovation, experience and expertise to bear as operators – wireline, wireless, cable and telco –seek to evolve their networks for the future.

For more information about Motorola's 4G solutions please visit our 4G Digital Press Kit. For more information about Motorola's LTE solutions please visit www.motorola.com/lte.  

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About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects.  From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile.  Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $22 billion in 2009. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.

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SOURCE Motorola, Inc.