Automatic configuration of operation and maintenance connections in base stations

Abstract

In the existing mobile telecommunications systems the network configuration takes time and the network integration is a significant cost factor in the expansion phase of the network. So far the configuration of the network element has been performed manually at the network element site, consuming a lot of time and creating costs for the operator. The third generation mobile networks are currently under standardization. Designing a new system offers a great opportunity to improve the network element configuration process so that it will be more automated right from the start. The objective of this thesis is to minimize the base station integration time by developing an automatic way to configure the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) network. The O&M network, use for network management, will play a much bigger role in third generation mobile networks. Instead of the manual configuration work at the site, the network element configuration for the telecommunication traffic can be performed by using the configured O&M connections. The O&M connections are based on the Internet Protocol (IP) and carried over an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network. The focus is on automating the configuration process at the IP level by utilizing the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). By developing an automatic configuration process the network roll-out time, human errors in configuration as well the management costs of the O&M network can be significantly reduced. /Kir10