Technical Internship at Microqual Techno Ltd.

Viraaj Shah 421 Mba(Tech) Telecom 2009-2014

Microqual Techno Ltd., for over the last decade, has been a pioneer and market leader, in manufacturing and supply of products, services and solutions impacting the global communications world. Their culture of continuous innovation in their products and solutions has been able to generate huge value for our customers in terms of reduction in OPEX, CAPEX and SPACE resulting positively on the bottom-line. Microqual also provides end to end telecom infrastructure services Microqual's state of the art manufacturing facilities in India and China (3 Plants), backed up with global technology, have been set up for manufacturing the complete range of products for RF (Radio Frequency) cables, transmission lines, in-building solutions materials, tower accessories, electrical and mechanical site materials and a range of RF antennas. An ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company, our products have received global as well as domestic approvals by our customers.

What are the Problems associated with network coverage?

Presence of Shadow Areas. Low Coverage. High Capacity. High Call Drops. No Basement Coverage. Interference at High-Rise Buildings.

Health Hazards

A DAS is a network of spatially separated antennas connected by coaxial cable and/or fiber that provides wireless service within a building. A DAS can be driven by a radio base station directly or off-air using a repeater or a combination of the two depending on the needs of the operators or public safety system managers.

In a passive DAS, coaxial cable distributes the Radio Frequency (RF) signals from a Base Station or repeater. Splitters are then used to divert a fraction of the RF energy along the horizontal floors of the building via coaxial cabling.
Every DAS infrastructure used in an IB Solutions requires a signal source. Wireless operators play an influential role in the DAS infrastructure requirements to ensure that the solution matches the operators voice and data needs. Working closely with the wireless operators is required, as they own the spectrum that is used by the IB Solutions and it makes the optimization and operator of the system easier and more efficient.

Commercial Public Safety Neutral Host System

Improve business level QoS more bars

Reduce liability risk through improved public safety Increase efficiency of mobile employees, customers, vendors A future-proof solution that will migrate as wireless technology evolves

IBS in India is useful so as to reduce the Grey Coverage Areas, hence allowing seamless voice communication without the repeated call drops. Big malls and Office areas where the call volume is large is a big reason to provide IBS. As a large volume of phone calls are made, it is important to allow simultaneous transmission of large amounts of voice data without the loss or drop. This is important as in an Office there is possibility of a business deal falling through if the phone call drops at the wrong time. Even in case of a Security threat having seamless connectivity is very important. Normally in Malls, Offices and other vast Commercial regions there are always some areas where no network coverage is present. Not only is that a negative on the customer front, it also reduces the ARPU (Average Revenue per User) for the Service Provider. Even basements and parking lots normally dont have coverage; again IBS comes to the rescue.

As said earlier it stand for Build Own Operate Lease. It is a model that is followed by Microqual when dealing with IBS sites.

The model is explained below:Zero Capex The entire network will be Built and Owned by Microqual Indoor coverage and QOS will be enhanced and cellular operators can have: - Higher Customer Satisfaction. - Enjoy higher ARPUs - Faster roll out of In- building solution.

Microqual will make Cellular Operators to share the network Infrastructure which will further lower the operational expenditure

No hassle of dealing with multiple Building Owners

Increased visibility and commitment towards enterprise and corporate segment

Targeted marketing with customized marketing plans for the high usage enterprise segment

Focus on core activities such as customer acquisition and retention

Microqual's Commitment:
Endeavor to provide better than 75 dBi signal levels across all wireless technologies. 98% uptime of the boosted signal network on annual basis O&M every 3 months which includes Walk Test, Acceptance test, Electricity reading, Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Site AcquisitionAcquire commercial sites that require network coverage as well as side by side tie up with Service Providers. Site Survey Initial survey of floor plans, equipment locations, impairments Preliminary Design RF link budgets, initial antenna and cable layouts, BOMs

PreConstruction Survey Installer walkthru to validate cable routes & equip. locations

System Acceptance Final Design Revised based on changes to installation design if necessary Order Equipment Order equipment following carrier approval Installation Install cables, antennas and active equipment Connect operator BTS equipment & measure RF coverage performance. Customer signoff is obtained.

For a Site to be viable for IBS the following parameters have to be fulfilled:The property must be a minimum of 1,00,000 sq.ft. The property normally must be a commercial property. The property must be upcoming and should be finished mostly by 2012-2013. The sites that we worked on did qualify as all the above parameters were fulfilled. The Sites we worked on are :1. Neptune Magnet Mall. 2. Acme Mall.

Initial Antenna Layout

After the initial Survey and the Initial Antenna Layout, the Mall was visited once again. The purpose being to check whether the design made by us was contiguous with the layout of the mall and whether there are any obstacles which may act as a barrier to our coverage solution. If any obstacles are noticed, the design is improved. A Walk Test is also carried out.

It, as its name signifies is a test that is carried out by walking around the site. A mobile loaded with the TEMS Software forms the equipment. The software mainly helps us read the Channel of the BTS as well as the Rx Levels of the Signal. Hence it helps in giving us a fair idea about the Rx levels that occur before our IBS is put into place.

Also it may show places that may have been ignored by us in the design or will bring our attention to a place that may require a couple of extra antennae.

ANTENNA NUMBER A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A16 A17 A18 A19

RX LEVELS -58 X -57 -61 -39 -41 -44 -52 -60 -57 -56 -57 -46 -49 -54 -52 -52 X -57

CHANNEL NO. 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653 653

CELL ID 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491 56491

Trunking Diagram- The schematic representation of the connections made from the BTS to the Antenna via different components like splitters, combiners and couplers.

Antenna Loss Calulations Cable Length 1/2" (m) Cable Length 7/8" (m) Total Cable Length 1/2" (m) Total Cable Length 7/8" (m) Total Cable Loss (dB) Jumper & Connector (dB) Total Connector Loss Coupler 7 dB (Coupling) Coupler 7 dB (Thru) Coupler 10 dB (Coupling) Coupler 10 dB (Thru) Total Coupler Loss Splitter 2 way Splitter 3 way Splitter 4 way Total Splitter Loss Total Losses BTS Output power(dBm) Service Antenna Gain (dBi) Service Antenna EIRP (dBm) Additional Losses CONCLUSION Rx Level (dB)

OA-BI-A1 0.11 0.06 0.06 -0.5 -7 -1 -10 -0.65 -3 -5 -6 140 0 140 0 -15.4 16 -8 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 -23 -46.40 43 4 0.6 0.00 -56.9428178

OA-BI-A2 135 0 135 0 -14.85 16 -8 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 -23 -45.85 43 4 1.2 0.00 -56.3928178

OA-BI-A3 135 0 135 0 -14.85 16 -8 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 -23 -45.85 43 7 4.2 0.00 -53.3928178

OA-BI-A4 130 0 130 0 -14.3 16 -8 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 -23 -45.3 43 7 4.7 0.00 -52.8428178

After the Trunking diagram is prepared the equipment is ordered in accordance with the BOM. As Microqual itself manufactures these components the process between ordering the material and its receipt is short, giving the client the added advantage of the site being completed quickly. Also if any problem with the equipment does arise, Microqual being the one point contact can help the client overcome the obstacles.

The installation is a laborious procedure where the actual connections are made and the setup of the entire IBS takes place. First the BTS is set up on the terrace of the site along with an antenna so as to receive signals. From there the coaxial cables are connected to the various antennae with the help of various components as per the trunking diagram of each floor. After the installation takes place a walk test is carried out to see the difference in signal levels achieved by the IBS. Normally the signal levels should be in the -30 to -40 dBi range after the implementation of the IBS so as to ascertain a success.

After the setup of the IBS the Service Provider will do another Walk Test from their side so as to confirm consistent signal levels. If the signal levels are satisfactory then Microqual is given the thumbs up and the site can be commercialized. If any problem does arise, the desired changes are to be made and only then will the site be sanctioned or ok-ed by the Service Provider. Also a run through of the contract would be made here so as to see that all the pre decided terms have been adhered to.

Mobile data is increasing at a compounded annual growth rate of 108% as a result of an increasing level of penetration of these devices, according to Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2009-2014. As a consequence, subscribers expect more services, data, capacity and speedier networks whether theyre outside or inside. With as much as 85 percent of data and 70 percent of voice traffic generated In Building, delivering excellent services indoors is central to ensure a great enduser experience and to generate incremental revenue.

IBS is here to stay, as it caters to the problem of rising health concerns the preset outdoor antennae cause. Also being an economical model which has a win-win situation for the client as well as the service provider and the company it has the makings of a sure shot success.
Moving to a personal front, this internship has inculcated in me various skills that would be needed to work in the corporate world as well has honed a few of my soft skills that I already possessed. The method of working with different teams and various seniors did really teach me a lot and did give me a new outlook on the telecom industry. I feel that with the current market trends and with the society being conscious of the health hazards of outdoor antennae, IBS is here to stay.