A novel approach of interfacing link and system level simulations with radio network planning

A novel approach to close-to-reality network simulations, called the real network simulator, is presented. The potential of radio link control options like frequency hopping, power control and discontinuous transmission for capacity increase in GSM mobile radio networks has been extensively studied by several authors using computer simulations in homogeneous hexagonal networks. Unfortunately, some idealistic assumptions on the network models may have a substantial drawback on the practical relevance of the simulation results. A new method of interfacing conventional radio network planning tools with an integrated link and system level simulator is introduced to bridge the gap between idealized network simulations and field trials. The simulator has been successfully used to evaluate the capacity gain from radio link control options for a real network.