HindsitePlus to Give Real-Time View of a User's Experience

MUNICH, August 21, 2001 - Acterna today announced the launch of a software package that will bring mobile network operators and infrastructure providers closer to the customer experience. Acterna's HindSitePlus delivers a transparent view of network performance from the subscriber perspective, enabling a real-time response to network problems.

The phenomenal growth of mobile customers in the past five years has seen a dense concentration of base stations dedicated to improving the network's quality of service (QoS). To attract new customers and prevent churn it is essential to grow network coverage and improve the speed and reliability of call connections.

The air interface, or radio frequency (RF), is faced with more variables likely to cause problems than any other part of the network. HindSitePlus uses a powerful field analysis tool to immediately investigate these problems and ensure QoS is maintained.

The package contains powerful analysis features. Analysis of Air Interface data is displayed in real-time in an easy to use graphical interface that can be understood by non-experts. The information is required for benchmarking and optimisation, which lead to the immediate deployment of solutions designed to keep customers happy.

"Recently we have witnessed a trend to an all-out customer focus, driven by the need to maximise revenues. This tool provides the customer's view of the problem and identifies the customer's need for a solution," said Cyrille Damany, General Manager and Vice President, Acterna Wireless Networks Division. "Operators often tell us they only get to understand their customers with the benefit of hindsight, and this tool delivers just that."

HindSitePlus works on GSM 900 and 1800 technologies, TDMA and CDMA standards will soon be made available, and the solution will be operational on GPRS, EDGE and UMTS as the technology grows into widespread use. HindSitePlus is interoperable with Acterna's MAM8501, the only infrastructure-independent test mobile used to monitor calls and messages through the Air Interface.

The combination of MAM8501 with HindSitePlus provides a solution for those who have a need for both data collection and analysis. Working together it is possible to simulate a customer call connection and evaluate the signalling performance against the location.