ZTE Builds Network for the 2008 Olympic Games

The much anticipated event in China-the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games-is coming. Hosting this event is unprecedented; it is a great opportunity for China to showcase its achievements and culture. The Chinese government and people place great importance on the Olympics preparations. With the Olympic Games more than 300 days away, it has become an urgent task for Chinese operators to quickly and economically build a "green and high quality" network that will comply with the concepts of "Green Olympics, Hi-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics".

Currently, China is quickening the pace of building third generation networks based on Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), to facilitate the provisioning of advanced 3G services during the Beijing Olympic Games. Based on its strong TD-SCDMA expertise as well as its excellent engineering capabilities, ZTE is doing its utmost to construct a high quality communications network to ensure advanced services are available in time for the Beijing Olympic Games. 

Guaranteeing Quality with Advanced Technologies
The replacement of coaxial cable with fiber optic cable has been regarded by industrial experts as an inevitable trend. With many years of experience in the wireless area, ZTE took the lead in launching the Baseband Unit (BBU) + Remote Radio Unit (RRU) solution, and has developed BBU and RRU equipment series to address various application scenarios. Connecting BBU and RRU via fiber cable not only solves the difficulties of TD-SCDMA network construction, shortening network construction period, but also dramatically reduces the network cost while enhancing the network reliability. Therefore, this solution can realize economical, quick and flexible installation of the network.

A fiber-based macro base station, consisting of the large capacity BBU (ZXTR B328) and the four-channel RRU (ZXTR R04), was launched in the TD-SCDMA trial network in Qingdao City, Shandong Province on July 15, 2006. By replacing coaxial cable with fiber optic cable, the amount of the project work was reduced by 60 percent, and the project period was shortened by 50 percent.

Meanwhile, borrowing the successful experience from the Sydney Olympic Games, ZTE proposed to provide the TD-SCDMA network coverage for the Olympic stadium with its BBU+RRU solution, highlighting the concept of "Green Olympics" in terms of security, service quality, and operation and maintenance costs. In the Olympic village, voice traffic can be dynamically scheduled and the handovers can be reduced. In buildings, the interference level can be lowered. The whole solution can satisfy the capacity and security demands of the Olympic stadium while reducing the difficulties of operation and maintenance.

A microcellular deployment approach is used in addition to a macro cellular planning approach to support even greater densities. As the TD-SCDMA systems transmit and receive on multiple channels, ZTE, based on the traditional idea of layered coverage, has launched a TD-SCDMA tridimensional coverage solution that makes use of the flexible deployment capabilities of BBU and RRU. Therefore, the solution cannot only provide ordinary coverage, but can also address the special coverage needs without increasing the number of cells.

Colorful Services
The Olympic Games, celebrated as a big sport gala around the world, must accommodate the participation of many people. ZTE aims to construct a network that provides secure and convenient access to rich, payable, multi-language, intelligent and individualized communications services to anybody at anytime and in any Olympics venue. The services are listed as follows:

Basic telecoms services
The whole network supports the high quality basic voice telephony as well as multiple voice supplementary services.

Video calling is a 3G service differentiator. Circuit-switched video telephony is provided in Olympic venues and some other places to address the demands of some video users.

Basic data services
Short Message Service (SMS), which has played a vital role in basic communication, is offered across the network. Meanwhile, short messages can be exchanged between TD-SCDMA, and GSM/CDMA/fixed-line users; SMS Cell Broadcast (SMSCB) will be used as a method for spreading Olympic Games information such as events schedule and results.

As a way to enrich user experience, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is introduced throughout the network. Mobile newspaper-MMS-based services using the newspaper content -will become one of the vehicles to deliver Olympics-related information.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) service, which brings the Internet to mobile devices, is also supported.

These three basic types of data services will fully meet the basic communication demands of users.

Entertainment multimedia services
Anticipating heavy demand for entertainment multimedia services during the Olympic Games, a mobile video service platform based on streaming servers will be set up to provide the following services:

A common download platform will be built to offer users access to entertainment and information applications including Olympic mobile games, Olympic guessing games and Olympic lottery.

Color Ring Back Tone (CRBT) and location-based services are delivered across the whole network.

Project Implementation
3G network construction poses great challenges on human resources, technology expertise and project management capabilities of equipment vendors. ZTE has accumulated extensive experience in network planning and optimization, and has pooled abundant TD-SCDMA talents. ZTE has also developed its own WINOM serial network planning and optimization tools and software packages.

Meanwhile, vendors are required to have the capability to quickly roll out 3G networks. Based on its rich experience in implementing GSM, PHS and CDMA projects, ZTE has shown distinguished performance in TD-SCDMA network design, project execution and equipment supply. ZTE was the first to supply telecom equipment in Qingdao; it only took ZTE one month to establish all base stations in Xiamen.

Conclusion
With the 2008 Olympic Games fast approaching, quickly building a high quality TD-SCDMA network is a great challenge that operators and equipment providers are facing. Based on its powerful technical ability, complete solutions and excellent engineering services, ZTE is going to install a mature and high quality network to serve the 2008 Olympic Games.