RF Engineering, also known as Radio Frequency Engineering, deals with devices designed to operate in the radio frequency spectrum and is incorporated into almost everything that transmits or receives a radio wave including mobile phones, radios and Wi-Fi. Clients facing a variety of RF issues and opportunities have relied on BCI for first class service and reliability to provide support through project management, drive test data collection, post processing, model tuning/ analysis, frequency/capacity planning, network design, dimensioning and site suitability surveys.
BCI’s RF Engineers are specialists in this field and can take on many different roles such as design and maintenance. Our services provide for stations high power broadcast transmitter and associated systems including transmitter site emergency power, remote control, main transmission line and antenna, microwave radio STL-TSL links, and more. Typically, when transmission equipment is past its expected lifetime there is little support available from the manufacturer. BCI offers solutions in order to maintain and/or upgrade this equipment and has gained expertise in some of the most challenging areas of the country including the New York MSA/ MTA.
We have broad capabilities and world-class radio frequency experience in defense contracting, design, engineering, manufacturing, quality, research and testing. We have worked with multiple technologies including AMPS, CDMA, GSM, TDMA and iDEN; and we take pride in being responsive to the needs of both our clients and their projects. Upon learning the details of your RF project, we will promptly prepare a comprehensive quote complete with a no- hassle satisfaction guarantee, offering creative and collaborative solutions to meet your project objectives and overall business goals.
Additional RF Engineering services BCI can provide include:
- System design
- Macro and micro system design
- Frequency planning
- Link budget analysis
- Traffic/demographic analysis
- Grid plans
- Implementation - Define and issue search areas
- Identify and test sites
- Develop antenna designs
- Intermodulation analysis
- Site turn-up analysis
- Develop site software parameters
- Provide expert zoning testimony
- Optimization and quality assurance
- System quality analysis
- Statistical reviews
- Parameter optimization
- Control system interference
- Troubleshooting
- Special projects
- Events
- Tunnel and disaster recovery
- Microwave backhaul
- Competitive analysis and training
- Telecommunications invoice analysis and billing auditing
- Review billing/technical records to support disputes
- Accurate network inventory to ensure you’re paying only for necessary facilities and services
- Establish business practices, procedures and identify resources needed to control “leakage”
- Complete network interconnect analysis and design review
- Identify cost savings opportunities and improve network survivability
- Vendor analysis and SLA negotiations to achieve maximum cost benefits and design review
- Identify cost savings opportunities and improve network survivability
BCI has designed thousands of networks and has played a key role in impacting the field of cellular RF engineering, being the first consulting firm in the business. As the wireless industry has changed with the introduction of new technologies and capabilities, BCI has adapted its practices to more efficiently design and optimize wireless networks, thus saving our clients money and maintaining high quality of service.
Today, in one way or another, our people have helped bring to market virtually every commercially available wireless access technology, improving and enhancing services to millions of wireless subscribers throughout the country. This track record of excellence continues as BCI has contributed to the design, planning and optimizing of wireless networks with the latest technology, including WiMAX, HSDPA and EVDO. Additionally, we are the ultimate resource for radio and fixed network planning, design and performance optimization.
RF ENGINEERING
BCI’s RF engineering staff draws upon first-hand experience ranging from early analogue to today’s cutting-edge designs. The theoretical knowledge gained from our years of experience in the wireless industry, plus the countless number of man years spent in the field, enables us to offer services to all aspects of the radio and core network. Our engineers have field-proven design, planning and optimization experience in all wireless mobile, fixed and satellite technologies.
BCI’s team of RF Engineers can provide complete network design services fast and efficiently. These services include:
- Network Dimensioning
- Network Architecture Design
- Microwave interconnection
- Network & System Design
- Backhaul
- Radio planning Design
- Capacity Management
- E911
- In-building
Efficiently building new, fully deployed wireless networks requires deep insight into all facets of network planning, design, deployment and optimization. BCI’s broad expertise can power a network, delivering 2G, 2.5G, 3G, UMTS, WiMAX and LTE networks that push best practices to new levels. We leverage effective team coordination and program management, multi-vendor equipment procurement, roll-out, local expertise and project accountability to deploy advanced networks tailored to individual client requirements and challenges.
From partial to complete network deployment activities, BCI offers a complete array of services. BCI’s deployment services include turn- key deployment, fully outsourced deployment, deployment consulting, program and vendor management, network design, site acquisition and planning, site design and construction, installation, commissioning, integration, optimization and logistics management.
INTEGRATED APPROACH
Network rollouts involve many different subject disciplines—from RF and fixed engineering to site acquisition, design, planning and construction. When so many disciplines are involved, it is easy to lose track of the overall deployment goals. Lack of coordination and management can lead to confusion and contradictions. BCI has developed an integrated approach to network deployment that has proven to be very effective. Multi-disciplinary, integrated teams work together at the implementation level, minimizing interfaces between disciplines and improving communication. The end result is a satisfied customer with increased overall savings to their bottom line.
INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING
BCI responds to the network operator’s need for quality, flexibility and rapid response time in equipment installation, testing, and commissioning. With a wide array of certifications by leading equipment vendors, BCI provides a broad service offering for cellular, microwave and terrestrial telecom network installations.
INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
We have the people, tools and industry experience to manage any and all aspects of a telecommunication network system’s life, from concept to completion.
DECOMMISSIONING
When network equipment’s life cycle has come to an end, BCI can decommission all or part of the network system during or after an upgrade or replacement. Our team can handle necessary lease negotiations and closures, construction management, A&E services, warehousing, and hazmat removal and cleanup.
BCI’s network performance solutions focus on improving both the economic and technical efficiencies of wireless networks. By leveraging 15 years of global wireless experience analyzing every type of network possible, BCI offers unshakable expertise, independent tools and tailor- made measurements and reporting.
Networks need to operate at full efficiency with a minimal amount of maintenance to maximize the return on Opex. BCI begins performance and cost analysis with a network audit to identify areas that can be corrected for maximum efficiencies. The audit and data integrity processes identify locations, content and utilization of all network assets and operational costs to provide a thorough analysis. BCI reviews customer requirements to define measurable objectives in terms of quality, capacity and cost, sharing risks and rewards.
SITE SERVICES AND QUALITY AUDIT
A Site Audit Program is an approach to improve network performance in any given market. The objective is not only to solve current performance issues but also help identify changes that will allow permanently sustaining, higher levels of performance. BCI utilizes an experienced team of individuals and a highly integrated testing and analysis approach to bring a level of focus to these issues. We are fully committed to our customer’s objectives, and provide specialized support by adapting our site audit procedures to meet a each client’s particular needs.
Additional disciplines and functions involved in the BCI site audit program include:
- DC power supply system—Perform rectifier and battery checks, including load tests of batteries.
- Grounding system—Perform testing of site ground resistance, check ground routing practices to ensure the integrity of all ground connections are in accordance with industry standards.
- Inventory—Undertake a detailed inventory of all equipment including model and/or issue numbers, sufficient enough to identify and track any performance issues that may be related to specific vintages of equipment.
- Site layout—The dimensions of all equipment rooms and the physical locations of all equipment will be recorded on physical CAD layout drawings, and front equipment drawings will developed for all equipment lineups.
- Antenna system checks and alignment—Practices, procedures and acceptable performance thresholds will be established.
- GPS antenna locations—Checked for adequate sky view.
- Equipment alignment procedures—All RF equipment at site is audited to ensure it meets specifications
BCI utilizes experienced personnel such as project managers, power and ground experts, as-built specialists, antenna service technician, test alignment engineers and power system upgrade specialists to perform these tasks. Additional services include QoS analysis, benchmarking, legacy network thinning, transport network optimization, radio network optimization and application and handset testing.
QoS ANALYSIS
In today’s competitive wireless market, a critical aspect of reducing churn is delivering superior quality of service. BCI identifies the critical metrics to link churn, quality and potential revenue loss. Using measurements, analysis and KPIs to provide understanding of subscriber behavior, BCI is able to reveal the impact of QoS on churn and revenue.
BCI engineers use three main methods of performance data collection: drive testing, OMC-reports, and IMSI trace/handset measurement reports. When necessary, BCI develops its own software to analyze specific project issues.
BENCHMARKING SERVICES
BCI solves specific isolated problems that an operator may have in its network, and works to identify areas in a network where subscribers might get better service from a competitor. By benchmarking these areas with QoS reports, different divisions within the company—management, operations and engineering and /or marketing—get an updated competitive understanding of their network’s performance on a micro or macro basis.
OPTIMIZATION SERVICES
Networks need to be a fine-tuned to produce the best service at the lowest cost possible in order to provide top business results for an operator. BCI’s approach to network performance is a complete solution that relies on technical innovation, change management and process control We help operators evolve from taking a reactive to a proactive approach, anticipating problems before they occur, thereby improving quality and reducing overall costs.
