13.1 Design Methodology

The methodology for the network and radio frequency (RF) design for CDMA2000 needs to be established at the beginning of the process. The establishment of the methodology utilized for the formulation of the report is essential in the beginning stages to ensure the proper baseline assumptions are used to facilitate flexibility in the design and implementation. Flexibility is needed in the design and implementation to address many of the future issues that are really unknown and therefore cannot be properly foreseen at the onset of the design process itself.

Some of the issues that need to be identified at the beginning of study are

• Time frames for the growth plan

• Subscriber growth projections

• Services offered with take rates

• Design criteria

• Baseline system numbers for building on the growth study

• Construction expectations

• Legacy and future technology systems

The time frame for the growth plan is essential to determine at the beginning. The time frames will define what the baseline, foundation, and how much of a future look the plan will present. Therefore the baseline month or time frame associated with an existing system that the data used for generating the plan is critical because the wrong baseline dates will alter the outcome of the report.

The amount of time the plan projection is to take into account is also critical for the analysis. The decision to project one year, two years, five years, or even ten years has a dramatic effect...