TABLE OF CONTENTS Planning a major code division multiple access (CDMA) network is a huge job. A network is a set of interconnected parts, and the capacity and reliability of the network depend on the capacity and reliability of each component. There may be more and fewer important parts of a network, but there are no unimportant parts. In Part 6, "Planning for CDMA Capacity," we apply the principles and key concepts of radio, telephony, and data engineering to the job of planning all parts of a CDMA nework.
In addition to ensuring sufficient capacity and reliability, we must work to keep costs low. It is very easy for a technical or management error in one part of network planning to create a situation where costs for that one component, or one interface, spiral out of control. Cellular networks operate on a relatively low profit margin, so each failure to manage costs has a significant effect on the profitability of the entire network. Evidence gathered throughout all kinds of projects from manufacturing to construction to software development indicates that errors in planning, if not caught during planning, will cost approximately 10 times as much to fix during implementation. And if the errors are not caught during implementation, they...
