More spectrum, better call quality and expanded coverage are the battle cries of the wireless industry as of late, and ScoreBoard Inc. in Herndon, Va., said it is offering carriers a new way to “get more bang for their buck.”
Since 1993, ScoreBoard Inc. has developed and implemented Web-enabled service-assurance solutions. The company’s latest version, ScoreBoard 3.5, “provides a platform to ensure customers can place calls, calls don’t drop and calls are clear,” said Eric H. Jensen, ScoreBoard’s chief executive officer and co-founder.
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. announced it will implement nationwide ScoreBoard 3.5 to add more voice paths per cell site, identify best practices to ensure quality and efficiently plan network expansions, thus lowering capital costs. AT&T has been using the software in portions of its network for the past two years, Jensen said.
ScoreBoard 3.5 is designed for Time Division Multiple Access networks and works directly with gigabytes of field measurement data to give carriers details on how the network is interacting with its environment. The measured network data includes accurate measurements of radio-frequency path loss, cell-site configuration and switch parameter settings, the company said.
The software is the only program of its kind that can be downloaded by a customer from the Web into MapInfo and Excel. The analysis and optimization tools are provided by ScoreBoard’s main servers.
Jensen said a program like ScoreBoard is a legitimate management tool for carriers because although current networks have a good handle on voice traffic volume, the advent of data services such as wireless Internet access will rapidly fuel the need for more traffic absorption on existing cell sites.
“At the same time, carriers are lowering prices and creating bucket plans. They have to lower (the) cost of service to support the rate plans … ScoreBoard facilitates lowering cost of service,” said Jensen.
