Importance

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Abstract

A system and method of evaluating the radio coverage of a geographic area serviced by a digital cellular radiotelephone communication system is described which comprises a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver and a plurality of mobile units having co-located transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving communication message signals between the base stations and a mobile unit. During operation, the position of at least one of the mobile units operating within the geographic area is located when a call is received by a base station. The base station monitors the signal quality of the call and collects information relevant to the actual performance of the communication system. The mobile unit location and corresponding signal quality data are passed from the base station to a central operation and maintenance unit which collects the data, performs all necessary analytic and arithmetic computations, and provides a user-friendly representation of the characteristics of the radio coverage. With this representation of the radio coverage characteristics, the system operator can quickly and efficiently diagnose coverage deficiencies and take the necessary corrective action. By continuously monitoring subscriber calls and updating the pictographic representations, the system operator can actually observe the effect of the adopted modifications in a pseudo real-time fashion.

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First Claim