Whats New in Atoll 310 Build 3730

AT310_WN_E0 What’s new in Atoll 3.1.0

What's New in Atoll 3.1.0Several new features and changes have been introduced in the version of Atoll 3.1.0 made available on March 02, 2011. These new features aredescribed below. For more information on any of these features, see the online help, the User Manual, the Administrator Manual, and theTechnical Reference Guide.

New Features Introduced in Atoll 3.1.0 (Build 3730)General Features

• A new project template dedicated to 3GPP radio access technologies (GSM, UMTS, and LTE) is now available. This new project templateenables you to design, plan, and optimise GSM, UMTS, and LTE radio access technologies in a single Atoll document and back-enddatabase. Advanced radio resource management and handover functionalities are available for multi-RAT networks. For moreinformation, see "3GPP Multi-RAT Networks" on page 2.

• The radio access technologies modelled are now also stored in the Atoll document properties in addition to the Atoll version and buildnumber in which a document was last saved, ATL file properties are accessible in Windows Explorer.

• Atoll document files can exceed 2 GB in size.• Starting with version 3.1.0, Atoll no longer supports Microsoft Windows 2000.

Installation• When you install Atoll, you can now install the following components in addition to the driver for fixed licence keys and the distributed

calculation server:

• Atoll Management Console• The Best Signal Export and Export to Google Earth add-in

Working Environment• User Interface

• Atoll 3.1.0 presents an entirely re-designed user interface. The user interface respects the radio planning process while at the sametime following the best of current ergonomic design. The flexibility of Atoll's new user interface puts the user's needs first. The usercan rearrange Atoll's windows and tools to best suit the task at hand and can choose which toolbars to display. Atoll 3.1.0 also offersa full-screen mode, enabling the user to hide everything except the map window and the current tool.

Atoll 3.1.0 offers the user:

• A new, modern design• Tabbed windows to facilitate work on multiple projects or multiple tables within one project• A customisable workspace• A full-screen mode, enabling the user to maximise the working area when working with the map window.• A re-designed Explorer window with a Data tab dedicated to project data, a Geo tab for all geographic data, and a Parameters

tab to configure equipment and modules.

• The map window display can be adjusted on the area of any group of sites, transmitters or any map as well as by using "Centre in MapWindow" to centre the selected object in the window

• "Centre in Map Window" has been improved and is now available from the context menu of any record in the Sites and Transmitterstables.

• Maps

• The symbols for inactive transmitter, repeater, and remote antenna can be shown as empty or filled in the map window. This optioncan be set in the atoll.ini file.

• User Configurations

• The filtering, printing, and geographic export zones are also saved to and loaded from user configuration files in addition to thecomputation and focus zones.

• The vector editing tools have been improved. It is now possible to create a new polygon from existing polygons using the union,intersection and difference tools.

• Tables

• When defining a choice list in the properties of a table field, you can now choose whether the field should only accept values in thechoice list or whether it should allow users to enter values other than those in the choice list.

Units• The user can now choose to display temperatures in Fahrenheit.

Geographic Data• Atoll now supports the https protocol for web map server URLs.

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What’s new in Atoll 3.1.0 © Forsk 2011

Radio Antennas• Atoll now enables the user to group the antenna models belonging to the same physical antenna. A new field called "Physical Antenna"

is available in the antenna properties. It is the name of the physical antenna to which an antenna model belongs. A physical antenna mayhave one or more antenna models (patterns), corresponding to different electrical downtilts.

• An antenna selection assistant is now available. Based on physical antennas and electrical downtilts, the antenna selection assistantproposes a list of antenna models available for use.

• Physical antennas that are no longer used can now be flagged as obsolete by adding the word "obsolete" (not case sensitive) to the nameof the physical antennas. Physical antennas flagged as obsolete are not listed among available antennas in the antenna selection assistant.

• The additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible in the GUI by setting an option in the atoll.ini file.

Propagation Calculations and Path Loss Matrices• A new optional propagation model called Crosswave and developed by Orange Labs is now available for Atoll. Using the experience of

Orange in terms of propagation and measurements from various environments and frequency bands, this model which is fully compatiblewith Atoll can provide very accurate results with its default calibration. Like any propagation model, this model can be retuned whenadditional data is added to the project (detailed maps, real measurements, etc.).

• The size of existing path loss matrices can now be optimised in order to keep only significant values. Matrices can now be limited by settingthresholds in order to store only signal levels that meet these user-defined thresholds.

Coverage Prediction Reports• The user can set the number of decimal places to be displayed following the decimal in coverage prediction reports by setting an option

in the atoll.ini file. • You can change the reference hot spot surface area in coverage prediction reports by setting an atoll.ini option.

API and Atoll Development Kit• You can now disable the macro timeout, i.e., no timeout, by setting it to 0 when adding a macro to Atoll.• The default macro timeout has been increased from 16 hours to 24 days. This default value is used when the timeout parameter is left

empty.• For LTE and WiMAX Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL), Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL), Service Area Analysis (DL), and Service Area Analysis (UL)

predictions, it is now possible to export the actual calculation results for each pixel to a text file.

3GPP Multi-RAT Networks• Atoll 3.1.0 allows designing, planning, and optimising GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks in combined 3GPP Multi-RAT projects. 3GPP Multi-

RAT networks are stored in a single Atoll document and database.• It is possible to select the radio access technologies to include in a 3GPP Multi-RAT project when creating a new document based on this

template.• It is possible to allow or deny access to the radio access technologies available for inclusion in a 3GPP Multi-RAT document through

options in the Atoll.ini file.

Network Planning• Network

• A single Sites folder is available on the Network tab. These sites can be used for transmitters of any radio access technology modelledin the multi-RAT project.

• There is a Transmitters folder for each technology modelled in the multi-RAT project. The commands available in their context menudepend on the technology and are the same as the ones available in each individual single-RAT template.

• Atoll permits the user to designate an antenna as "shared" between technologies in a multi-RAT or co-planning project. When theantenna is designated as shared, any changes made to its height, azimuth, etc., in one technology are synchronised in the othertechnology.

• Coverage Predictions

• Just like in single-RAT project, predictions can be created from the context menu of the Predictions folder. The default coveragepredictions present in the Prediction Types dialogue are identical to the ones available in each single-RAT project template.

• You can also create new predictions from the context menu of the Transmitters folder for each radio access technology modelled.

• Neighbour Planning

• Neighbour tools are available from the context menu of the Transmitters folder for each radio access technology modelled. From anytechnology, you can assign, either manually or automatically, neighbours of the same technology or from any other one.

• Frequency and Parameter Planning

• Depending on the selected technologies, the resource allocation tools available in the multi-RAT project are identical to the onesavailable in each mono-RAT project template: frequencies, BSICs and HSNs for GSM, scrambling codes from UMTS and physical cellIds and frequencies for LTE.

• Using Find on Map, the reuse of any technology-specific resource can be analysed in detail on the map.

Network Capacity• Traffic Model

• In a multi-RAT project, multi-service parameters are managed in a single Traffic Parameters folder on the Parameters tab. Anyservice, mobility type, or terminal can be used and set up for any technology modelled in the multi-RAT project.

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• Services can be defined for any technology modelled in the multi-RAT project. The parameters available depend on the technologymodelled. For each service, technologiesintermodulation are ranked from the highest priority to the lowest. The network will then tryto attach a service on the technologies with the highest priority.

• The technologies modelled can be supported by terminals. The parameters available depend on the technology modelled.

• Traffic Maps

• In order to model the necessary traffic for simulations, all traffic maps are available in the Traffic Maps folder on the Geo tab.

• Geographic Data

• In a multi-RAT document, Atoll permits setting values specific to each technology in the properties of the clutter classes.

• Radio Resource Management and Simulations

• Multi-RAT simulations are supported. These simulations model how a network subject to multi-technology traffic would manage itsresources in order to absorb a maximum of traffic without exceeding defined permitted loads.

Network Optimisation Using the ACP• The definition of optimisation objectives has been redesigned in the ACP, enabling the user to weight individual objectives and to use

different sources of traffic data for each objective. Additionally, the ACP enables the user to define complex optimisation objectives,combining several quality measurements.

• The ACP now enables the user to define a wide variety of optimisation-independent settings from within Atoll, eliminating in most casesthe need to manually edit the acp.ini file.

Drive Test Data• Drive tests of any technology can be imported and managed in multi-RAT projects in order to verify the quality of the real networks and

to analyse it in Atoll.

Network Settings• Technology-specific network settings can be defined in the appropriate folders on the Parameters tab. They are differently managed

depending on each technology but are identical to the ones which are available in each single-RAT project.

GSM GPRS EDGE Networks• It is now possible to design, plan, and optimise 3GPP Multi-RAT networks in a single Atoll document and database. 3GPP Multi-RAT

networks may include GSM, UMTS, and LTE radio access technologies. For more information, see "3GPP Multi-RAT Networks" on page 2.• The project template dedicated to 2G networks has been renamed from GSM GPRS EGPRS to GSM GPRS EDGE.


• Antenna Hopping is now supported at the subcell level. In antenna hopping, the signal is successively transmitted on several antennas.As a consequence, a gain (defined per clutter class) is experienced on C/I values when antenna hopping is active.


• Following the introduction of the multi-RAT template, some predictions have been renamed in order to be consistent betweentechnologies.


• In order to remain consistent with other radio access technologies, neighbour planning is now accessible from the context menu ofthe GSM Transmitters folder.

• Inter-transmitter distances can be taken into account in the neighbour importance calculation by setting a distance factor.

• Frequency and Parameter Planning

• The subcell audit has been enhanced in order to fix values to respect their appropriate ranges.

• Intermodulation Interference Calculation (optional)

• You can now choose to activate or deactivate the calculation of third-order intermodulation interference by setting an atoll.ini option.• Using the same atoll.ini option used to activate or deactivate the calculation of third-order intermodulationAdditionally interference,

you can also choose whether to limit the calculation of intermodulation interference to co-site transmitters only or to extend it to allinterfering transmitters.

Previous releases Atoll 3.1.0

Coverage by C/I Level Coverage by C/I Level

Interfered Zones Interfered Zones

GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes Coverage by GPRS/EDGE Coding Schemes

Packet Throughput and Quality Packet Quality and Throughput Analysis

Circuit Quality Indicators Circuit Quality Indicators Analysis

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Atoll AFP• The AFP progress interface has changed with the aim of giving more priority to the essential parameters dealing with AFP convergence.

A graph showing the cost evolution in real time is now displayed0 and detailed information about cost evaluation have been moved toother tabs.

• The IFP interface has been improved to provide more details about the evaluation of the cost. Additionallyswitched, tip text is nowavailable on any selected value.

Network Capacity• Traffic Capture and Dimensioning

• In the Dimensioning/KPI dialogue, the distribution of services has been split in two parts: one for circuit-switched services, one forpacket switchedInterference services.




UMTS HSPA Networks• It is now possible to design, plan, and optimise 3GPP Multi-RAT networks in a single Atoll document and database. 3GPP Multi-RAT

networks may include GSM, UMTS, and LTE radio access technologies. For more information, see "3GPP Multi-RAT Networks" on page 2.


• Modelling of dual-cell HSDPA is available. Transmitters can be defined to support dual-cell HSDPA. HSDPA scheduling is then carriedout per transmitter. The capacities and resources of two HSDPA cells are combined in order to serve HSDPA users. Dual-cell HSDPAusers can connect to two cells simultaneously on the HS-DSCH. Coverage predictions and Monte Carlo simulations provide results fordual-cell HSDPA.

• You can now define uplink and downlink activity factors for packet services that use HSDPA and HSUPA channels. These parametersare used to determine the probability of activity of users when working with sector traffic maps and user density traffic maps.


• Because of the introduction of the multi-RAT template, some predictions have been renamed in order to keep consistency with alltechnologies.


• Inter-transmitter distances can be taken into account in when calculating neighbour importance by setting a distance factor.





Downlink Total Noise Total Noise Level Analysis (DL)

Inter-technology Downlink Interference Inter-technology Interference Level Analysis (DL)

Pilot Reception Analysis (Ec/Io) Pilot Quality Analysis (Ec/Io)

Service Area (Eb/Nt) Downlink Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL)

Service Area (Eb/Nt) Uplink Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL)

Effective Service Area Effective Service Area (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL)

Handoff Status Handoff Zones

Pilot Pollution Pilot Pollution Analysis

HSDPA Coverage HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analysis

HSUPA Coverage HSUPA Quality and Throughput Analysis

Scrambling Code Interference Zone Scrambling Code Collision Zones

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LTE Networks• It is now possible to design, plan, and optimise 3GPP Multi-RAT networks in a single Atoll document and database. 3GPP Multi-RAT

networks may include GSM, UMTS, and LTE radio access technologies. For more information, see "3GPP Multi-RAT Networks" on page 2.


• Modelling repeaters and remote antennas is now possible in LTE.



• By setting an option in the atoll.ini file, you can create a "Coverage by Aerial" signal level coverage prediction which lets you definethe display settings for repeaters and remote antennas independently of their associated transmitters.

• An effective service area analysis (DL+UL) coverage prediction is now available. This prediction shows the areas where a service isavailable in downlink and uplink depending on the downlink and uplink bearers of the service and their selection thresholds.

• Signal level coverage predictions, C/N coverage predictions, and control channel (RS, SS, PBCH, and PDCCH) signal quality coveragepredictions are only limited by the cell minimum RSRP. PDSCH signal quality, service area, throughput, and quality indicator coveragepredictions are limited by the cell minimum RSRP and the bearer selection thresholds of the lowest available bearer.

• For Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL), Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL), Service Area Analysis (DL), and Service Area Analysis (UL), it is now possibleto export the actual calculation results for each pixel to a text file.


• Atoll now identifies intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbours at the end of the automatic neighbour allocation.• When the importance of neighbours is calculated, Atoll now takes a definable maximum distance between sites into consideration.• Atoll now enables the allocation of neighbours to individual cells.

• Interference Matrices

• An Interference Matrices folder is now available on the Network tab of the Explorer window.• The Interference Matrices folder can contain more than one interference matrix.• Interference matrices can be calculated in Atoll or imported from external sources (text files).• Interference matrices can be exported to text files.• Interference matrices in the Interference Matrices folder can be used in the AFP for frequency and physical cell ID planning.• Interference matrices in Atoll are fully editable:

• Interference matrix entries can be modified, deleted, and added as required.• Interference matrices contain co-channel and adjacent channel interference probabilities which can be edited in Atoll.• New interference matrix entries can also be added to an existing interference matrix.

Network Configuration Using the AFP• Automatic physical cell ID planning is now integrated in the LTE AFP module. The basic physical cell ID planning in the LTE module (without

an AFP licence) is no longer supported. It can however still be made available by setting an atoll.ini option. The AFP uses wide-ranginginputs and a faster, more sophisticated algorithm for physical cell ID planning than the basic allocation feature.

• Physical Cell ID Planning

• The physical cell ID allocation using the AFP can now take second order neighbour relations into account by setting an option in theatoll.ini file.

• You can instruct the LTE AFP to distribute the available physical cell IDs equally in the network by setting an option in the atoll.ini file.


Effective Signal Analysis (DL) Effective Signal Analysis (DL)

Effective Signal Analysis (UL) Effective Signal Analysis (UL)

Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL) Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL)

Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL) Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL)

Coverage by Best Bearer(DL) Service Area Analysis (DL)

Coverage by Best Bearer (UL) Service Area Analysis (UL)

Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL)

Coverage by Throughput (DL) Coverage by Throughput (DL)

Coverage by Throughput (UL) Coverage by Throughput (UL)

Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL) Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL)

Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL) Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL)

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• It is now possible to set uplink and downlink lowest bearers for each service, hence defining a minimum required PDSCH and PUSCHC/(I+N) in order for the service to be accessible.

• Monte Carlo Simulations• Inactive mobiles are now listed in the simulation results. In previous releases, inactive mobiles were not listed because they do not

have any impact on the network load.• Uplink noise rise control (interference-based uplink power control) is now modelled. The difference between the maximum uplink

noise rise and the actual noise rise for a cell dictates whether the interfering mobiles in the neighbour cells must transmit less power(and therefore create less interference) or they can transmit at higher powers. The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) is calculated duringMonte Carlo simulations and can be updated in the Cells table. This can also lead to an increase or decrease in the number of usersserved by the neighbouring cells in the uplink.




Network Settings• UE categories are now available. UE categories define the maximum downlink and uplink throughput capabilities of LTE user equipment.

They also define the highest uplink modulation and the maximum number of antennas supported by user equipment.• You can assign a UE category to each terminal type.• Atoll now fully supports the special subframe in TDD frame configurations. The DwPTS part of the special subframe is used for data and

control channel transmission.• Atoll now supports beamforming smart antennas in Monte Carlo simulations as well as coverage prediction calculations.• Modelling TDD LTE networks in Atoll requires a few more parameters than FDD LTE networks. TDD-specific parameters are hidden unless

there is at least one TDD frequency band defined in the Frequency Bands table. This allows users designing and planning FDD LTEnetworks to have a clear GUI, without TDD-specific parameters.

• It is now possible to define the numbers of frequency blocks belonging to each ICIC part of the frame through ICIC configurations. ICICconfigurations are used for static downlink and uplink ICIC based on fractional frequency reuse and PSS IDs.

CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO NetworksNetwork Planning• Network

• The VoIP modelling is now available by default in CDMA2000 projects. It is no longer required to add new fields to the databasestructure to activate the feature.

• Atoll enables you to model 1xEV-DO Rev B in CDMA2000 projects. Multi-carrier operation as well as the 64QAM modulation aresupported.




• Inter-transmitter distances can be taken into account in the neighbour importance calculation by using a distance factor.


Downlink Total Noise Total Noise Level Analysis

Inter-technology Downlink Interference Inter-technology Interference Level Analysis (DL)

Pilot Reception Analysis (Ec/Io) Pilot Quality Analysis (Ec/Io)

Service Area (Eb/Nt) Downlink Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL)

Service Area (Eb/Nt) Uplink Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL)

Effective Service Area Effective Service Area (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL)

Handoff Status Handoff Zones

Pilot Pollution Pilot Pollution Analysis

PN Offset Interference Zone PN Offset Code Collision Zones

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WiMAX Networks• The WiMAX 802.16d document template is no longer supported. It is recommended to use the WiMAX 802.16e document template,

which can model WiMAX 802.16d networks as well.


• Modelling repeaters and remote antennas is now possible in WiMAX.• Atoll now supports segmentation in uplink on the uplink PUSC permutation zone.



• Through an option in the atoll.ini file, you can create a "Coverage by Aerial" signal level coverage prediction which lets you define thedisplay settings for repeaters and remote antennas independently of their associated transmitters.

• An effective service area analysis (DL+UL) coverage prediction is now available. This prediction shows the areas where a service isavailable in downlink and uplink depending on the downlink and uplink bearers of the service and their selection thresholds.

• Signal level coverage predictions, C/N coverage predictions, and preamble and pilot signal quality coverage predictions are onlylimited by the cell preamble C/N threshold. Traffic signal quality, service area, throughput, and quality indicator coverage predictionsare limited by the cell preamble C/N threshold and the bearer selection thresholds of the lowest available bearer.

• For Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL), Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL), Service Area Analysis (DL), and Service Area Analysis (UL), it is now possibleto export the actual calculation results for each pixel to a text file.


• Atoll now identifies intra-carrier and inter-carrier neighbours at the end of the automatic neighbour allocation.• When the importance of neighbours is calculated, Atoll now takes a definable maximum distance between sites into consideration.• Atoll now enables the allocation of neighbours to individual cells.

• Interference Matrices

• An Interference Matrices folder is now available on the Network tab of the Explorer window.• The Interference Matrices folder can contain more than one interference matrix.• Interference matrices can be calculated in Atoll or imported from external sources (text files).• Interference matrices can be exported to text files.• Interference matrices in the Interference Matrices folder can be used in the AFP for frequency and physical cell ID planning.• Interference matrices in Atoll are fully editable:

• Interference matrix entries can be modified, deleted, and added as required.• Interference matrices contain co-channel and adjacent channel interference probabilities which can be edited in Atoll.• New interference matrix entries can also be added to an existing interference matrix.

Network Configuration Using the AFP• Automatic preamble index planning is now integrated in the WiMAX AFP module. The basic preamble index planning in the WiMAX

module (without an AFP licence) is no longer supported. It can however still be made available by setting an atoll.ini option. The AFP useswide-ranging inputs and a faster, more sophisticated algorithm for preamble index planning than the basic allocation feature.

• Preamble Index Planning

• The preamble index allocation using the AFP can now take second order neighbour relations into account by setting an option in theatoll.ini file.

• The preamble index audit lets you find preamble indexes allocated outside of a given domain.


Effective Signal Analysis (DL) Effective Signal Analysis (DL)

Effective Signal Analysis (UL) Effective Signal Analysis (UL)

Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL) Coverage by C/(I+N) (DL)

Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL) Coverage by C/(I+N) (UL)

Coverage by Best Bearer(DL) Service Area Analysis (DL)

Coverage by Best Bearer (UL) Service Area Analysis (UL)

Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL)

Coverage by Throughput (DL) Coverage by Throughput (DL)

Coverage by Throughput (UL) Coverage by Throughput (UL)

Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL) Coverage by Quality Indicator (DL)

Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL) Coverage by Quality Indicator (UL)

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• It is now possible to lock segment numbers for cells independently from the preamble index status. For a cell whose segment numberis locked, the AFP can only modify the preamble index such that it corresponds to the segment number of the cell.

• You can instruct the WiMAX AFP to equally distribute the available preamble indexes in the network by setting an option in the atoll.inifile.

• Downlink and Uplink Permutation Zone PermBase Planning

• It is now possible to automatically allocate downlink and uplink permutation zone permbases using the AFP.• Downlink and uplink permutation zone permbases are stored in the Cells table. Their allocation status (Not allocated, allocated,

locked) for the AFP can be set as well.• The automatic allocation of downlink and uplink permutation zone permbases using the AFP can be based on interference matrices,

first and second order neighbour relations, and reuse distance.• The domain (0-31 for downlink, 0-69 for uplink, or custom) can also be defined in the AFP before allocation.• You can instruct the WiMAX AFP to distribute the available permutation zone permbases equally in the network by setting an option

in the atoll.ini file.


• It is now possible to set uplink and downlink lowest bearers for each service, hence defining a minimum required traffic C/(I+N) inorder for the service to be accessible.

• Monte Carlo Simulations• Inactive mobiles are now listed in the simulation results. In previous releases, inactive mobiles were not listed as they do not have any

impact on the network load.




Network Settings• Schedulers

• The Proportional Fair scheduler can use a multi-user diversity gain graph in order to model the effect of fast fading on resourcescheduling.

• A round robin scheduling method is now available in the Schedulers table.

Microwave Radio Links Networks• Atoll now permits the user to define parameters for the project that describe it and that can be used in reports exported in RTF.• Project-related information (such as the project author, the timestamp, and comments) can now be entered and saved with the ATL file.

Network Planning• You can change the position of the site and microwave link labels on the map.• In microwave link properties, you can define if the antennas installed on the sites are protected by radomes. The losses caused by the

radome can be defined in the antenna Properties dialogue.• Link properties have changed.

• Space diversity and the XPIC mechanism are characteristics defined in the configurations; they are no longer defined in the linkProperties dialogue.

• Selecting a radio on each site of the link has been enhanced. According to the defined frequency band and the operation mode, anassistant enables you to select an inter-channel spacing, the modulation configuration supported by the radio series and then, thecorresponding radio.

• You can select the standard or the maximum power that the radio can transmit. This parameter is taken from the radio seriesproperties of the selected radio.

• There are now more options available for formatting a report to be exported in RTF format, including the ability to include projectkeywords from the document description in the header and footer.

• Atoll enables you to model multi-channel frequency diversity. One or more standby channels are used to protect "n" diversity channels.In order to model this, a new status, "Diversity - Standby," is available when configuring the ports of a microwave link.

• The median k factor value (i.e., value observed 50% of time) and the effective k factor value (i.e., value observed 99% of time) can bedefined globally in the properties of the Microwave Radio Links folder or for each link in the link Properties dialogue. These values areused to initialise the k factor values taken into consideration in the various analysis tools (i.e., profile analysis, antenna heightoptimisation, etc.).

Quality and Availability Calculation Methods• How quality and availability objectives are selected has changed. By default, they are selected according to the microwave link rate and

its length. Afterwards, they can be selected according to the type of the objective.• Atmospheric gaseous attenuation can be now calculated following ITU-R P.676-6 and ITU-R P.676-7 recommendations.

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Path Profile Analysis• In the Profile view of the Microwave Analysis window, Atoll can display a Fresnel ellipsoid for the diversity antenna installed at the

receiver.

Reliability Analysis• Performance objectives defined by G.828 recommendations can be taken into consideration in new Microwave Radio Links projects.

Reflection and Diversity Analysis• The separation between the main and the diversity antennas is taken into account in the calculation of waveguide and cable losses.

Analysis Report• In the microwave link analysis report, the nominal received signal level and the propagation results are detailed for the diversity antenna.

Interference Analysis• You can now define a global threshold degradation. This threshold is used to indicate when a link is interfered. A link is considered to be

interfered when the threshold degradation caused by all interferers exceeds the global minimum threshold.• A calculation resolution can be taken into account when calculating interference.• How Atoll takes the shielding factor into consideration has changed. The shielding factor is taken into consideration when calculating the

interference received by the sites of the link. Only signal levels received from interferers are attenuated by the shielding factor.• Atoll now enables the user to either define a minimum resolution to be used when calculating interference or to use the minimum

resolution defined in the geographic data.

Network Settings• Transmission parameters are now available on the Parameters tab of the Explorer window. You can define the supported modulations,

digital trunks, throughputs, and connection types.

For each modulation, you can define the quality target (Eb/No)to be reached in order for the modulation to be used. You can either definethe Eb/No values for BER of 10-3 and 10-6 or take into account values calculated by Atoll.

IP technology is now supported when defining a digital trunk.

Atoll enables you to define all configurations supported by radios (the number of main channels, the number of standby channels,whether hot standby, space diversity, frequency diversity, or XPIC is supported).

• Atoll enables you to manage radio series. A radio series lists all configurations of radios belonging to it (i.e., the frequency bands in whichradios of the series can operate, the supported modulations, capacities and protection types). For each supported combination, you candefine global parameters such as transmission-related parameters and transmissions and reception losses. Each time you create a newradio, you have to define which radio series it belongs to.

The radio description has changed. Some parameters now depend on the radio series of the radio and others can be defined as a functionof BER.

• Adaptive modulation can now be modelled. Atoll enables you to define whether radios of the radio series support this operation mode.If the link can switch from one modulation to another one, you can select the supported modulations.

Atoll displays availability and quality results for each supported modulation in the microwave link analysis report.

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Whats New in Atoll 310 Build 3730