Client’s challenge
This Glotel Client in Maryland consists of approximately 1,000 sites ranging from Northern Virginia to Delaware. These site locations contain many types of equipment: Nokia and Ericsson 2G (GSM),Lucent 3G (UMTS), LMU’s, Telco racks, power plants, battery units, etc. Glotel employs technicians that are experienced and knowledgeable in all types of equipment. The client’s challenge was to find a resource that could efficiently provide highly skilled technicians as well as project management to deliver over 5,000 IuB T1s to the Lucent UMTS network.

Project
In December 2008, the client agreed to use Glotel’s in-market resources that had been successfully performing all aspects of 2G work to execute the UMTS IuB Growth initiative.

Project management – Coordinate all field and support functions; maintain constant communication with the client and provide daily progress reports

Field technicians – Perform services at the cell sites, specifically: Extending new circuits from the network interface unit to the node b; Installing Node B IuB port expansion kits to facilitate the new circuits; full testing and acceptance of the circuit making it ready for integration into the network; Installing UCU III (baseband capacity/traffic card) to add traffic capacity to the network.

Switch – Create all cross connections in the switch and test with field personnel; support the field technicians during the test and extension process; and perform troubleshooting as needed.

Provisioning/transport engineers – Create all cross connections in the switch and test with field personnel; support the field technicians during the test and extension process; and perform troubleshooting as needed.

The scope of work

Scope 1: Extend the circuit from the local exchange carrier’s network interface unit to the Node B location and terminate fully through to the Node B in preparation for integration. This scope has also grown into the installation of UCUIII cards which are responsible for pooling traffic and signaling which is directly associated with adding to the IuB capacity.

Scope 2: Install the Tellabs SIAD and groom the T1s to it to dynamically route the traffic from the site to the network.

SME resources
As a part of the solution, Glotel selected talented resources skilled in all facets of cellular service for this project. We were able to provide high quality subject matter experts to meet their needs.

Project management – Provided a project manager to manage the IuB - T1 Expansion project that consisted of approximately 5,000 T1s. The project is still in progress and has been an ongoing success. In addition to an onsite PM to oversee the project, Glotel assigned an internal regional project manager to oversee this project.

Review
In 2007, Glotel began performing all facets of GSM work in market. Once the push to grow the GSM network diminished, it was judged that our resources were stellar and it made most sense to roll them onto the next major project – IuB growth to support the UMTS network. This work started with eight resources and has since grown to 15 full-time field technicians, three switch technicians, one project manager, one coordinator/analyst and one T1 provisioner performing work in market. This project has been managed with no change order requests creating a simpler more fluid project.

A major factor in our success has been our flexibility in adjusting to meet the customer’s needs. This ability to grow the team with highly skilled technicians when the work load picks up and scale it back when we are at a steady pace makes the customer experience a good one.