C&W Enhances Mobile Service
C&W Chief Executive
Tim Adam
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
As the demand for GSM Mobile service grows, and new customers continue to
subscribe to the network, Cable & Wireless (C&W) is working to improve the level
of service and to maximize customer satisfaction.
“Our customers have embraced GSM technology even faster than we had
forecasted, and the number of GSM users keeps increasing every day,” explained
Tim Adam, C&W Chief Executive. “As a result, we have met quite a challenge to
make significant improvements and expansion to the system to keep pace with our
customers’ needs. The work we have done in recent weeks has gone a long way to
alleviating most of the problems that customers may have been experiencing over
the past few months, and has significantly improved the level of service on a
whole.”
One of the main causes of problems customers experienced was that of
congestion, according to Mr Adam. This occurs when the number of customers
simultaneously trying to make or receive a call on their mobile in any given
area exceeds the number of radio channels available on the cell site covering
that area.
To resolve this problem, C&W recently upgraded its base station controller,
the central machinery to which all cell sites connect. This in turn allowed new
cell sites to be added and the capacity of existing cell sites to be expanded.
In addition, to helping overcome the risk of congestion, the new cell sites
extend the coverage into locations where mobile service may not have been
reliable before. Since March, C&W has installed eight additional new cell sites,
two in the Brac (the Bluff and Spot Bay), one in Little Cayman (the Airport),
and five in Grand Cayman (Sand Bluff, Newlands, High Rock, Mount Pleasant and
the AvCom Tower at Owen Roberts International Airport) to enhance coverage,
reception and capacity.
Four additional sites are scheduled to be placed in Midland Acres, Lower
Valley, South Sound and Old Man Bay over the next few weeks, while cell sites at
One Technology Square, Piccadilly Centre, the Truman Bodden Sports Complex,
South Sound, Andy’s Auto on West Bay Road, Safehaven, Northwest Point and
throughout the Seven Mile Beach area have all undergone capacity expansions.
C&W is also conducting drive tests on the three islands to monitor radio
signals and make adjustments to improve in-building coverage.
“We recognise that it is sometimes difficult to get good reception inside
buildings, especially at the GSM High Band frequencies. These drive tests help
us to analyse the problem and implement optimal solutions,” said Albert
Anderson, C&W’s Vice President Network Services.
“Cable & Wireless Mobile customers will be experiencing progressively better
reception and clearer signals indoors and outdoors, throughout the islands, and
this has already begun. Additionally, we will shortly be adding a new operating
frequency to our network, which will result in further improvements in coverage,
reliability of calls to and from Mobile phones, and the quality of our Mobile
service overall,” Mr Anderson concluded.
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