The table for the assignment of PCIs (Physical Cell IDs) makes it easy for the user to specify these cell identifiers for each transmitter within the network. In order to view the PCIs assignment table, it is necessary to have previously performed the signal calculation of the multitransmitter coverage study and the neighbouring assignment (automatic or manual).

This table shows, for each sector of the multi-transmitter coverage study, the sector name, the base station to which it belongs and the manually calculated or assigned PCI. Only the PCI value is editable by the user through this table.

The PCIs assignment dialog allows the user to perform the following actions:

•The Calculate button starts the automatic PCIs calculation process (see next section).

•The Assign button replaces the PCI of each sector of the study with the PCI value that the sector has established in the table.

•The icon allows clearing the PCI assigned to all the sectors.

•The icon allows clearing the PCI assigned to the sectors selected in the table (allows multiple selection).

•The icon offers the possibility of exporting the table to a file in Microsoft Excel format.

•The icon offers the possibility of importing a new table from a file in Microsoft Excel format.

AUTOMATIC PCI CALCULATION

This functionality facilitates the assignment of the PCIs for each transmitter within the network based on a series of rules and from some configuration parameters. The interface for this calculation will be similar to the one shown in the following figure, where the user is allowed to configure the following elements:

•PCIs allocation mode:

oRandom. PCIs will be assigned regardless of the base station to which the sectors belong.

oTri-sector configuration. Three PCIs would be reserved for each base station.

o6 sectors configuration. Six PCIs will be reserved for each base station to allow future expansions to six sectors.

•Options. It allows selecting the relationships that will be taken into account to perform the automatic assignment of PCIs:

oConsider the interference matrix (requires prior calculation of interferences).

oConsider neighbours, so that an attempt will be made to assign different PCIs to a cell and its neighbors.

oConsider the shortest reuse distance, that is, the distance within which, if two cells overlap and interfere in co-channel (same frequency), they should not have the same PCI.

oForbid certain values ​​of PCI.