Preface

This report is an outcome of the experience gained during my industrial training at Dialog
Axiata PLC. This was a great opportunity for me to gain experience from the industry and to
practice the theoretical knowledge gained so far from the university.

The purpose of this report is to put in writing the work experience performed, and the skills
and practices I learned while working in the professional environment.

I was appointed as a trainee engineer at Dialog Axiata PLC starting from the 14th of February
2022 to 13th August 2022 for my 6 months of the training period. Working in the Transport
Network Planning Division allowed me to learn a lot about mobile communication.

This detailed report consists of 3 main chapters. The first chapter includes an introduction to
Dialog Axiata PLC and its organizational structure, and the services provided. The second
chapter includes the training experience gathered during the training in the Transport Network
Planning Division. Final Chapter is the conclusion regarding the training and the suggestions
made to raise the standards of the training that will undertake in the future.

i
Acknowledgement

The internship opportunity I had with Dialog Axiata PLC was a great chance for learning and
professional development. Therefore, I consider myself a lucky individual as I was provided
with an opportunity to be a part of it. I would like to take this opportunity to express my
gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout the training period.

I would like to offer my gratitude to General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University,
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering for coordinating
and guiding us in selecting training places and making all arrangements to make it a success.
Also, the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) for providing me
with the valuable opportunity to enhance my technical knowledge in my field of expertise.

I would like to give my special thanks to Mr. Naminda Jayawardene ( Head – Transport
Network Planning), Mr. Hasitha Senevirathne (Consultant – Transport Network Planning) , Mr.
Charith N. Perera (Senior Manager - Transport Network Planning), Mr. Harshana Dissanayake
(Specialist), Mr. Indika Ratnayake (Specialist), Miss Buddhini Edirisinghe (Engineer), Mrs.
Amali Upamalika (Assistant Engineer), Mr. Ishika Madhushanka (Technical Officer) and all
the Engineers, Technicians, workers and other staff of the Transport Network Planning Division
who did an immense task in guiding me and motivating me for my future endeavors and
ensuring exposure to the industrial endeavor.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all the technical and non-technical staff of
Dialog Axiata PLC who assisted me in various ways.

M.S.M. De Silva

Department of Electrical Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering

Faculty of Engineering

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

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Table of Contents

Preface......................................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgement .....................................................................................................................ii
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... iii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ v
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................vii
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Introduction to the training establishment ................................................................... 1
1.2 Corporate Plan ............................................................................................................. 2
1.2.1 Vision ................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.2 Mission................................................................................................................. 2
1.2.3 Dialog Values ....................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Main Functions and Services ...................................................................................... 2
1.3.1 Dialog Mobile ...................................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 Dialog Broadband ................................................................................................ 5
1.3.3 Dialog Television ................................................................................................. 5
1.3.4 Dialog Tele-Infrastructure .................................................................................... 5
1.3.5 Dialog Global ....................................................................................................... 6
1.3.6 Dialog Finance ..................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Organization Structure ................................................................................................ 6
1.5 Services for Employees ............................................................................................... 7
1.5.1 Employees Provident Fund (EPF) ....................................................................... 7
1.5.2 Employee Trust Fund (ETF) ................................................................................ 8
1.5.3 Leave Policy......................................................................................................... 8
Training Experience ................................................................................................................... 9
2.1 Training Information ................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Transport Network Planning Division (TNP) ........................................................... 10
2.2.1 Core Layer ......................................................................................................... 11
2.2.2 Aggregation layer............................................................................................... 12
2.2.3 Access Layer ...................................................................................................... 13
2.3 Projects Done During the Training Period ................................................................ 15
2.3.1 Calculating the X rate ........................................................................................ 15
2.3.2 Designing Link Plans ......................................................................................... 18
2.3.3 Microwave One Hop Project ............................................................................. 22
2.3.4 Lamp pole project .............................................................................................. 25
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 2.3.5 NEC Link Removal Project ............................................................................... 27
2.3.6 Utilization status for upgrades ........................................................................... 28
2.4 Sessions Conducted by Dialog .................................................................................. 29
2.4.1 Microwave Network Fundamentals ................................................................... 29
2.4.2 2G Architecture .................................................................................................. 32
2.4.3 3G Architecture .................................................................................................. 34
2.4.4 4G LTE Architecture .......................................................................................... 35
2.4.5 International Network and Roaming Concepts .................................................. 37
2.4.6 Network Quality and KPI .................................................................................. 41
2.4.7 GIS Awareness ................................................................................................... 44
2.4.8 Network Rollout Process ................................................................................... 46
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 48
ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................. 49
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 51
CERTIFICATION .................................................................................................................... 52

iv
List of Figures

Figure 1: Dialog Axiata PLC Logo ........................................................................................... 1

Figure 2: Frequency Resources of Dialog ................................................................................. 4
Figure 3: 2G Coverage Map ...................................................................................................... 4
Figure 4: 3G Coverage Map ...................................................................................................... 4
Figure 5: 4G Coverage Map ...................................................................................................... 5
Figure 6: Key Guide to Coverage Map ...................................................................................... 5
Figure 7: Organization Structure ............................................................................................... 6
Figure 8: Employment Hierarchy of Dialog .............................................................................. 7
Figure 9: Transport Network Architecture ............................................................................... 10
Figure 10: Core Transport Layer Network Architecture .......................................................... 11
Figure 11: Aggregation Layer Architecture ............................................................................. 12
Figure 12: Access Ring Connectivity ...................................................................................... 13
Figure 13: Access Layer Network Architecture ....................................................................... 14
Figure 14: TNP360 Tool .......................................................................................................... 16
Figure 15: Fiber Distance Measurement Using Google Earth ................................................. 16
Figure 16: Process of x rate calculation ................................................................................... 17
Figure 17: Calculated x rate ..................................................................................................... 17
Figure 18: Path Loss Software ................................................................................................. 18
Figure 19: Global Mapper Tool ............................................................................................... 19
Figure 20: Hop Reference Generator Tool ............................................................................... 20
Figure 21:Terrain Data ............................................................................................................. 20
Figure 22: Link Plan ................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 23: CSV report of Link Plans ....................................................................................... 21
Figure 24: Analysis for frequency cost reduction .................................................................... 23
Figure 25: One Hop Project Plan ............................................................................................. 24
Figure 26: Fiber Feasibility Analysis ....................................................................................... 24
Figure 27: Unorganized Lamp pole report ............................................................................... 26
Figure 28: Organized Lamp pole report ................................................................................... 26
Figure 29: Site Analysis of NEC links ..................................................................................... 27
Figure 30: Possible Site Analysis to reroute ............................................................................ 27
Figure 31: Utilization Report ................................................................................................... 28
Figure 32: Microwave Link Setup ........................................................................................... 29
Figure 33: Outdoor Unit........................................................................................................... 30
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Figure 34: Indoor Unit ............................................................................................................. 30
Figure 35: Mounting Techniques of ODU ............................................................................... 30
Figure 36: Microwave Link Types ........................................................................................... 31
Figure 37: 2G Architecture ...................................................................................................... 32
Figure 38: IMSI........................................................................................................................ 32
Figure 39: GUTI ...................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 40: 3G Architecture ...................................................................................................... 34
Figure 41: 4G LTE Architecture .............................................................................................. 35
Figure 42: Access Point Name ................................................................................................. 36
Figure 43: International Network Topology ............................................................................ 37
Figure 44: International Network of Dialog ............................................................................ 38
Figure 45: Submarine Cable Map ............................................................................................ 39
Figure 46: Roaming Network .................................................................................................. 40
Figure 47:U2020/ LMT Tool ................................................................................................... 41
Figure 48: mAOS Tool ............................................................................................................. 42
Figure 49: Geographic Coordinate System and Projected Coordinate System ....................... 45
Figure 50: Procedure after releasing CN ................................................................................. 47

vi
List of Tables

Table 1: Conditions for frequency allocation and antenna sizes .............................................. 19

vii
Introduction
1.1 Introduction to the training establishment
Dialog Axiata PLC, a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata), operates Sri Lanka’s leading
Quad-Play connectivity provider. Dialog was incorporated in 1993 as MTN Networks (Private)
Limited with 90% of the equity possessed by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and 10% through
Capital Maharaja. Telekom Malaysia (TM) is the dominant and leading fixed line telecom
provider owned by the Government of Malaysia. MTN was the 4th entry to the Sri Lankan
Mobile market which had three other established operators. After 2 years of incorporation, in
1995 MTN Networks started offering commercial services by launching the first digital
network in South Asia utilizing GSM technology, operating under the name Dialog GSM, and
providing a better service than analog networks at the time. In 1997, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya
was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dialog and after 20 years Mr. Supun
Weerasinghe was newly appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC. Mr.
Pradeep De Almeida is currently the Group Chief Technology Officer who leads the technology
function of the Dialog Group.

Figure 1: Dialog Axiata PLC Logo

The company is among the leading listed companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange in the
mobile telecommunications sector in terms of market capitalization. Dialog is also Sri Lanka’s
largest Foreign Direct Investor (FDI) with cumulative investments totaling USD 3 billion.
Since the late 90s Dialog has led the way in Sri Lanka’s mobile sector in terms of innovation
and digitalization, bringing the country’s mobile phone infrastructure up to par with that of the
developed world. As an ISO 9001-certified company, Dialog which is also certified with the
27001:2013 standard for its Information Security Management system has received many
awards locally and internationally, including the National Quality Award and the Sri Lankan
Business Excellence award. Over 17 million subscribers receive advanced mobile telephony
and high speed mobile broadband services via 2.5G,3G/3.5G, and 4G/4.5G networks. Dialog
is currently known for its fastest mobile network, winning both the Download Speed
Experience and Upload Speed Experience awards from Opensignal.

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1.2 Corporate Plan

1.2.1 Vision
To be the undisputed leader in the provision of multi-sensory connectivity resulting always, in
the empowerment and enrichment of Sri Lankan lives and enterprises.

1.2.2 Mission
To lead in the provision of technology enabled connectivity touching multiple human senses
and faculties, through committed adherence to customer-driven, ethical, responsive and
flexible business processes, and through the delivery of quality service and leading-edge
technology unparalleled by any other, spurred by an empowered set of dedicated individuals
who are driven by an irrepressible desire to work as one towards a common goal in the truest
sense of team spirit.

1.2.3 Dialog Values

• Service from the Heart
• Create the Future
• Champions of Change
• Exceptional Performance
• Uncompromising Integrity
• Responsible Leadership
• One Team

1.3 Main Functions and Services

Being one of the leading telecommunication providers in Sri Lanka, Dialog offers a wide range
of services to its subscribers of over 17 million. Dialog Mobile, Dialog Broadband, Dialog
Television, Dialog Tele Infrastructure, Dialog Global, are the extended services provided by
Dialog and most recently Dialog Finance was introduced. Several other services provided by
the company are eZ Cash, Star Points, Idea Mart, Lesi Pay, Doc990.

2
1.3.1 Dialog Mobile

Dialog plays a crucial role in developing the nation’s digital infrastructure which provides
essential connectivity and services to Sri Lankan households and businesses. Having a mobile
subscriber base of over 17.7 million Dialog operates over 4400(2G) ,3200(3G), and over
4600(4G) base station sites distributed across all 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. Additionally, 415
lamp poles and macro towers along railway tracks were deployed to facilitate Mission Critical
Communication Solutions (MCS) for Sri Lanka railways and ensure uninterrupted mobile
connectivity for railway commuters. According to Opensignal, a pioneer in worldwide network
benchmarking, Dialog has the widest 4G network coverage in Sri Lanka.5G is the recently
introduced technology that is still in trial phase. Dialog has increased 5G coverage with the
addition of 87 additional sites in 2021, Dialog has continued to strengthen the position as the
industry leader in mobile networks. After getting the allocated spectrum of 5G for commercial
use from the TRCSL, Dialog will continue to lead in 5G and invest in expanding the 5G
footprint. Dialog’s voice roaming has also extended to 690 operators in 230 destination
countries, including 3G,5G roaming partnerships in 28 countries. Spectrum is one of the most
valuable resources for a mobile operator, where the following frequencies are allocated for
Dialog.

The 952.5- 960MHz band having 7.5MHz was initially allocated for 2G but with the demand
for LTE 3MHz was allocated for LTE. Band 3 has 2 ranges, 1842.5- 1857.5 MHz having
15MHz is mainly allocated for LTE. 1862.5 – 1872.5 MHz range having 10MHz was earlier
used for 2G DCS but 5MHz from it is now allocated for LTE. Band 1 having 15MHz from
2155 – 2170MHz was earlier used for 3G but now two 5MHz (10MHz) is used for LTE and
one 5MHz for 3G. Band 41 is in the range of 2650-2690MHz, having two carriers each 20MHz.
Band 40 2300-2360MHz and 2385 – 2400 MHz are used for home broadband solutions. Bands
8,3, and 1 use Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) and Bands 41,40 Uses Time Division
Duplexing Technology (TDD).

3
 Figure 2: Frequency Resources of Dialog

Dialog divides the Sri Lanka into 5 main regions. They are CMBS (Colombo South), CMBN
(Colombo North), CMBC (Colombo Central), SURN (Southern), and CETR (Central).

Figure 3: 2G Coverage Map Figure 4: 3G Coverage Map

4
 Figure 6: Key Guide to Coverage Map

Figure 5: 4G Coverage Map

1.3.2 Dialog Broadband

Dialog Broadband Network (DBN) is the second largest fixed telecommunication provider,
where its services are categorized into 3 main sectors such as Mobile Broadband, Wi Fi and
Fixed Broadband. DBN serves both residential and business customers with voice, broadband,
lease, and various customized services.

1.3.3 Dialog Television

In Sri Lankan pay TV Market, DTV has taken the lead by dispersing around Sri Lanka for
Direct-to-Home (DTH) Digital Satellite TV Service operated by Dialog Television (Private)
Limited. It supports both local and international channels such as CNN, BBC, HBO, Star
Sports, ESPN, Cinemax, Colors Infinity, etc. in both Standard Definition (SD) and High
Definition (HD) formats via Digital Video Broadcasting through Satellite (DVB-S) and through
Terrestrial (DVB-T).

1.3.4 Dialog Tele-Infrastructure

Dialog Tele-Infrastructure (DTI) is the Sri Lanka’s leading provider of Telecommunications
infrastructure, providing latest transmission and co-location facilities to licensed operators. Its
goal is to develop and maintain an advanced, universal infrastructure for operators of all kinds.
In order to provide high capacity and reliable access and aggregation transmission services,

5
Dialog modernized the transport network and extended the optical fiber network across the
country.

1.3.5 Dialog Global

Dialog Global, the international arm of Dialog offers international voice and data services, have
access to satellite earth stations, major submarine cable systems and the latest gateway
facilities. The services will be expanded, by the plan of the organization to increase the delivery
of international bandwidth to Sri Lanka via a submarine cable in South Colombo via the Bay
of Bengal Gateway (BBG).

1.3.6 Dialog Finance

Dialog Finance provides financial services to suit individual needs and preferences. This is
primarily involved in the business of accepting deposits, offers finance loans and short-term
working capital financing products. Also, some other services provided are savings, digital
loans, fixed deposits, business loans.

1.4 Organization Structure

An organizational structure describes how responsibilities like task assignment, coordination,
and supervision are managed to achieve the goals and to stabilize the financial backdrop of the
company.

Figure 7: Organization Structure

6
Group Technology is one part of the main hierarchy in Dialog Axiata PLC.

CEO

/
Group Chief Technology Officer

General Manager Group

Technologies

Senior Manager

Unit Manager

Assistant Manager

Specialist

Engineer

Assistant Engineer

Technical Officer

Figure 8: Employment Hierarchy of Dialog

Group technology is one of the major divisions of Dialog which includes numerous other
divisions as well. Transport Network Planning (TNP), Transport and Network
Operations (TNO), Access Planning (AP), Access Operations (AO), Value
Added Services (VAS), Network Core etc.

1.5 Services for Employees

1.5.1 Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
Main objective of employee’s provident fund (EPF) is to offer employees social security or
protection and help them in saving a portion of their pay in the event of illness, disability, or
retirement or their dependents after death. Under the EPF Act, employees must contribute 8%

7
monthly and employers must contribute 12% of the employees’ total salary. Employees can
withdraw funds in the following occasions.

• After retirement (Males – 55 years, Females - 50 years)

• When the employee leaves for a job in Government
• When the employee migrates to another country on permanent visa.
• When the female employees retire due to marriage.
• When the employee is confirmed to be permanently disabled and total incapacity for
work.

1.5.2 Employee Trust Fund (ETF)

ETF is a long-term investment strategy established by an employer as a benefit for employees.
Employers are required to provide 3% of the employees’ total income to the fund. ETF doesn’t
have any age restrictions for withdrawals, but a termination of employment is required to make
a claim. Following is some of the benefits that can be obtained by an ETF member.

• Death benefits Scheme - Rs.100,000/=

• Permanent disability benefits -Rs.200,000/=
• Financial assistance for kidney transplant - Rs.300,000/=
• Financial assistance for heart surgery - Rs.300,000/=
• Year 5 Scholarships award - Rs.15,000/= each for 9,000 children

1.5.3 Leave Policy

Employees are allowed to take a leave to balance work, family, and community obligations
without affecting the fulfillment of company objectives. Following are the types of leaves that
an employee can take.

• Annual Leave: 14 Days

• Casual Leave: 7 Days
• Medical Leave: 14 Days
• Maternity Leave: 84 Days
• Each Poya day is considered as a holiday

8
Training Experience

2.1 Training Information

• Training Establishment – Dialog Axiata PLC

• Training Division – Transport Network Planning Division

• Address of workplace – 1st Floor, Dialog Axiata PLC, T.B. Jaya Mawatha, 110,
Akbar Brothers Rd, Colombo 10

• Duration – 14th of February 2022 to 13th of August 2022 (26 weeks)

• Training Supervisor – Ms. Buddhini Edirisinghe (Engineer - Transport Network

Planning), Mr. Indika Rathnayaka (Specialist - Transport Network Planning), Mrs.
Amali Upamalika (Assistant Engineer - Transport Network Planning)

I was recruited as a trainee engineer for the period of 6 months on the 14th of February 2022 by
the Group Technology (Technology strategy, planning and development division)
at Dialog Axiata PLC. Two undergraduates including myself were selected from the
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication of General Sir John Kotelawala
Defence University. I was assigned to the Transport Network Planning Division under the
supervision of Ms. Buddhini Edirisinghe. The total period of my training was spent at Transport
Network Planning Division, but the knowledge of other divisions was given by the sessions
conducted by the respective divisions.

9
2.2 Transport Network Planning Division (TNP)

Transport Network Planning is the division responsible for all aspects related to transmission
and is made up of several subdivisions to provide high quality service. The transport network
is capable of backhauling 2G/3G/4G access systems in both fixed and mobile business domains
while providing inter site connectivity for its core network traffic. This ensures customers with
uninterrupted connections. The transport network is mainly divided into 3 layers, Core,
Aggregation and Access. The Core layer spans from Mobile/Enterprise Core to Metro Access
Router mostly connected with Optical Fiber Connectivity. The Access layer spans from Metro
Access routers to the end BTS sites.

Figure 9: Transport Network Architecture

10
2.2.1 Core Layer

The core of the transport network is used for distributing traffic between different aggregation
networks. IP/MPLS technology is used to route the traffic in the transport core while
connecting internodes using fiber. The four P routers are used in the core network to switch
traffic between aggregation rings, business core and interconnecting core with greater speeds.
The business core which is a separate IP/MPLS core for enterprise business provides a separate
link to cater the traffic of enterprise customers between aggregation rings and the business core.

Figure 10: Core Transport Layer Network Architecture

11
2.2.2 Aggregation layer

Aggregation layer is responsible of carrying out the traffic between the core and the access
layers. This layer consists of two parts which are metro aggregation and access rings which are
developed using optical fiber. The aggregation rings are further divided into sub aggregation
rings to cater a large geographical area with many cell sites and customer locations. The five
aggregation rings in the Dialog transport network are as below.

• Central (CETR)
• Colombo North (CMBN)
• Colombo Central (CMBC)
• Colombo South (CMBS)
• Southern (SURN)

Metro access rings are created using cell site routers between two aggregation routers/ sub
aggregation routers. Additionally, to the traffic from microwave layer and other access systems
these rings are connected to cell sites, small and medium enterprises, and apartments.

Figure 11: Aggregation Layer Architecture

12
The number of access nodes in an access ring is limited to five. For redundancy purposes the
access sites are connected in ring topology. The majority of the access rings operate at 1Gbps
having 10Gbps capacity rings as well, but the 1Gbps rings are upgraded to 10Gbps access rings
to cope with the increase of the capacity. Cell Site Routers (CSR) are the access ring nodes
located at cell sites.

Figure 12: Access Ring Connectivity

2.2.3 Access Layer

In the transport access layer, sites are connected into a tree kind of topology architecture where
the root is a fiber site connecting to the access ring. This layer consists of point-to-point
microwave sites using hybrid or packet IP radio links. Metro Ethernet Access Router extends
the transport network beyond fiber using microwave technology. The hybrid site is an end site
and the sites in between an end site and the fiber site is a microwave IP site. By having a cell
site router in a Microwave IP site, helps to connect many sites acting as a hub. Currently, the
maximum number of microwave hops are three, but the plan is to limit it up to 1 hop.

Dialog Network has over 4500 sites and around 2400 sites are already fiberized. The sites are
classified into 3 types. They are,

• Hybrid Sites (HYB) – An End Site communicated through microwave antennas without
having a cell site router.
• Microwave IP Sites (MWIP) – Sites having a cell site router and communicate through
a microwave link acting as a hub site to connect many sites.
• Optical Fiber Network Sites (OFN) – Sites which are connected to the Access ring
directly and communicate through fiber.
13
• Virtual Leased Lines Sites (VLL) - Sites which are rented out from the SLT’s fiber
network.
• Military Connected Networks Sites (MCN) – Sites which are established in military
camps.

Figure 13: Access Layer Network Architecture

14
2.3 Projects Done During the Training Period

2.3.1 Calculating the X rate

X rate calculation is the process of selecting the most optimum method of connecting a site to
the network to transfer the traffic of the site. There are 3 main methods to link a site to the
network. They are,

• Microwave links,
• Dialog fiber which is known as OFN
• Another operator’s (mostly SLT) fiber known as VLL

For the above transmission methods there are initial expenses (Capex) and operational and
maintenance expenses (Opex). Antenna, router, and other capital expenditures are associated
with microwave connectivity. Opex costs are the fee paid to TRC for the frequency allocations,
electricity charges, link upgrade fees and maintenance costs. All the initial expenses up until a
site goes on air are included in capex costs for fiber. Opex costs for fiber are the payments
made to the fiber maintaining company to maintain the fiber network. Capex cost for VLL is
the router costs and Opex cost is the VLL charge paid to the other operator according to the
bandwidth.

Therefore, when determining the best approach, we must consider the factors that affect the
costs.

• Capacity of the microwave link – Both microwave and VLL modes are impacted by
this. When the capacity of a microwave link is high it requires high-capacity antennas
to cater the traffic flow. The VLL charge is high when the capacity increases. This is
not affected to fiber since there is no capacity limitation. There are two types of
capacities in a site. Self-capacity is the traffic generated from that site and Aggregation
capacity is the traffic generated from that site and all the sites connected to the site.
• Link type – The 7G,11G,13G,15G,18G,23G,26G frequency bands must pay different
amount for the TRC.
• Vendor type – Huawei, Ericsson, and NEC are the main vendors of Dialog where each
vendor charge is different.
• Fiber distance – This is a very critical parameter as the per meter charge of a fiber link
is high.

15
The task I was assigned to, was to obtain the capacities of the link, link type and the vendor
type from the TNP360 tool and measure the fiber distances using Google Earth software. After
getting this set of data the excel sheet is updated to calculate the x rate in order to find the
optimum transmission type for the sites.

Figure 14: TNP360 Tool

The distance is measured from the site to the nearest fiber network of Dialog indicated by the
red lines. The distance is measured in meters at that is indicated by the blue line.

Figure 15: Fiber Distance Measurement Using Google Earth

16
The following excel sheet shows how the x rate is calculated by inserting the data obtained.
The x rate calculation was done for the following projects, SLT rejected VLL sites, Sites
proposed to be VLL, Fiber site selection for 2023, Sprout sites of 2023, Sites in the priority
request list.

Figure 16: Process of x rate calculation

Figure 17: Calculated x rate

17
2.3.2 Designing Link Plans

During my training period I had to design link plans for several projects. Microwave One hop
project, NEC link removal project and for the microwave link upgrades. When we need to map
a link between two point-to-point microwave sites, a link plan is designed to confirm the
requirements and obtain the required data.

The link plans are designed using Path Loss 5.1 software. The existing sites of the Dialog
network are inserted to the software and, we can also add new sites to the network.

Figure 18: Path Loss Software

When designing the link plans there are several basic requirements.

• Possible LOS between the Near End (NE) site and the Far End (FE) site
• Receiving level of -32dB
• Link availability should be at least 99.995%

18
Global Mapper tool is used to check the LOS possibility between the two sites and decide the
possible height for the antennas to be placed for both ends. Normally a clearance of 20m is
kept to make sure that there are no obstacles.

Figure 19: Global Mapper Tool

According to the distance between the two sites the frequency is allocated, and the antenna
sizes are considered.

Distance (km) Frequency (GHz) Antenna sizes (m)

< 2.5 23 0.3/0.6
2.5 – 6.5 18 0.6/1.2
6.5 – 9.0 15 0.6/1.2
9.0 – 14.4 13 1.2/1.8
14.4 – 20.0 11 1.2/1.8
20.0 < 7 1.2/18
Table 1: Conditions for frequency allocation and antenna sizes

19
There are 3 vendors in Dialog. Huawei, Ericsson, and NEC. But currently NEC is in the
removal process.

After designing the link plan the link should be given a hop reference to easily identify the link
in further processes. Therefore, the hop reference is generated using the hop generator tool.

Figure 20: Hop Reference Generator Tool

The standard method of saving a link plan is as follows,

[Near End Site name]-[Far End Site name]-[Frequency]-[Hop Reference]

‘- ‘is used as a delimiter to separate fields and ‘_’ is used as a delimiter for site names if there
are two words for a site name.

Example:

• Aralutalawa-Haldummulla-23G-2497
• Thambiluvil_South-Thirukkovil-23G-2507

Figure 21:Terrain Data

20
 Figure 22: Link Plan

Figure 23: CSV report of Link Plans

21
2.3.3 Microwave One Hop Project

Currently microwave links of the Dialog network are connected to the access rings with
maximum of 3 hops. The main objective of this project is to connect the sites in the Dialog
network to the access ring with a single hop. There are several reasons to reduce the network
to a single hop.

• Microwave links are less reliable – Microwave links are prone to climatic changes like
wind and rain unlike fiber connectivity. Also, the microwave links are not redundant
because of their tree like topology, if a link fails the sites connected to that site will also
fail.
• Capacity is limited – Unlike fiber connectivity with having no frequency limitation,
microwave link is limited because of the channel bandwidth, frequency band and
modulation.
• High operational and maintenance cost – For every microwave link a payment should
be made to the TRC for the frequency allocation. Therefore, having several hops
increases the cost and maintenance cost of the sites is also high.

2.3.3.1 Frequency cost reduction within one hop

The amount that needs to be paid to the TRC varies with the frequency bands. For a high
frequency link, a less amount is paid than for a low frequency link. Therefore, my initial task
of this project was to analyze the sites that are already connected by a single hop and obtain
their existing frequency band. Then if the site is having a lower frequency, check for a nearer
fiber site having a possibility of changing the lower frequency bands to 23G and 26G frequency
bands.

22
 Figure 24: Analysis for frequency cost reduction

2.3.3.2 Designing link plans for the one hop sites

Then I was assigned to design link plans for the sites connecting with a single hop. When
designing the link plan all the details like link configuration, frequency, vendor, near end and
far end sites are obtained.

2.3.3.3 Generating the one hop project plan

I was assigned to create a project plan for the sites that are connecting with two or more hops.
There are several methods of how such a site becomes a one hop possible site,

• Site to be OFN
• Site to be VLL
• FE site to be OFN
• FE site to be VLL
• Reroute – Where the site is not captured in any of the above methods, site is planned to
a nearest LOS possible fiber site.

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 Figure 25: One Hop Project Plan

2.3.3.4 Checking the fiber feasibility for the one hop not possible sites
In the current network there are still sites that are tagged as one hop not possible. Therefore, I
was assigned to check the nearest sites having LOS and check the site types and check for the
sites that don’t have any fiber feasibility.

Figure 26: Fiber Feasibility Analysis

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2.3.4 Lamp pole project

2.3.4.1 Standardizing the lamp pole node name

Lamp poles are handled by the Access Planning Division of Dialog but for analytic purposes
and when calculating utilization data and backhauling paths the lamp pole site details need to
be accessed by Transport Network Planning division. Since the AP Division has a different
format it’s cumbersome for both divisions. Therefore, both divisions came into an agreement
to a standard format when naming Lamp poles.

Having a clear standard format for lamp pole node names helps in analytics and automation
purposes, and when calculating utilization data and backhauling paths and provides
convenience for maintenance.

Standard format of node name:

[Site_name]-[Site ID]-[PtP]-[azimuth]-[Polarization]

Example:

• Deraniyagala_Town-KE0038-PtP-002-V
• Thambuttegama_railway_lamp-AN5055-PtP-022-H

2.3.4.2 Identifying the hub sites and lamp pole sites.

The lamp poles communicate with the WiBAS technology. I was asked to analyze the site data,
frequencies of the links, IP addresses to identify the hub site and lamp pole site of each point-
to-point link.

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Figure 27: Unorganized Lamp pole report

Figure 28: Organized Lamp pole report

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2.3.5 NEC Link Removal Project
NEC is one of the vendors of transmission equipment in Dialog. Due to some technical issues
being identified, NEC links are in the process of removal. Low bandwidth, low reliability, and
power issues are some of the reasons to remove the links. Therefore, the sites having NEC links
are rerouted to the nearest LOS possible sites. New links should be planned to the sites that are
to be removed. Therefore, initially I was assigned to analyze the end site and hub sites which
are connected with a NEC link.

Figure 29: Site Analysis of NEC links

Then check for possible fiber nearest sites to reroute the link and then the link plans were
designed for the new links.

Figure 30: Possible Site Analysis to reroute

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2.3.6 Utilization status for upgrades

To optimize the network and maintain an average throughput an upgrade of the network should
be done when necessary. When going for a link upgrade, utilization details and connected links
should be identified. I was assigned to analyze the connected link details, which are connected
link, connected link alarm type, link capacity and the plan for the link.

Figure 31: Utilization Report

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2.4 Sessions Conducted by Dialog
Several sessions were organized by Dialog during my training period of 26 weeks. These
sessions were conducted by experienced engineers of different divisions about the technologies
and networks established in their divisions. Through these sessions interns achieved a vast
knowledge about the network of Dialog and the technologies of how the services are catered.
Despite the busy work schedule the staff was kind enough to conduct those sessions and answer
all the questions without hesitation.

2.4.1 Microwave Network Fundamentals

Transport network planning has 3 main categories, Fiber network planning, IP network
planning, microwave network planning. Microwave network planning is evolved around the
microwave transmissions which is getting transferred to fiber. Microwave links cover the areas
which fiber network can’t reach. Line of Sight is an essential requirement for point-to point
communication to happen using microwaves. Therefore, the placement of the receiver and
transmitter antennas need to be positioned accordingly.

The microwave unit consists of 4 main units,

1. Indoor Unit (IDU) – This receives and multiplexes the services. It connects the cable
system, Base Transceiver Station (BTS), routers. It performs service processing and
Intermediate frequency processing.
2. IF cable (Intermediate Frequency) – This transmits the intermediate frequency signal
and the power supply to the ODU.
3. Outdoor Unit (ODU) – This converts the intermediate frequency signal to the high-
power microwave frequency.
4. Antenna – Antennas used for microwave transmission are parabolic antennas which are
fixed to a particular direction to obtain LOS. There are antennas with diameters of
0.3m,0.6m,0.9m,1.2m,1.8m and 2.4m.

Figure 32: Microwave Link Setup

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 Figure 33: Outdoor Unit

Figure 34: Indoor Unit

Direct Mount Separately Mount

Figure 35: Mounting Techniques of ODU

There are two ways of connecting the ODU to the antenna,

• Direct mounting – ODU is directly connected to the antenna feeder

• Separate mounting – ODU connected separately from the antenna

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Types of microwave links are as follows.

• 1+0 link – Only one unit for ODU. When the ODU fails the link will be totally down
without any protection. These type links are cost effective, but the risk is high. Hence
links are used in short distance low risk sites.
• 1+1 link - Similar to 1+0 link but having a protection unit. therefore, when one ODU
fails link switches to the other ODU. Comparatively higher cost than 1+0 link. Used
for high-risk sites.
• 2+0 XPIC link – Similar to 1+1 link but using the same frequency with two
polarizations vertical and horizontal. Dual polarized antennas are used.
• 1+0 Space Diversity - Used for links having distances greater than 25-30km. Using two
antennas as microwaves bend over the space with time.

Figure 36: Microwave Link Types

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2.4.2 2G Architecture

Figure 37: 2G Architecture

2G technology is the second generation of mobile networks. It is the first technology to offer
data and SMS messaging although the data rate was very low. GSM network has 3 main
subsystems.

1. Mobile Station (MS)

Mobile Station refers to the mobile phone. There are two types of subscriber identifiers,
Permanent Subscriber Identifiers and Temporary Subscriber Identifiers.
• IMSI (International Mobility Subscriber Identity) – This a permanent
subscriber identifier. It is a unique identity having 3 parts. MCC, MNC and
MSIN. MNC is unique for the operator therefore for Dialog it is 002 and MCC
is unique for country, for Sri Lanka it is 413.

Figure 38: IMSI

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 • GUTI (Globally Unique Temporary Identity) – This is a temporary subscriber
identifier. Since these Ids are sent through the radio interface it is not secure.
Therefore, IMSI is used only for the initial attachment to the network.
Afterwards GUTI is used. GUTI is a combination of several identifiers.

Figure 39: GUTI

2. Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

This consists of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC).
• BTS – Mobile is connected to the network through the BTS. The radio
transmitters, receivers and their associated antennas make up the BTS. Interface
between the MS and BSS is ‘Um’ air interface and the interface between BTS
and BSC is ‘Abis’ interface.
• BSC – This controls a group of BTS’s, and it is connected to the MSC. This
manages radio resources and controls handovers.
3. Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS)
This system is controlled by the MSC (Mobile Switching Center).
• MSC – This manages handovers between BSC’s. Authentication, registration,
call locations are some functionalities of MSC.
• VLR – Visitor Location Register – A database that consists of data of all users
currently in the domain of the VLR.
• HSS – Home Subscriber Server – This is the database of an operator where
information about all the subscribers is stored.
• EIR – Equipment Identity Register – This decides whether the user is allowed
in the network.
• AuC – Authentication Center – This is responsible for the authentication and
verification of the sim card.

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2.4.3 3G Architecture
3G is the 3rd generation of wireless technology. It is more efficient, and speed compared to the
2G technology. This is used with mobile phones to connect to the internet. In 3G mobile station
is named as User Equipment (UE). Radio Network Subsystem (RNS) consists of two main
parts. They are,

• Node B – This is the term used to denote the base station in 3G technology. This is
responsible for the radio link between mobile users and the network.
• RNC – Radio Network Controller – Controlling the Node B’s that are connected to it,
managing radio resources and mobility management are the main responsibilities of
RNC.

Figure 40: 3G Architecture

There are 2 elements in the core network of the 3G architecture.

• SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) – This is a main element in broadband core
network. Mobility management, Authentication and Security Management, Session
Management, Packet Routing, Call Data Record (CDR) Generation are some of the
main functionalities of SGSN.
• GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) – This is a gateway between the packet core
network and the internet. Session management, IP address allocation, uplink downlink
packet forwarding, QOS negotiation, charging is some of the main functionalities of
GGSN.

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2.4.4 4G LTE Architecture

Figure 41: 4G LTE Architecture

The core network of 4G technology is known as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The term
used for the access point in 4G network is eNodeB. There are several elements of the packet
core network.

• MME – Mobility Management Entity - This controls the messages in the signaling
plane. This supports handovers. MME also does authentication where it checks the
security keys from the HSS for compatibility. Also, to find the SGW and PGW, the user
sends the Access Point Name (APN) and Tracking Area Code (TAC) to MME and DNS
where APN is mapped to PGW, and TAC mapped to SGW.
• SGW – Serving Gateway – This supports handovers when eNodeBs are connected to
separate MMEs and generate CDR for roaming scenarios.
• PGW – Packet Data Network Gateway – This supports packet filtering where it
identifies the traffic conditions such as source and destination IP, URL, and ports.
Generate CDR, select the network and route the correct traffic to the relevant networks,
and policy enforcement where PGW enforces the policies to the user received by the
PCRF.
• PCRF – Policy and Charging Rule Function – This is the second largest database in
Dialog which stores user package details. This generates the policies and sends them
towards the PGW.

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 • HSS – This is the largest database in Dialog which stores customer profiles and helps
MME with user authentication

Access Point Name (APN) – It is a tag used to load share the traffic and identify the user.
Globally APN is unique for an operator where for dialog prepaid services APN is ppwap and
for postpaid services it is dialogbb. Once the user switches on data then the request comes to
the SGW, and APN is mapped to PGW.

Figure 42: Access Point Name

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2.4.5 International Network and Roaming Concepts

The International Network is essential for a service provider to enable communication services
beyond the nation. The following are the services that are provided by the international
network.

• Up Stream Connectivity for Internet Service Provider (ISP) / Internet Content Provider
(ICP) to facilitate connections to Google, Facebook, websites, streaming services.
• To provide roaming services
• Cater enterprise, global, internal service requests.
• To provide IP transit services to other operators
• Any other requirement to connect globally.

International Network is mainly divided into 2 categories, International Voice Network, and
International Data Network. International data network is then divided into 3 subcategories,
ISP Network, Global MPLS, and IPLC Network. IPLC Network is the backbone of the
international network.

Figure 43: International Network Topology

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 Figure 44: International Network of Dialog

The above shown figure is the current International Network of Dialog. Currently Dialog has
deployed the network in data centers located in France, UK, and Singapore. Submarine cables
are used to bring data to Sri Lanka from these places. Earlier days, Satellite uplinks were used
to transmit data, but when transferring the traffic through a wireless medium the losses are
significantly high and has a limited bandwidth with a high maintenance cost. As a result,
submarine cables are now predominantly used to provide the global internet backbone.
Submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to
carry telecommunication signals across a large area of the oceans. There are also cables going
through land, and they are known as terrestrial cables.

The following figure shows the currently deployed submarine cables of the world.

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 Figure 45: Submarine Cable Map

In Sri Lanka there are 7 Internet Service Providers, Dialog, Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, Hutch
and Etisalat, Airtel, Lankabell. But the ownership of the submarine cables are held by a few
operators.

• Dialog – BBG (Bay of Bengal gateway), MSC (Maldives Sri Lanka Cabling System),
IAX (India Asia Express – proposed in 2023), IEX (India Europe Express – Proposed
in 2024)
• SLT – SMW3 (Sea Me We 3), SMW4, SMW5, BA (Bharathi Airtel), Dhiraagu
• Lankabell – Falcon (Part of FLAG)

BBG cable spans 8100 km and lands in Sri Lanka (Mount Lavinia), India (Chennai and
Mumbai), Oman (Barka), UAE (Fujairah), Malaysia (Penang) with a diverse terrestrial network
from Malaysia to Singapore (Equinix and Global switch)

In the roaming network, there are two types of roaming scenarios.

1. Inbound roaming – A foreigner coming to Sri Lanka and use roaming service.
2. Outbound roaming – A Sri Lankan user visit another country and use roaming service.

In inbound roaming scenario, when a foreigner uses roaming facility, he uses the SGSN and
SGW in Sri Lanka and connect to the GGSN of their country because always the charging
procedure is done through their network. But the foreigners use their operator’s APN
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resolution, this will be sent to the Gn DNS of the local country and sent it to the eDNS which
is a global DNS used among all other operators. So, it will resolve the APN and chose the
correct GGSN. The same procedure is applied to the outbound roaming scenario.

Figure 46: Roaming Network

To provide the inbound / outbound roaming Dialog is connected with two international roaming
exchange providers BICS and Syniverse. The connectivity is up to 400Mbps when roaming.

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2.4.6 Network Quality and KPI

The network of Dialog is quite complicated with having all 2G,3G,4G networks performing
together also with an ongoing trial network of 5G. Hence it’s essential to measure Quality of
Service (QoS) of each and every cell and troubleshoot the user issues. Dialog uses several
methods to monitor and analyze QoS,

• User Tracers – Trace a user to identify any abnormal behaviors of a specific user. For
that U2020/LMT which is supported by Huawei is used.

Figure 47:U2020/ LMT Tool

• Check Key Performing Indicators (KPI) Counters & Indicators per Radio Nodes – Uses
mAOS tool supported by Huawei to monitor the KPI of each and every cell at different
time levels and make sure that all elements in the Radio Access Network (RAN) are
operating properly to provide a better experience for users.

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 Figure 48: mAOS Tool

mAOS tool is one of the key tools used in Dialog network. It monitors and analyzes network
performance and provides the following functions.

• Viewing KPI
• Drilling KPI
• Supporting the geographic information system (GIS)
• Predefining reports/ customized reports
• Delivering and generating reports on schedule
• Predicting traffic trends
• Managing network elements based on areas.

KPIs measures the performance of a particular element. Following are some tasks where KPIs
can be used.

• To monitor and improve the radio network performance to improve subscriber quality
or make use of installed network resources.
• To identify problems of the cellular network’s abnormal behaviors real time. Therefore,
the operator can take necessary actions to maintain the current services.
• To provide specific radio information to radio frequency planners. This will assist them
in setting up network configurations for the best performance.

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Key Performing Indicators has several categories,

• Accessibility - Measure whether services requested by users can be accessed in given

condition / quality of being available when users needed
• Retainability - Measure how the network keeps user's possession or able to hold and
provide the services for the users.
• Mobility - Measure the performance of network which can handle the movement of
users and still retain the service for the user.
• Integrity - Measure the character or honesty of network to its user, such as throughput,
latency which users were served.
• Availability - Measure the availability of network, suitable or ready for users to use
services
• Utilization - Measure the utilization of network, whether the network capacity has
reached its resource.

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2.4.7 GIS Awareness

GIS (Geographic Information System) is a system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps
all types of geographic data. It connects data to a map, integrating location data with all types
of descriptive information. As for some examples for GIS softwares are MapInfo, QGIS,
ArcGIS, Global mapper, SAGA GIS.

The surface of the Earth is divided into 2 layers.

• Visible layer – Parks, rivers, buildings, and all forms of land use
• Invisible layer – population density, climate data, industry types etc.

We can use these layers as per our requirement. The purpose of a geographic information
system is to build geo databases where the information is tagged with a location. For example,
the latitude, longitude, height of the antenna, fiber connectivity, and other relevant information
can be tagged to the position of the towers.

The main types of spatial data in GIS are point, line, and polygon. City names, tower names,
etc. can be represented using points, and lines represent a road, stream of water, etc. and
polygons represent a shape of a ground, shape of a lake, etc. Therefore, a collection of points
creates a line, and a collection of lines creates a polygon.

Components of GIS,

• People – Specialized, skilled workforce

• Data – From field surveys, previous project data
• Software
• Hardware
• Methods – How data is gathered and management of hardware and software.

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There are two main coordinate systems which are, Geographic Coordinate System (GCS) and
Projected Coordinate System (PCS). GCS represents a location on earth surface by longitude
and latitude while PCS projects the earth surface to a 2D plane and uses distances in meters to
represent a location.

Figure 49: Geographic Coordinate System and Projected Coordinate System

A datum is a set of reference points on the earth’s surface that serves to provide known locations
because the earth is not a perfect sphere a more precise coordinate system was needed. WGS84
(World Geodetic System) is a datum that is used worldwide. Kandawala datum which was
defined in 1930 is relevant to Sri Lanka.

The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) is a plane coordinate system used for map
projection used to assign coordinates to places on earth surface. This uses 60 zones with each
6º longitude width.

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2.4.8 Network Rollout Process

Network rollout process is the commissioning of new sites to the Dialog network. This process
is divided into 5 main stages.

1. Joint Field Survey (JFS)

2. Site File
3. Data Filling
4. BOM (Bill of Materials)
5. CN (Construction Notice)

In the JFS stage, there is a team attending the survey which includes a person from the Access
Planning (AP), civil, SAQ (Service Acquisition) and power teams. AP JFS officer is responsible
for the transmission feasibility confirmation. That officer fills out the site file form which
includes details of the nearby fiber network, visible sites nearby to the site. Then the site file is
uploaded to the Dialog Workflow database which includes all completed site files and pending
site files.

Then the TNP division is responsible for the next stage of filling out the site files. This
reconfirms the LOS feasibility for MW/ WiBAS and fiber feasibility with tool analysis. If
needed site visits and drone tests are to revalidate the information. Global Mapper, Google
Earth, TNP 360, are the tools used in the process. Global Mapper is used to check LOS from
the new site to the Far End site and decide the antenna heights. Google Earth is used to measure
the distance from the new site to the existing fiber network and TNP 360 is used to find the
nearest sites to the new site location and find the distance between the sites, to identify
frequencies the microwave link should be planned.

In the Data Filling stage, the sites are divided into batches based on the vendor and other
factors. The fiber team proceeds with the process if the new site’s transmission mode is fiber,
and if it is microwave, the link design is created using the Pathloss software and details are
collected for further reference.

The next stage is creating the BOM which is created by the vendor based on the design details.

After receiving all the required approvals for the site including the TRC approval, the
Construction Notice (CN) is released. The site is in the indented stage after releasing this notice.
TNP division doesn’t participate in this process but monitors the process and informs any

46
adjustments to be made. After releasing the CN, to complete the process it takes approximately
90 days for a site to go on air.

Process after releasing the Construction Notice is shown in the below diagram.

Figure 50: Procedure after releasing CN

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Conclusion

My internship period of 26 weeks at Dialog Axiata PLC was one of the best and most fulfilling
experiences of my life, as it was the first ever experience I received in a company. Being able
to get selected to Dialog was a great privilege as it helped me to get a good exposure to the
telecommunications industry. From the day of the interview itself, helped me to build my
personality and gave me the courage to work with professionals.

This document contains my personal experience which I gained from working as an intern in
the Transport Network Planning Division of Dialog Axiata PLC. I had the opportunity to learn
about numerous technologies and get the knowledge in how to apply the theoretical knowledge
obtained from university. I gained knowledge about the other divisions of the company through
the knowledge sharing sessions but mainly my training was focused on the projects of the
divisions I was assigned to. I gained valuable experience through my training period and
working with its personnel at all levels from Senior Managers, Specialists, Engineers, and
technical officers to support staff was phenomenal. I also got to work with many tools and
softwares like TNP 360, Google Earth, Global Mapper, Path loss while working on the assigned
projects.

Due to the prevailing situation of the country the training was conducted remotely through
Microsoft Teams and all the training sessions were performed online. It was a bit of a
disadvantage because there were limited opportunities to physically interact with the staff. One
weakness I identified during the internship was that all the interns get to work only in one
specific division throughout the 26 weeks. As a trainee I assume that it would be better if we
could switch to several divisions to gain a wide knowledge.

This 6-month training was a truly remarkable experience for all engineering undergraduates.
Having the opportunity to be an intern under professional engineers in Dialog Axiata PLC, the
leading telecommunication operator of Sri Lanka, I’m extremely satisfied of the training I
received at Transport Network Planning. I consider this training period will be a milestone in
my career that will undoubtedly be beneficial to uplift the standards of my career as an
Electronics and Telecommunication engineer.

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ABBREVIATIONS
2G - 2nd Generation

3G - 3rd Generation

4G - 4th Generation

5G - 5th Generation

LTE – Long-Term Evolution

GSM - Global System for Mobile Communication

TRCSL - Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka

DBN - Dialog Broadband Network

TNP - Transport Network Planning

AP - Access Planning

TNO - Transport and Network Operations

VAS - Value Added Services

IP/MPLS - Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching

IPLC - International Private Leased Circuit

FDD - Frequency Division Duplex

TDD - Time Division Duplex

GGSN - Gateway GPRS Support Node

SGSN - Serving GPRS Support Node

CSR - Cell Site Router

HYB - Hybrid Sites

MWIP - Microwave IP

Capex - Capital Expenditure

Opex - Operational Expenditure

NAITA - National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority

OFN - Optical Fiber Network

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LOS - Line of Sight

SAQ - Site Acquisition

FE - Far End

NE - Near End

CN - Construction Notice

GIS - Geographic Information System

IDU - Indoor Unit

ODU - Outdoor Unit

IF - Intermediate Frequency

EPC - Evolved Packet Core

SIM - Subscriber Identity Module

BBG - Bay of Bengal Gateway

UK - United Kingdom

UAE - United Arab Emirates

SLT - Sri Lanka Telecom

FLAG - Fiber-optic Link Around Globe

DNS - Domain Name System

KPI - Key Performing Indicator

PO - Purchase Order

CPR - Construction Product Regulation

E&E - Electrical and Earthing

TE - Telecom Equipment

UAT - User Acceptance Testing

ND- Network Development

ANO- Access Network Operations

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REFERENCES

• Dialog Axiata PLC. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.dialog.lk/

• PLC, D. A. (2021). Annual Report 2021.
• TeleGeography. (2022). Submarine cable map. Retrieved from
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/
• NAITA daily diary

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CERTIFICATION

52