Bilal B. - Regional Manager RAN Optimization North

Go to Website

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Experience

Jan 2023 - Present

3 years

Islamabad, Pakistan

Regional Manager RAN Optimization North

LCC Pakistan China Mobile ZONG 4G

Leading a team of over 20 RF engineers
Conducting 5G NSA Option 3X trial using Blade AAU for a 100 MHz carrier, achieving 1.2 Gbps throughput with EN-DC, coverage scenario and power optimization tunings
Serving as VoLTE lead, trialing new features such as enhanced VoLTE reliability, coverage enhancement, uplink competitive scheduling and coverage experience optimization
Increasing VoLTE traffic by 100,000 Erlangs with SRVCC optimization and improving user experience quality
Troubleshooting VVIP complaints with multi-domain tracing to resolve issues like YouTube TCP flow abnormality due to firewall ahead of UGW
Ensuring regulatory compliance and leading new feature rollouts, pre-drive tests assurance and optimization
Conducting VoLTE prioritization and user experience parametric optimization for top loaded cases
Ensuring VIP route assurance for smooth 4G/VoLTE experience with SRVCC and drop optimization
Balancing users between TDD/FDD with frequency priority and coverage-based tuning for optimum throughput
Optimizing GSM-LTE power by reallocating reserved power and calculating Pa, Pb and RS power for better throughput
Trialing 8T8R/32T32R massive MIMO features including intelligent beam shaping and power boosting
Trialing PUSCH RB reservation to reserve PRBs for VoLTE UEs with poor coverage for improved experience

Jan 2022 - Dec 2023

2 years

Cape Town, South Africa

5G Radio Deployment Acceptance Leader

ICET Consulting

Ensuring site and cluster radio KPIs assurance
Deploying new 5G C-band (3500 MHz) with existing network modernization
Maintaining KPI stability after swaps and modernizations
Liaising with field deployment, wireless and back-office teams for timely network swaps and performance assurance
Monitoring post-operation KPIs and arranging remedial actions
Accepting KPIs with stakeholders after swap and modernization
Promoting team collaboration to achieve goals
Escalating performance-impacting operational issues for urgent resolution
Conducting pre- and post-checks including soft parameter mapping and field checks of azimuth, tilt and antenna height across technologies and bands

Jan 2021 - Dec 2021

1 year

Kinshasa, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the

NPM Manager MS Project

Huawei

Managing network performance for MS Project to ensure LTE, UMTS and GSM KPIs conform to MS targets and avoid penalties
Aligning with customer counterparts for necessary optimizations
Deploying RRU reshuffling for new L1800 band addition across 100 LTE sites
Enabling MBB access on TDD network and optimizing CS fallback after TDD activation
Deploying 3CC FDD and FDD+TDD carrier aggregation for LTE L900, L1800 and L2600 bands
Suggesting license optimization for LTE and 3G network to resolve 4G accessibility and CS fallback issues
Implementing 4G optimization actions including load balancing, carrier offloading, CQI, MCS and high modulation scheme enhancements
Optimizing congestion across 2G, 3G and 4G networks
Investigating VIP user complaints by enabling traces on LTE EPC and generating VIP reports with ERAN FMA

Jan 2018 - Dec 2020

3 years

N'Djamena, Chad

Head of NPM (Optimization) / Network Planning

Tigo Chad MS Project

Leading network performance actions, monitoring and optimization (GUL)
Conducting network modernization including Abis over IP for all BSCs and A over IP for entire network to improve QoS
Performing LTE radio planning including PCI and root sequence index (RSI) planning for new 4G sites
Planning new 3G/2G deployments with 2G spectrum refarming for 3G-U900 rural coverage improvement and new 4G deployment planning
Executing BSC/RNC split rehoming activities and LAC splits for paging success rate improvement
Ensuring performance key quality indicators meet targets and suggesting optimization activities and new features
Conducting network audits using Genex Cloud ENO and intelligent parameter optimization tools

Jan 2015 - Dec 2018

4 years

Senior RF Consultant

Tigo (Millicom) MS Project

Managing 3G/2G/4G site KPIs to achieve MS targets and conducting continuous trials to meet contractual KPIs
Monitoring and optimizing Tigo radio network including worst cell analysis and immediate corrective actions
Improving 4G handover success rate from 60% to 99% through PCI conflict optimization
Enhancing 4G throughput with closed-loop MIMO and optimization settings
Improving E-RAB success rate through RLC/PDCP mode adjustments
Conducting LTE and 3G U900 RF planning for new site deployments with spectrum refarming
Improving LTE coverage with Pa/Pb power settings
Leading and guiding the optimization team
Performing parameter, physical and new feature deployment and traffic balancing optimizations for 2G, 3G and 4G
Tuning control channel power to improve Ec/No and deploying OLPC fast down optimization
Adjusting RTWP SIR targets, enabling 64QAM and dual carrier, and designing load balancing strategy between carriers
Improving HSUPA throughput from 2 Mbps to 5.74 Mbps with 2 ms TTI and SRB over HSUPA
Deploying VAMOS for 2G capacity enhancement
Reducing project penalties by improving IRAT, voice service availability and call blocking rates
Conducting throughput and feature optimization trials
Increasing 3G throughput from 9 Mbps to 34 Mbps with 64QAM, dual carrier and core release upgrade
Improving 4G coverage complaints with RS power increase and power boost tuning
Conducting routine parametric optimizations and OLPC enhancement trials for 3G
Performing U900 refarming with automatic frequency planning tools
Launching dual carrier and conducting CE expansions
Conducting 3G coverage analysis, neighbor audits and Ec/No improvement campaigns
Resolving power congestion cases, balancing underlaid/overlaid traffic and swapping WBBP boards to relieve congestion
Ensuring KQI targets and sharing improvement plans

Jan 2014 - Dec 2015

2 years

Islamabad, Pakistan

Assistant Manager RF Optimization

Ufone (Huawei Vendor)

Owning 3G-2G cluster optimization for Islamabad city
Conducting multiple sector splits from 65° to 35° antenna to improve cell load and user experience
Optimizing RAB, RRC, I-RAT handover success rate, soft handover success rate, power congestion and CE congestion through physical and soft parametric optimization
Improving inter-RAT handover success rate by adjusting parameters such as target RAT, time-to-trigger, penalty time for physical layer failures and CIO offsets
Reducing uplink CE congestion by triggering 10 ms TTI instead of 2 ms TTI when CE are limited and cell utilization is high
Triggering load dependent handover actions including best effort rate reduction, CS I-RAT handover triggering and code adjacency
Conducting new trials such as fast WCDMA cell reselection after CS call ended on 2G due to I-RAT
Improving Ec/No by decreasing power of control channel parameters and HS-SCCH power to increase HS-PDSCH code usage with regional NPM support
Reducing drop rate through neighbor addition and physical optimizations
Resolving 3G complaints citywide through routine parametric and physical optimization
Conducting cluster acceptance for new 3G site rollouts and spot testing HSDPA and HSUPA, resolving call drop issues by soft and hard optimization
Escalating high RTWP due to external interference for jammer removal with regulator
Resolving cell unavailability issues with BSS operations team
Monitoring 3G-2G KPIs simultaneously to ensure timely degradation resolution
Maintaining external interference tracker and point of contact for jammer removal, escalating new cases with PTA
Providing technical support to team members and sales team complaints
Explaining 2G-3G network KPIs to performance team for regional degradations
Investigating and resolving VIP complaints such as call muting and radio link failures at TRX level

Jan 2012 - Dec 2013

2 years

Islamabad, Pakistan

Senior Executive Engineer RF Optimization

Ufone (Huawei Vendor)

Managing nine clusters including the capital city for all optimization activities in coordination with Huawei NPM teams
Improving KPIs such as drop call rate (DCR), handover success rate (HSR) and call setup success rate (CSSR)
Conducting drive test activities using TEMS and analyzing radio conditions through TEMS analyzer
Performing post-drive test analysis using MapInfo to address coverage and quality issues by performing optimizations, tilt adjustments (electrical and mechanical), orientation redesign and parametric changes
Shifting traffic to DCS/GSM layer based on noise floor by underlaid/overlaid handover margins
Working on radio link failures per timing advance to reduce DCR by physical changes
Removing TRX power mismatch and improving intra-access service request (IASR) by shifting SDCCH to BCCH TRX
Proposing expansions on cells with increased blocking and following up with concerned departments
Reserving time‐slot channels for mobility blocking on highways and increasing SDCCH and TCH timeslots to accommodate blocking
Monitoring stats and analyzing degraded KPIs along with TRX level stats for any degradation
Resolving VIP and normal complaints such as call drops, voice distortion, echo and call mute through drive tests and on-spot optimizations
Maintaining nationwide external interference tracker and preparing bi-monthly reports
Coordinating with regulatory bodies for jammer removal activities and identifying unknown interference sources
Conducting regular drive tests in assigned clusters to maintain network quality
Coordinating hardware issues, persistent TCH fluctuations and low efficiency TRX performance with access network operations

Jan 2008 - Dec 2011

4 years

Islamabad, Pakistan

Executive Engineer RF Planning

Ufone (Huawei Vendor)

Carrying out RF acceptance (site integration) of new sites in existing network and all related issues
Preparing redesign proposals for existing network with the launch of new coverage and capacity sites
Planning outdoor/indoor micro (DAS solution) for big hospitals and corporate setups, including link budget design to cater losses at each distributed antenna and repeater solutions to optimize coverage and quality
Addressing customer complaints and proposing coverage solutions
Planning Ufone Phase 7, 8, 9 and 10 coverage and capacity sites in rural and urban areas of North Region
Conducting technical site surveys and validation of candidates through asset tools for coverage prediction
Preparing candidate identification reports and technical site survey reports
Tuning repeater donor location to reduce cost of micro deployment in big cities with poor quality service
Routine optimization of new sites through parametric and physical redesign

Summary

A telecom professional with 15+ years of Experience in Radio network Planning & Optimization along with managerial roles experience for NR/GUL Network.