Telkomsel partnered with Ericsson to optimize its mobile network in Medan, Indonesia through the Golden Cluster project. They focused on improving app coverage rather than traditional KPIs. This led to significant improvements in network performance metrics and increased subscriber numbers and revenue for Telkomsel in the Medan area. Telkomsel plans to expand these optimization programs to other regions.
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Telkomsel, Indonesia - A golden opportunity
1. SUCCESS STORY
TELKOMSEL, INDONESIA
A GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITY
Ericsson and Telkomsel take an innovative approach
to network optimization by understanding app
coverage rather than traditional KPIs
2. Improving
app coverage
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Telkomsel represents the largest share of the
telecommunications market in Indonesia and
is also ranked among the top mobile operators
in the world. The company provides network
coverage for over 95 percent of Indonesia,
with around 134 million subscribers. In 2006,
Telkomsel brought the first 3G network to
Indonesia, and currently the company also
offers GSM Dual Band GPRS, Wi-Fi and
EDGE technology.
www.telkomsel.com
Medan, located on the northern
coast of Indonesia, is the capital
of the North Sumatra province. It
is the fourth most populated city
in the country, boasting a large
number of mobile broadband
users and a high density of
buildings. Competition between
operators is fierce, and as the
market leader, Telkomsel needed
to ensure it was providing the best
mobile broadband service to its
customers in order to stay on top.
Telkomsel customers reported
problems with accessibility and
download speed. Looking to
improve the customer experience,
Telkomsel partnered with Ericsson
to carry out an optimization program
known as the Golden Cluster.
The program was conducted
in the Medan city area over six
months. Telkomsel’s Network
and Engineering Project Group
and Ericsson worked closely
with each other to ensure the
project ran smoothly. Together, they
defined the timeline of the program,
the optimum user experience, and
the necessary improvements to
the network to achieve this.
Understanding users
Ericsson and Telkomsel took an
innovative approach to the network
design – by understanding app
coverage rather than traditional
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Andrias Indra, VP ICT Network
Management, Sumatra Area PT,
Telkomsel, explains the reasoning
behind this: “Sometimes KPIs
show that the network is working
well, but it does not reflect on the
user experience. So we decided
to use a different method.”
The project started by assessing
the accessibility, capacity, and
quality of the network. User
experience tests and detailed
analysis of the network
performance were carried out to
understand issues. A wide range
of optimization activities including
parameter optimization, antenna
tilting, and hardware, capacity
and feature improvements
were executed in the network
to address bottlenecks. One of
the main aims was to improve
coverage in crowded places,
such as shopping centers and
schools, and during peak times.
With full support from Telkomsel,
Ericsson delivered and optimized the
networks according to user needs.
By combining local and global
expert knowledge with the right tools
and products, such as Ericsson
RAN Analyzer and AIR, the network
performance and user experience
were drastically improved.
Test time
Following the network
improvements, Telkomsel assessed
the network by carrying out tests
on activities that users normally
perform, such as accessing
YouTube and downloading files
over the internet. The results
were compared with data from
before Ericsson’s Golden Cluster
project, and showed improvements
in download speeds. “We also
did a benchmark test with two
other big operators and saw
that the download speed of our
network is much better than the
others,” says Andrias Indra.
When looking at the results of
the tests following the project,
the enhancements to the network
are clear. Downlink throughput
improved by 74 percent and uplink
throughput improved by 56 percent.
Video streaming coverage increased
180 percent, voice call drop rate
reduced by 60 percent and signal
strength coverage was enhanced
by 28 percent.
3. We did a benchmark test with two
other big operators and saw that
the download speed of our network
is much better than the others.”
Andrias Indra,
VP ICT Network Management, Sumatra Area PT, Telkomsel