THE EXPERT'S VOICE® IN NETWORKING 4G: Deployment Strategies and Operational Implications MANAGING CRITICAL DECISIONS IN DEPLOYMENT OF 4G/LTE NETWORKS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON NETWORK OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS Trichy Venkataraman Krishnamurthy and Rajaneesh Shetty Apress For your convenience Apress has placed some of the front matter material after the index. Please use the Bookmarks and Contents at a Glance links to access them. friendsof Apress Contents at a Glance About the Authors Introduction Chapter 1: Network Planning Chapter 2: Self-Organizing Networks in LTE Deployment Chapter 3: Deployment Challenges in Evolving 4G Chapter 4: Network Roadmaps Chapter 5: Network Roadmap Evolution Chapter 6: A Process for Network Roadmap Evolution Index Introduction This book evaluates a range of design and deployment strategies for LTE network business development, and presents a process for planning and evolving network roadmaps. Among those who will find this book useful are new field engineers who have been entrusted with the arduous tasks of deploying 4G networks. The initial chapter in the book endeavors to arm you with enough information to understand what you are doing, and why. The book also demonstrates how self-organizing networks (SON) can help improve the deployment process and help reduce the round trip time in optimizing and tuning your network. Subsequent chapters cover roadmap development and how it improves your ability to plan, build, and deploy more successful networks. From a broader perspective, this book is for all people involved or entrusted with the maintenance of 4G networks, including architects, product managers, and program managers. Senior management executives will also find the book valuable, as it give them the requisite knowledge to better ensure that relevant stakeholders are involved in the process of roadmap management and evolve strategies to ensure that their 4G networks remain operational, meaningful, and successful. We cover potential roadblocks to successful deployments, and how to avoi