red or controlled using this feature. Performance management. This feature helps the operators to evaluate and report the behaviour and effectiveness of the network element. The management of the transmission network is done through management buses. These buses deliver the message from the management system to the network elements and vice versa. The management system is planned on the master-slave protocols. Thus, planning of transmission management accounts for the following steps: Identify the masters for the elements to be managed. Identify the management buses. Plan the routing of the management buses. Set the parameters of the management buses. Plan for the protection of the management buses. Transmission Network Planning and Optimisation 3.12.1 Element Master There are two types of management schemes possible: BSC based management and BTS based manage- ment. BSC Based Management A set of management buses are created at the BSC, which therefore acts as a master. In this scheme, the management bus is carried from the E1 port of the BSC on any TS between TS 1 and TS 31 to the transmission equipment near the BSC. The BSC based management scheme is not used for the whole network but only for the network elements placed near the BSC. The number of elements that can be controlled by one BSC can be in the hundreds (depending upon the NMS capability) and there can be around 20 management buses. BTS Based Management In this scheme the BCF supervises the transmission equipments that are located near the BTS. Thus, the BTS acts as a master. A definite advantage of this scheme is that the management is faster as the buses are shorter in length. The number of elements that can be controlled by the BTS is less than 50 (this depends on the NMS capability of the vendor). 3.12.2 Management Buses The management bus can be transferred using: External cables. Using the bits between TS 1 and TS 31. In some cases bits in TS 0 can also be used. Auxillary data channel in the frame overheads of microwave radios, DSLs (copper line 