CASE STUDY: Wireless Carrier Optimizes its Backhaul
Industry/Solution: Wireless

SITUATION
A tier-one mobile carrier was operating a statewide network consisting of more than 1,000 cell sites interconnecting with two primary mobile switching centers (MSCs). The carrier spent more than $15 million annually on local access transport services for backhaul services from the cell sites to the MSCs and interconnections from the MSCs to the local telephone company’s (LEC) access tandems. Additionally, planned 3G network upgrades promised to double T1 capacity requirements at more than 600 cell sites.  The goal was to reduce its leased network transport costs in the face of planned capacity growth, while positioning the backhaul network to support 3G broadband data services.

SOLUTION
CFN analyzed the wireless carrier’s embedded access transport circuits, costs and growth requirements at the facility level, between the cell sites and the MSCs between the MSC and the public-switched network. Leveraging its FiberSource® design platform and network optimization tools, CFN designed an optimized, fiber network that directly connected the MSCs.  Also, CFN pushed the interconnection points with the LEC from the MSCs to seven, while strategically collocating the LEC central offices. Working with one of the leading optical equipment vendors, CFN and the vendor designed a managed optical transport platform to displace existing DS1, DS3 and SONET circuits that were at or past term.

RESULTS
The platform displaced more than $8 million in gross circuit costs annually from the LEC delivering a net savings of more than $6 million per year to the wireless carrier. In addition, CFN designed the optical transport platform to deliver an aggregate capacity of more than 4,000 T1s, which included 25 percent of the unused base capacity available for growth -- at no additional cost. The final solution included: 
 

• A 60% savings on leased circuit costs.
• A 30% net savings on backhaul and access transport costs.
• Ability to double capacity on the platform for less than 20% incremental cost.
• Seamless integration of TDM and Ethernet transport capabilities at each node.