ZTE has played an essential function by converting thousands of traditional network sites in Malaysia into cutting-edge 4G/5G dual-network sites — a move set to improve the country’s telco infrastructure.
Dual-network integration, a process that combines the strengths of two existing operators' networks, has become the preferred choice for international operators due to its potential for reducing physical site costs, subsequently reducing operational costs, while at the same time enhancing network quality.
Despite challenges due to Malaysia's geographical and economic setting, ZTE was able to usher in a new age of dual-network integration in partnership with two major Malaysian telcos.
Malaysia's dual-network integration project faces a lot of pressure, including operators sharing network infrastructure, complex networking relationships and the requirement that they develop mobility management policies for integration zones and limits. Furthermore, the project requires cooperation with numerous operators for equipment relocation and reconstruction, both of which need fast site commissioning and configuration to minimize network disruption.
ZTE addresses these parameters with an innovation-focused method, integrating electronic engineering surveys with offline lists to streamline site surveys and design efficiently. The addition of a remote delivery team guarantees that efforts between the front-end and back-end teams are coordinated. Using tools like antenna-scenario solutions and material visualization has increased survey and installation efficiency considerably, allowing ZTE to achieve the extraordinary provision of over 1,000 locations in a single month.
The electronic survey approach — not widely used in Malaysia before — is one of the project's significant breakthroughs. The engineering design team at ZTE incorporated existing network information and planning data into electronic survey templates, allowing for faster data collection and uploading to the iEPMS (Engineering Project Management System). Schedule planning, cost budgeting, material management, document management and electronic survey operations are all streamlined by this system. Operators can focus on network planning and power supply while decreasing errors by integrating planning information into survey templates. This innovative survey approach has increased local operators' efficiency from one site per day to 1.4 sites per day, saving around 11.6 working hours per day and increasing the accuracy from 50% to more than 90%.
The project also included an antenna-scenario solution tool that streamlined the installation of more than 100 different types of antennas with different interface types, frequency ranges, and connection modes, which reduced the operation error rate to 5%.
ZTE established a remote delivery team of eight Chinese engineers that collaborated with on-site staff, even during local festivities like Ramadan, when efficiency could be compromised. The project was able to achieve a pioneering monthly delivery rate of 1,000+ sites due to a clear separation of labor between front-end and back-end teams.
The dual-network integration initiative is expected to complete network merging within three years, lowering the number of wireless stations in Malaysia by 35%. In the future, ZTE will continue to partner with Malaysian operators to create professional designs for each site, assisting customers in swiftly completing dual-network integration and bringing more stable and faster communication experiences to local residents.
