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iQ·link
Key Benefits

Spectrum Efficiency

A primary strength of iQ·link^®, and its number one goal since inception, is to make efficient use of the available Spectrum. Spectrum is a limited, precious resource to any network operator and frequency reuse is a top priority. From the very beginning, iQ·link was designed by spectrum management engineers, for spectrum management engineers. All of the experience we have gained in our 27+ years as a spectrum management company, have contributed to the spectrum management capability of iQ·link.

Our customers have proven that very large numbers of microwave links can be deployed in a small, congested area using iQ·link's powerful interference analysis.

Capacity and Performance

iQ·link was designed with the large network operator in mind and is able to efficiently handle the planning of any size network. Whether you are managing the spectrum for a system of less than 50 links or a system of over 40,000 links, iQ·link is uniquely qualified for the task. The teaming of iQ·link with the Oracle relational database, creates a very powerful, stable, efficient Spectrum Management Tool.

iQ·link has been field-tested and proven to efficiently manage the largest and most complex networks in the world. Several current iQ·link customers have exceeded 20,000 links and one has exceeded 40,000 links.

ITU, ETSI Recommendations

Comsearch is committed to maintaining compatibility with the latest industry recommendations. We attend and participate in ITU study group meetings and continually update iQ·link with the latest recommendations available. Understanding that some customers do not immediately adopt the latest recommendations, we also maintain and support prior models so that our customers can transition to newer recommendations on their own time schedule.

Data Access and Reports

iQ·link uses the Oracle relational database to store all aspects of the wireless network design. Comsearch provides complete, detailed database specifications and Entity Relationship diagrams in order to offer our customers with the ability to manipulate the data in any way necessary. Many of our customers use one of the many, widely-available Microsoft products such as Excel or Access to connect to the Oracle database via ODBC for creating custom reports. This provides our users with the flexibility of generating customized reports such as license applications that can be sent directly to their country's regulator.

We also have several customers who have the need to share data with other tools or corporate databases. For example, often times it is necessary to interface with a master site database so that all planning tools are using the most current, up to date, site information. With iQ·link, this task is simplified since data can be accessed and shared using standard SQL. Comsearch iQ·link Product Support Engineers have extensive experience in developing scripts, programs and Oracle procedures to interface with any external data source.

Site, Link and Equipment Import

iQ·link offers several solutions to efficiently import all network design elements including Site, Link and Equipment.

• Sites: iQ·link has a built-in utility to import sites in an ASCII, delimited file with a very flexible file format.



• Antennas: Comsearch offers an external utility that quickly and efficiently imports antennas from any manufacturer using a file format developed by the National Spectrum Managers Association of the USA. This file format has been adopted by most of the major antenna manufacturers, including Andrew.



• Radios: Comsearch also offers an external utility that allows the user to import radio specifications and interference criteria directly into iQ·link's Oracle database.



• Links: Importing Links from other tools is generally more complex than importing other individual link elements. However, Comsearch has extensive experience importing large external databases of links into the iQ·link Oracle database. Our approach is to use the external utilities that we have developed over the years and adapt them to each specific requirement.

Operating Environment

To date, iQ·link has been developed on the SUN Solaris Unix platform, primarily due to the proven success and customer satisfaction that we have experienced with this architecture.

All of our users have full access and functionality from any computer (PC Desktop, PC Laptop, etc.) connected to the server via LAN or WAN. There are several compelling reasons in favor of a Unix Server / PC Client configuration:

• Stability: SUN Solaris workstations can run for months without freezing or the need to reboot. Often, they can be centrally located in a climate-controlled computer room, even further improving system reliability. It is our experience that no Windows-based operating system comes close to the stability of Solaris.



• Access and Performance: Applications running natively on the SUN Solaris Operating system can be accessed transparently by any user from any PC connected to the server via LAN or WAN. This is done through the use of widely available PC X-Emulator packages such as:

  Citrix MetaFrame
  Tarantella
  WinaXe
  Exceed

  By allowing the SUN workstation perform all of the computational work, the Engineer's PC's are free to do other daily tasks such as email, spreadsheets, word processing etc. The iQ·link calculations have essentially no performance impact on any other function of the client PC.



• Cost: In the last few years, the cost of very powerful SUN Solaris servers has become very competitive with the cost of PC's of similar processing capability.



• Support: Many operators have existing UNIX-based hardware for other company functions. It is generally quite simple to implement and maintain engineering software packages on new or existing hardware within the framework of the company's existing IT support staff. Comsearch also offers complete system administration training as well as complete remote support when VPN or similar access can be provided.

This Solaris Server / PC Client operating environment offers our users the best of both worlds - the power, performance and stability of the SUN Solaris operating system combined with the ease of access and user-friendly, familiar operating environment of their own client PC.

iQ·link Deployments

iQ·link is used globally to design very reliable, spectrally efficient wireless networks. In its 15+ year history, it has been deployed in over 150 locations throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Malaysia.

Our experience and close relationship with these operators has enabled us to develop a very powerful and trusted solution.

Support

Comsearch is committed to offering world-class support for all of our products. Skilled Product Support engineers are employed to offer expert technical support for all of our users in their local time zones. We maintain a highly trained staff of Engineers, Product Managers, and Developers to insure not only robust new development but also timely solutions to any problems that may arise in the field.

Our support does not begin and end with iQ·link. Comsearch Product Support Engineers are trained experts in the use and administration of iQ·link, as well as Solaris, Windows, Oracle, SQL, shell scripts, Visual Basic, hardware, networking, etc. We are very committed to complete customer satisfaction and we will do everything possible to help our customers with anything related to their use of iQ·link.

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