Technicians or technical officers from private and public organisations apply the skills and knowledge in this unit to plan developments in Core or Access networks.

They combine technical design skills with organisational and business skills to apply business acumen to network planning for service providers and asset owners.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Analyse forecasts using customer demand

1.1. Gather and organise information concerning customer service and usage data to determine customer demand

1.2. Determine trends in customer demands in specific customer operating environment and markets

1.3. Assess key measures of capacity and customer demand for forecast

2. Build models to develop business cases

2.1. Construct a model to represent key options to formulate strategic proposals in network planning

2.2. Access the legislation that govern carriers in Australia to determine the rights of carriers and service providers in installing facilities under Commonwealth legislation

2.3. Produce a strategic network plan using key variables and communicate them to intended audience

2.4. Apply business case methodology to determine key economic measures and risks to business success

2.5. Evaluate business value and options to recommend appropriate planning strategy

3. Apply financial analysis

3.1. Use a financial investment tool relevant to the business environment to determine financial viability of the planning project

3.2. Apply key economic measures in an analysis process and develop business strategy

3.3. Determine relevant level of financial analysis required to optimise network planning

4. Analyse demographic trends for strategy development

4.1. Gather demographic data and determine impact of demographic diversity on planning strategies

4.2. Analyse data and produce demographic trends for use in strategy developments in network planning

5. Assess technology implementation

5.1. Determine unit costs associated with technologies and products by using lifecycle of technologies

5.2. Research what different technology bases can deliver and the circumstances and locations in which they should be successfully deployed

6. Evaluate network deployment architecture

6.1. Evaluate network deployment architecture using network deployment rules and reasoning behind architecture rules

6.2. Produce a business model of network planning applying commercial considerations and exemption process

Required skills

analytical skills to:

evaluate technical and financial models

interpret, analyse and evaluate data

communications skills to liaise with internal and external personnel on technical and operational matters

literacy skills to read and interpret technical and financial information from a range of sources

planning and organisational skills to prioritise and monitor own work

research skills to gather information on a range of network planning issues

technical skills to:

carry out financial analyses

use emerging technologies in network planning

Required knowledge

business modelling

commercial considerations:

capital expenditure (CAPEX)

operational expenditure (OPEX)

product revenue and demand versus network cost

return on investment (RoI)

time to market

demographics

emerging technologies of telecommunications

financial investment tools:

cost-benefit analysis

investment management system

net present value (NPV)

financial models

forecasting of trends

legislation:

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Telecommunications Industry Regulatory Accounting Framework (RAF)

Universal Service Obligation (USO)

network planning processes

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

analyse forecasts using customer demand

build models to develop business cases

apply financial analysis

analyse demographic trends for strategy development

assess technology implementation

evaluate network deployment architecture.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

access to network planning data, relevant databases, business and financial models

systems and deployment rules

relevant legislations, planning processes and Telecommunications Industry Regulatory Accounting Framework (RAF).

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

review of business models and strategic network plans completed by the candidate

oral or written questioning to assess required knowledge that applies to the business acumen for network planning

review of demographic data and research collected by the candidate.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTNPL4108A Plan the deployment of access network architectures

ICTNPL4113A Plan the deployment of core network

ICTNPL4151A Plan the telecommunications access network for an estate.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Trends in customer demands may include:

demands for new services

demographic trends

growth in customer demand

service level forecast

technology upgrade.

Key measures of capacity may include:

available bandwidth

available headroom in infrastructure

available outlets or ports

spare channels.

Legislation may include:

ACCC

ACMA legislations

Telecommunications Act 1997

RAF

telecommunications ombudsman

Trade Practices Act

USO.

Key variables may include:

deployment rate

growth rate

high output sensitivity

time to market.

Intended audience may include:

customers

decision makers

financial managers

planners.

Key economic measures may include:

macro-economic environment

market trends.

Financial investment tools may include:

cost-benefit analysis

investment management system

NPV.

Demographic diversity may include:

cultural diversity

non-homogenous customer demand

socioeconomic diversity.

Demographic trends may include:

ageing population

forecast non-homogenous demand

increase in cultural groups

technology poor.

Commercial considerations may include:

CAPEX

OPEX

product revenue and demand versus network cost

RoI

time to market.

Exemption process may include:

financial impediments

network deployment rules

reasoning behind architecture rules.

Unit sector

Telecommunications

Network planning

This unit contains employability skills.