vB Easy Archive - Any of you guys work in Engineering?

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Any of you guys work in Engineering?
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Posted by: moddestmike

Well I have about a year and a half left of college (Electrical Engineering/Math Minor), and am wondering how you got started in the engineering department. Now I'm not refering to cell site technicians and such, but guys who design, implement and maintain the technologies.(HSDPA, HSUPA, and future technologies such as HSOPA.)

Posted by: Isriam

do you mean RF engineering? they do most of that, if you mean maintain. the other engineers are like network engineers who just design build packages such as where to install equipment, and what ip address assignments to give it.

vendors do the major engineering. such as how specs are built and what equipment should do.

Posted by: moddestmike

Vendors as in Qualcomm?

Posted by: Isriam

vendors as in lucent, nortel, alcatel, ericsson. they make telecom gear. qualcomm doesn't interface with cingular. they interface with telecom vendors like lucent and nortel.

Posted by: stevOh

Siemens does alot of the GSM stuff here in Michigan for cingy.

Posted by: irockash

isn't most of that contracted?

Posted by: araknis

that's actually not true. qcom supplies the chipsets to mobile manufacturers and will often interface directly with cingular if there is an issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isriam

vendors as in lucent, nortel, alcatel, ericsson. they make telecom gear. qualcomm doesn't interface with cingular. they interface with telecom vendors like lucent and nortel.

Posted by: Isriam

and how do you know this araknis?

Posted by: araknis

i work in the industry and deal with a handfull of people at qcom and cingular who interface with each other.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isriam

and how do you know this araknis?

Posted by: Isriam

ah ok. i have no doubt that qualcomm talks to cingular. but no matter how big cingular is, theres only like a couple people who actually deal with that stuff.

from what the OP says, he is looking more into a vendor job than a cingular job. cingular just uses whatever its given from its vendors.

Posted by: I have a phone

Quote:

Originally Posted by araknis

that's actually not true. qcom supplies the chipsets to mobile manufacturers and will often interface directly with cingular if there is an issue.

they sure do

Posted by: CREqptEng

Well, I started working at Cingular back when it was still Cellular One Chicago, back in the late 90's. They used to have a "co-op" program, basically part time working while attending school. I was a part of that program for 2.5 yrs, until I graduated. Once I graduated, with a BSEE, I got a job at Tellabs, after I got laid off from Tellabs, I got a job in one of the ATT Wireless MTSO's(switch site). After about 2 years in that position, and after the Cingular/AWS merger, I moved to an Equipment Engineering position.

Someone else mentioned that the vendors do most of the designing of the equipment, and this is 100% correct. That is their job, they design equipment, we buy it and implement it.

Posted by: moddestmike

Hate to prude but any word on when Cingy will bump up to 3.6megs/s? And whats up with the express cards?

Posted by: scepterr

Dell already sells an express card for cingular, and we will start carrying them in the store in march.

DELL

Posted by: p8ntbllrx

What part of the country are you in moddestmike? There are a few options, some will depend on where you live and where you are willing to live.
Regions are tasked with planning/maintaining their networks. Usually this happens in the regional hub or regional hq, but could also vary depending on switch location, etc.
Good luck.

Posted by: YF 19 AVF

I thin what you are thinking about is the "NOC" or Network Operations Center. For the most part, you have to get hired to one of the call centers and work your way up from "ANS" or Advaced network services. It will usually take about 2-3 years to get to the "NOC" form a "new hire" position.

Posted by: CREqptEng

Quote:

Originally Posted by YF 19 AVF

I thin what you are thinking about is the "NOC" or Network Operations Center. For the most part, you have to get hired to one of the call centers and work your way up from "ANS" or Advaced network services. It will usually take about 2-3 years to get to the "NOC" form a "new hire" position.

You must be kidding... The NOC is where all of the new hires go... Most of the NOC employees barely know what a T1 is, much less a switch. I know a LOT of the NOC techs in the Central Region, and they are always complaining about how they can not even get an interview for a different position in the company. All of the hiring managers in this area will not even look at an application from a NOC tech. In my opinion the NOC and Field Techs are the worst technical jobs in the company(no one hires field techs either). My advice is to try and get a job in a MTSO.

From a switch background it is a relatively easy transition into: Translations, Implementation, BSC or MSC planning, transport, equipment engineering, building engineering. When I started at ATTWS(about 2.5 yrs ago) there were 9 switch techs. Today, only 2 of those original 9 are still in the switch. The other 7 have moved to different positions, as well as myself. The ATTWS/Cingular merger definitely helped, lots of new positions/opportunities were available, but there are always good positions available for switch techs.

I only know of two RNOC techs that left the RNOC for other positions in the company(since the merger, ATTWS' NOC was a National NOC on the west coast). Both of them moved laterally(no pay increase) into the switch because they knew that switch experience would help them move up in the company.

Posted by: Isriam

i was thinking the same thing ^ but just didn't get around to saying it.

switch tech's don't stick around long if they are good. and its a great starting point to learn the network.