xargol's weblog

This week I’ve been working at Telenor Mobil’s local division here in Lillehammer (Fåberg to be correct), “Telenor Mobil Radio Service Centre”. This was part of something we’re having at school, the “PRYO”-week, which translated to English means something among the lines of “Practical Business Orientation Week”. It basically means that we’re learning about how it is to work out in the real life by being out-stationed at a local company for a week. This is the same thing that LizteR wrote about some weeks ago.

Telenor Mobil RSC has the main responsibility for Telenor Mobil’s national GSM and UMTS networks. In other words, it’s because of them it’s possible for you to call back home from just about everywhere in Norway. Another thing they’re doing is testing new cell phone models to make sure they work in Telenor’s network. Since 2001 they’ve also delivered WLAN hotspot solutions to gas stations and hotels here in Norway.

On Monday morning I first got a tour around their facilities. Then they put me to do some simple office work they had lying, like checking inventory lists and so on. After that I got to join the guys in the WLAN lab, and they thaught me how to set up wireless access points for their WLAN hotspots.

On Tuesday I started the day with the guy who tests the new cell phones. We went to a completely radio signal-disposed chamber, and he demonstrated the testing procedures on a new Nokia phone, not yet released on the market. We then tested my (aging) Sony Ericsson T610 phone. It passed on the second try, hehe.

The rest of the Tuesday and the whole Wednesday I continued to work in the WLAN lab. In addition to setting up more access points I got to configure some Cisco-switches and Linux servers. All in all I think I’ve configured ~50 access points, six Cisco-switches and three Linux-servers. Phew.

On Thursday I went with one of the guys from the WLAN lab to Gudbrandsgard Hotel in Kvitfjell, a one hour drive from Fåberg. We replaced their access controller server and one of their switches. We also replaced switches on Quality Hotel Hafjell and Quality Hotel Hunderfossen, two hotels not far from Lillehammer.

Friday morning I got another tour around, this time telling me a bit more in-depth about what the different people are doing. They showed me the “Nokia-lab” and the “Ericsson-lab”, where they test new equipment for their GSM/UMTS base stations. They also showed me their storage facilities, where they store all spare parts and parts for new-etablishement of new GSM/UMTS base stations.

To sum it up; I’ve had a great week!