Network performance orchestration vendor InfoVista announced updates to its RF planning and optimization software, Planet 6.1. The new release allows wireless operators to take advantage of next-generation network deployments by enabling accurate planning and optimization of both IoT and 5G networks.
Through Planet’s modeling capabilities and built-in automated mobile network planning (ANP) capabilities – including automatic cell planning (ACP), RF planning and optimization – engineers can select the best mobile network design and deployment scenarios, automate RF network planning, manage large-scale mobile networks and optimize mobile network performance.
Planet’s capabilities allow mobile operators to improve radio network design quality, roll out next-generation networks faster, and ultimately improve network capital and operating expenditures.
“With the explosion of IoT and new mobile applications and services, the potential of IoT and 5G technologies is tremendous,” said James Morrison, SVP, communications service provider products and markets, InfoVista. “To leverage this potential, operators must have a well-defined strategy and plan for their network infrastructure. With Planet 6.1, operators can safely and strategically take advantage of innovative technologies like IoT, 5G and others with the least amount of obstacles standing in their way.”
Leveraging the strengths of InfoVista’s portfolio, Planet offers live RF planning by integrating access to live data such as highly accurate, geo-located call traces, temporal selections of network performance data and live mobile network configuration and parameters. It provides RF engineers with an accurate view of their mobile network’s current status, its evolving traffic demands and existing network issues.
It also facilitates timely radio network planning and optimization decisions for areas of poor performance or quickly growing traffic demand. Planet also enables easy hotspot identification for small cell roll-outs, more accurate network analyses as well as prediction-based mobile network optimization.
For Internet of Things (IoT) networks, Planet 6.1 supports Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technologies such as Sigfox and LoRa, so operators can evaluate the best fit for their technology requirements and take advantage of the 16 billion global IoT devices predicted to exist by 20211.
Among other techniques, operators can simulate an operational network and dimension it to allow for accurate forecasts, plan for spectrum issues and site locations with coverage maps, and account for customer segmentation with demand forecasting and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities. These capabilities allow operators to design their IoT deployment strategy throughout the entire radio access network lifecycle.
For 5G networks, Planet 6.1 supports millimeter wave (mmW) propagation and 3D modeling that accommodate frequencies up to 100 GHz. As such, with support for multiple preliminary dimensioning use cases for 5G, Planet 6.1 grants network operators and equipment vendors the confidence that their 5G networks will be technically ready when it comes time to deploy them.
