Verizon is using an AI-power 5G Network Planning Platform to optimize the density, positioning, and placement of its network transmitters to minimize capex, according to CIO magazine, which gave the internally developed system a “CIO 100 Award for IT innovation and Leadership.” Machine-learning algorithms were developed by the MNO to generate long-term traffic forecasts for wireless coverage, which guides the location of the cell sites.
“We are in the midst of deploying one of our largest investments — our 5G network — and this platform is an integral part of it,” says Sumit Singh, Vice President and Platform Project Leader. “This is how we decide how to optimize and how best to deploy the network, which starts with where we should be deploying it.”
Verizon began using its planning platform in March 2021, and it has enabled the deployment of all of its Ultra Wideband 5G network to date. Verizon is in the process of deploying more 5G Ultra Wideband service in major population centers in 2022, including Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; Baltimore, MD; and Washington, D.C.
The architectural design of radio access networks is important because of the critical nature of 5G wireless services and the increasing deployments for enterprises, according to Nishita Hathi, Product Management of TEOCO, in The Fast Mode. “RAN planners need to take into account where their customers are located (and where their future customers will be located) and then build the required infrastructure from the ground up to meet the coverage, capacity and QoS requirements that the enterprise 5G use cases demand,” the publication wrote.
To maintain quality of service, the MNO must monitor, analyze, and optimize the network or be subject to subscriber churn. “Failure to rise to this 5G network planning challenge will see operators unable to deliver on the promise of many 5G services, and ultimately, miss out on those significant revenue opportunities,” the publication wrote.
Traditionally, the design of RAN transmitter deployments required manual, repetitive calibration and parameter manipulation to simulate RF propagation, which was a lengthy process prone to errors. AI-enabled planning tools automate the collaboration process to streamline the RAN planning process, according to The Fast Mode, which empowers engineers to forgo a lot of the manual processes.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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