Operators need to have an accurate view of how their 5G network will behave in terms of coverage and capacity. As it is expected that 5G will operate at higher frequencies, there are new propagation phenomena that need to be modelled, such as vegetation or rain. And as networks grow in complexity, there is an even greater requirement to capture more data, to then automate decisions, and to plan with a huge number of variables.
It is therefore key to have an accurate tool, or even better; a suite of tools to effectively manage these important operational requirements. For this, Forsk has developed three products Atoll, Naos and Aster.
Atoll – a planning tool designed to help operators make the most efficient decisions in terms of how and where to deploy their network, by modelling the future network’s behaviour in the most accurate manner
Naos – an automation platform that requires software development and integration with other systems to automate specific planning and optimisation processes of the operators.
Aster – a propagation model that provides a high-performance propagation model to support macro, micro, and small cell urban propagation scenarios
Automation in the radio planning and optimisation field
The majority of mobile operators’ worldwide use Atoll, with more than 9000 active licenses installed with 500+ customers in 140 countries. Atoll allows planning and optimisation of networks, meaning choosing locations and settings of the physical equipment, either with prediction models or with live data coming from the network.
The purpose of a planning tool such as Atoll is to help operators make the most efficient decisions in terms of how and where to deploy their network, by modelling the future network’s behaviour in the most accurate manner. This is not something new as Forsk has been providing these solutions for 2 decades. What is new is that the availability of extensive and flexible computing power (with the cloud), more live data from the networks (such as traces or crowdsourced data) and a more open software infrastructure enables Forsk’s software products to automate multiple decision-making tasks. Atoll software can be used right off-the-shelf. Some integration with the OSS and with measurements will provide additional accuracy and productivity to the operator. An Atoll implementation can be gradual and incremental.
To complement Atolls functionality, Naos, a new product released in 2019, enables operators to automate all their planning and optimisation tasks. The goal is to handle huge amounts of data (such as traces or crowdsourced data) that a desktop application managed by a human being cannot and, by automating the prediction and optimisation work, save time and engineering resources. Automation algorithms allow automatic planning and optimising of networks using AI technologies.
Naos is an automation platform that requires software development and integration with other systems to automate specific planning and optimisation processes of the operators.
Finally, Atoll with its Massive-Mimo and 3D-beamforming features, combined with the Aster propagation model provides a high-performance 5G radio planning environment that supports macro, micro, and small cell urban propagation scenarios.
Forsk is aware that operators are definitely looking for automation solutions, in particular when massive deployments need to be achieved in a very short timeframe. With Naos, manual work of RF engineers can be reduced as much as possible by automating all applicable tasks. Naos can be driven by 3rd party software or a web-based front-end and allows operators to automate and integrate 5G radio planning activities.
Forsk is an independent software company with over 20 years of specialising in radio planning and optimisation tools. Read more here.
The GSM Association (“Association”) makes no representation, warranty or undertaking (express or implied) with respect to and does not accept any responsibility for, and hereby disclaims liability for the accuracy or completeness or timeliness of the information contained in this document.