Ranplan Wireless, a UK-based subsidiary of Ranplan Group AB and provider of the industry’s only in-building and outdoor wireless planning and optimisation software solution, has just announced Ranplan Professional 5.2, a tool which is designed to help networks use 5G New Radio (5G NR) to efficiently plan, optimise and design 5G networks.
It includes enhanced support for Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output), as well as true 3D beamforming, which Ranplan claims are both important for optimising spectrum efficiency to deliver virtual reality, augmented reality and other eMBB (enhance Mobile Broadband) services.
We’ve used the word ‘optimisation’ a lot here and that’s key, as developing, building and running a 5G network is a huge job, so anything that can optimise parts of the process is a major boon, as it can lead to time, cost and efficiency savings.
It’s one of a number of initiatives designed to smooth the roll out of 5G. Another example is the Nokia ReefShark chipset, which is not just more power efficient but also smaller and lighter than its predecessors, thereby allowing it to also reduce and energy consumption of Massive MIMO antennas – which we’ll see a lot of in 5G networks.
Simulations and seminars
Ranplan Professional 5.2 additionally offers the ability to simulate all possible MIMO variants for both 5G and 4G LTE-Advanced across the whole heterogeneous network, and it supports all foreseen 5G bands from 700MHz to 100GHz.
“Ranplan Professional 5.2 represents a significant milestone in our mission of revolutionising the way wireless networks are planned. 5G networks will be initially deployed in buildings and urban environments. Ranplan’s latest version is uniquely positioned to address these challenges as the first in-building solution in the world to support 5G,” said Alastair Williamson, CEO Ranplan Group AB.
For more information on Ranplan Professional 5.2, the company will be holding a 5G webinar on Thursday October 18th.
