InfoVista Live Small Cell Planning for Ericsson LTE

Planet Live Small Cells Planning Geo-Location Technical Solution Description Document

Solution Description Document

Introduction This document provides a typical workflow for engineers looking into deploying small cells in areas where user capacity poses a problem to existing macro cells.

About Planet’s Call Tracing Module Mentum Planet 5.8 has a new feature which allows leveraging call trace data into the planning and optimization environment of the tool. With the Call Tracing module, users can load 3G and LTE call tracing data to improve the quality of Planet’s extensive tool portfolio. One key benefit of working with call tracing data is the ability in Planet to geolocate real calls that happen on an operator’s network. With geolocation capabilities, KPIs and performance data is pin pointed with unprecedented accuracy at a very low cost compared to other applications.

Procedure Import the call tracing data from the vendor and technology present on your network. For the purpose of this document, the focus will on Ericsson LTE. In Planet’s Project Explorer, to the Operational Data category, expand the Call Trace Data node, and right click on the LTE field. You then select Import and Vendor Specific…

Figure 1. Importing cell trace data

You then select the logs or group of logs to be imported

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Figure 2. Selecting specific call trace logs

Finally select the group of sites for which the call trace data be relevant.


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Figure 3. Selecting the Applicable Cells

Once the call trace data is imported, the files will appear underneath the LTE node

Figure 4. Newly Imported Call Trace Logs


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Next, we’ll need to geolcate the call events. Planet does not geolocate the call events during the import process. This is due to some tools in Planet not requiring the geolocation piece for them to function properly i.e. Interference Matrix and Neighbor List Planning. However, for the purpose of this exercise, we will need the geolocation calculation for our traffic maps. Therefore, select the call trace already imported, right click and select Geolocate.

Figure 5. Geolocating Call Trace Data

In the geolocation process, one needs to specify the sites and a few parameters relevant to the help the algorithm place the call events in the most accurate locations. In this example we are including down to 140dBm RSRP events, excluding the ones that do not have RSRP nor Timing Advance Values. We are also going to aid the algorithm by entering relative clutter weightings and mobility probabilities. By entering this information the algorithm will be more successful geolocating the events that are in borderline places such as calls that may have happen in car or outdoors. The call density grid defines the resolution of our output subscriber density map.


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Figure 6. Selecting the Cells for Geolocation


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Figure 7. Aiding the Geolocation Algorithm for Higher Accuracy

Once the geolocation calculation has completed, one can display the subscribers displayed by pins on the map, or display the density grid.


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Figure 8. Geolocated Call Events


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Figure 9. Call Density Map from Call Trace Events

We will use the call density grid map to determine the places where small cells will need to be place to help this network with its capacity problems.

Small Cell Templates In Planet, we now need to define templates for the types of small cells that will be considered in the selection process. You can create as many templates as you wish where each can represent different types of locations, vendor, typical elevation, etc. In fact, in Planet you create a template by creating a common site, defining its properties and saving the site as a template. In the example below, pico templates were created considering the typical azimuths as well as placement elevations.


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Figure 10. Site Templates

Converting Traffic Maps In Planet, depending on the usage, traffic maps can be generated or converted to units of subscriber, Erlangs, or kbps density. The call tracing tool uses subscriber density, however, the small cell planning tool requires kbps density. To convert the units, Planet has the option to convert traffic maps to any of the units supported with a user defined scaling factor. For this example I am assuming a consumption of 750kbps per user


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Figure 11. Selecting a Traffic Map

Figure 12. Converting a Traffic Map

Small Cell Optimization Tool In the Project Explorer we now select the Optimization category. Here we then proceed to right click on Small Planning and then New.


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Figure 13. Creating a new Small Cell Plan

Proceed to define the name of the plan scenario, select the technology, map, and área on interest.

Figure 14. Selecting Name, Technology, Traffic and Area


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Choose the sites (macro and micro) in the area of interest

Figure 15. Selecting Cells


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In the Small Cell Placement window if a list (TAB file) of friendly locations (candidates) such as traffic lights, light posts, kiosks, bus station stops, etc, is available, one can enter the information here. Make sure to check the box “Use candidate locations” and browse for the file. In the “Generate candidate locations on the roads”, what Planet will attempt to do is find locations nearby (delta distance is user defined) roads, streets, etc. The exact options are along roads, along intersections, and along road and intersections. Vector maps will have to be loaded in the Planet project if this feature is to be used. Also, the user has control of inter site distance. In the “Small cell templates” window, one can add the site templates available. The radii of coverage can be set to manual or automatic. In the manual mode, one can define the max radius distance for the initial filtering of candidates, and in the auto mode, Planet will estimate the best radius based on an internal algorithm. The idea is to shortlist the best possible candidates based on traffic availability in the optimization area.

Figure 16. Selecting preferred locations and size for new small cells


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In the Clutter definitions, select the clutter types where small cells are allowed to be distributed. The options vary by clutter definitions. In addition, only a user defined percentile of candidates is considered based on the captured traffic.

Figure 17. Selecting the locations where small cells will not be placed

In the options window, one can select the equipment type, and a few other options that will impact the outcome of the optimization plan.


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Figure 18. Defining options for the algorithm

Finally, allow the optimization to begin and wait for the results.


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Figure 19. Saving and generating analysis

The Small Cell Planning tool can take several minutes up to a few hours depending on the complexity of the scenario given to the tool. The progress bar will indicate the progress of the final outcome.


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Figure 20. Progress bar including quality chart

Interactive Cell Planning (Site Selection) Planet offers an interactive way to view the small cell planning solution. Users can view and compare scenarios balancing the improvement on quality while providing the flexibility of allowing its users to choose the number of small cells that meet their budget. In other words, the user can choose the best quality that meet their budgets. The included GUI allows users deep analysis through charts and through a layout of the chosen solution scenario in the map window. In addition, Planet includes text reports that allow a simple way to quantify the improvements as function of number of new cells required. The new cells are sorted by number of new cells and the percentage of overall improvement.


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Figure 21. Interactive cell planning tool


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Figure 22. Network view of small cell plan scenario

Figure 23. Reporting options


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Figure 24. Sample of quality report


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Figure 25. Creating the small cells

Finally, the user can create new cells based on any of the steps generated by the small cell planning tool. These new cells will be added to the project’s site database. You can now use the new cells to perform any of the functions within Planet such as layer generation, statistical analysis among others.


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InfoVista Live Small Cell Planning for Ericsson LTE

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