23 April 2014: Ranplan will be showcasing its latest software tools for in-building wireless network design and optimization at LTE MENA (Middle East and North Africa) in Dubai from 12th-13th May 2014. Ranplan’s iBuildNet® and iBuildNet-Fi® solutions transform the design of 2G/3G/4G LTE and Wi-Fi networks for buildings such as hotels, offices and shopping malls, as well as combined indoor-outdoor HetNets for facilities including campuses, (CBDs) Central Business Districts, stadiums, airports and stations. iBuildNet also supports the design of Tetra and PMR (Public Mobile Radio) systems.

iBuildNet and iBuildNet-Fi deliver advanced 3D building modeling, a fast and accurate 3D ray-tracing propagation engine and powerful data analysis to automatically optimize Access Point (AP) locations, antenna type, power and channel assignment. The Ranplan tools can be used to design and simulate a wide range of wireless networks from microcells, repeaters and distributed antenna system to heterogeneous networks with femtocells and Wi-Fi, delivering maximum coverage and capacity for reduced CAPEX and OPEX.  Ranplan tools also support passive, active and hybrid signal distribution as well as multi-standard and frequency band solutions which complement SON (Self Organizing Networks) technology and network implementations.

“With up to 80% of data already consumed indoors and the volume of traffic growing rapidly, the in-building environment is now a major challenge for operators who have traditionally used outdoor macro cellsites to deliver indoor coverage,” said Professor Jie Zhang, Principal Consultant at Ranplan and Chair in Wireless Systems at the University of Sheffield in the UK.  “With increasing demand for capacity, limited spectrum and the use of higher frequencies, this approach is no longer feasible.  RF planning for indoor and outdoor networks has to take into account complex issues such as signal distribution throughout building structures made of different materials and interference from external cells.”

iBuildNet and iBuildNet-Fi coordinate between indoor and outdoor environments such as campuses, stadiums and airports with a typical resolution up to 20 cubic centimeters. Designers can perform interference, user throughput and network capacity analysis to validate the system during the design process and ensure current and future network capacity requirements are satisfied. 

LTE MENA 2014 will attract over 800+ attendees from over 40 countries to discuss a wide range of issues including; spectrum regulation, sustainable business models, innovative service provision, OTT partnership development and the technology challenges that operators continue to face. This year LTE MENA will look closely at the monetization aspects of LTE and examine the emerging markets of the region.