Did you know two of the three tier-1 U.S. mobile operators already use Maxar data for their nationwide 5G deployments? What’s changed?
In July 2020 we presented our telco webinar—3D Maps Calling: The Key to a Successful Deployment of NextGen 5G & FWA Radio Networks—in which we discussed new challenges that come with new technologies. You can watch the recording here.
You hear a lot about 5G these days. The goal is to provide high capacity and fast, reliable connections over very wide areas, and this will require a mix of frequencies. One band might be appropriate for rural areas, but other, higher-range bands, like millimeter wave, are best for dense parts of cities, as they bring much higher speeds but less coverage span.
Several countries—like Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and those in the U.K.—have already auctioned mid-band frequencies (3.4-3.8 GHz), with some operators investing a high price to acquire these frequencies. The U.S. is considering the CITIZENS BROADBAND RADIO SERVICE as an alternative for its mid-band. In the meantime, some U.S. operators have already begun 5G deployment on 2.5 GHz, and others are using mmWave (23-26 GHz). Fixed wireless access (FWA) will use 5G technology, like beamforming and mmWave, to markedly boost wireless broadband services.
New and multiple frequencies complicate things, and so do new radio techniques that come with them. Not to mention new business cases like enhanced mobile broadband, FWA, connected vehicles, massive internet of things …
Radio planners have much to consider. Managers have to carefully control and secure their 5G network investments.
Radio planning for previous technologies, like 2G, 3G and 4G, was “simple” and did not require a lot of details, so low-resolution 2D maps were sufficient. For 5G and FWA, service providers can’t plan in the same ways they used to, nor with the same lower-resolution 2D or sometimes 2.5D maps that they already have. Successful planning and deployment will rely on details in large-scale areas—including buildings and vegetation, urban and rural—in full 3D.
5G and FWA require something new and different. It’s about solving the equation of the multiple-frequencies mix, new radio propagation techniques and complex current and future business cases.
To solve this complex equation, Maxar uses sophisticated algorithms with big data and AI techniques, with automation, to generate very high-resolution 3D and 4D maps at large scale. This means that our solutions are not only technologically advanced (we’ll even go so far as to call them “future-proof”) but also cost-effective.
In other words, our geodata can help large—or small—telco companies plan a large-scale network, while keeping costs down. Maxar’s TELCO SUITE has been engineered from day one to address core challenges:
- Precision is key in the design of new radio networks and services. We have unrivaled position accuracy for next-generation telecommunications and military use.
- Critical business applications need the right scale and accuracy. All maps in the Maxar Telco Suite are natively produced in 3D at 50 cm resolution at country scale.
- The right geodata can minimize your 5G services’ time to market by targeting specific areas of interest based on terrain visibility. Scalable 3D maps help you launch swiftly.
- Control cost through 3D visibility at unbeatable market prices. 3D visibility allows operators to deploy 5G sites where they bring the most benefits in terms of coverage and traffic.
Want to know more? You can interact with a sample of our data on our NEXT-GEN GEODATA page, or request a DEMO.