Japan’s SoftBank has employed an innovative method for designing radio access networks using machine learning based technology provided by Ericsson.
The operator used Ericsson’s machine intelligence based method for advanced radio network design for a network upgrade in the Tokai sub-region. SoftBank was able to automate the process for RAN design using the service by applying data analytics to a cluster of 2,000 radio cells.
Ericsson’s service aggregates cells into clusters and takes statistics from these clusters to conduct a thorough analysis of the radio network environment.
This analysis takes factors including cell coverage overlap, signal strength and receive diversity into consideration, to help make decisions such as the best way to evolve the network.
The method cut the lead time for the deployment by 40% compared to traditional network design.
“We applied Ericsson’s service on dense urban clusters with multi-band complexity in the Tokai region,” SoftBank radio technology section manager at the Tokai Network Technology Department Rya Manda said.
“The positive outcome exceeded our expectations and we are currently proceeding in other geographical areas with the same method and close cooperation with Ericsson.”