MWC 2021 – HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform, today announced a partnership with M2Catalyst, a global telecommunications data services provider, focused on improving the mobile experience through enhancing the tools used by the industry for cellular network antenna placement and location lease optimization.
As the global telecom industry invests hundreds of billions of dollars to build out 5G, while seamlessly managing existing networks, M2Catalyst and HERE provide Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) the opportunity to reduce costs by improving the speed and accuracy of site selection.
Cellular network builders and MNOs utilize M2Catalyst’s data-as-a-service offering to identify and plan the optimal placements of network antennas. The M2Catalyst Crowd SiteIntel (CSI) dashboard is unique in its capability to present aggregated network performance data from various locations, across multiple operators, over time. The CSI web-based visualization tools and automated reporting functions are especially important for 3/4/5G network management and planning the density of antennas required by 5G.
By incorporating HERE data into the M2Catalyst CSI dashboard, the process of selecting indoor and outdoor cell site locations can be significantly optimized. M2Catalyst CSI users can now leverage high-precision location data from HERE to evaluate thousands of potential new site locations, with analytical reports ready in minutes instead of months. In urban markets, the CSI dashboard increases the speed and precision at which MNOs and telecom infrastructure providers can identify buildings and locations for rooftop sites and small cell locations on lamp posts and street furniture.
HERE provides commercial-grade mapping and location-based services to customers across the world. The company has applied its expertise in 3D mapping, location algorithms and Machine Learning to extract 3D object geometry, features and attributes from terrestrial LiDAR, terrestrial 360° satellite and aerial imagery. HERE creates highly precise, scalable and rich datasets to support accurate, cost-effective design and optimization of 5G networks.
“Accurate building height is the first step to a more holistic solution for site selection, a key component for 5G network planning. More precise geometry and higher fidelity 3D datasets enable more realistic representations of reality, and more accurate coverage and throughput simulations,” said Mike Brough, Founder and CEO, M2Catalyst. “We have found that the depth and accuracy of HERE data is far greater than competing open-source map platforms that have a very high rate of missing building polygons, building heights and internal wall partitions.”
HERE 3D LiDAR data provides users with critical information for 5G network planning, such as tree foliage and street poles, which impact mobile network design and expansion. HERE data brings a new level of precision for 5G network radio frequency signal propagation, line-of-sight mapping and digital site surveys.
“Having a consistent, comprehensive and accessible representation of reality helps prevent errors in propagation modeling, site selection, backhaul planning and other network design decisions,” said Herve Utheza, Senior Director, Emerging Tech at HERE Technologies. “We look forward to working with our partner, M2Catalyst, to help the industry reach its maximum capital utilization as companies embark on their journeys of transformation.”
