Level 11
5G RF Planning & Deployment
Master the complete RF planning and deployment lifecycle for 5G NR — propagation models (Okumura-Hata, COST-231, 3GPP 38.901), link budget calculations (DL/UL), coverage vs capacity dimensioning, antenna systems (passive panels, active AAU 32T/64T), MIMO configurations, mechanical/electrical/digital tilt, site design (macro, micro, small cell, indoor), hardware installation (AAU, BBU/DU, RRU), software commissioning, integration testing, site acceptance KPIs, 4G/5G co-existence, DSS, spectrum refarming, and NSA→SA migration strategies.
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0/32 lessons
RF Planning Fundamentals
0/9Master the fundamentals of 5G RF planning — planning methodology, propagation models, link budget calculations, coverage vs capacity dimensioning, inter-cell interference management, and real-world planning exercises.
5G RF planning methodology
The end-to-end RF planning process — requirements gathering, coverage objectives, capacity targets, propagation analysis, link budget, site count estimation, nominal plan, and optimization. Coverage-first vs capacity-first approach.
lesson3 min
Propagation models for 5G
Key propagation models used in 5G planning — Okumura-Hata (150-1500 MHz), COST-231 Hata (1500-2000 MHz), and 3GPP TR 38.901 models for Urban Macro (UMa), Urban Micro (UMi), Rural Macro (RMa), and Indoor Hotspot (InH). When to use each model.
lesson4 min
Link budget calculation for 5G NR
Hands-on link budget calculation for both downlink and uplink in 5G NR. Parameters: Tx power, antenna gain, cable loss, EIRP, receiver sensitivity, noise figure, implementation margin, body loss, indoor penetration loss, fade margins, and Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL).
lab5 min
Link budget parameters deep dive
Detailed breakdown of every link budget parameter with typical 5G values — EIRP (49-62 dBm for macro), MAPL (135-160 dB), receiver sensitivity (-101 to -95 dBm), shadow fade margin (7-10 dB), building penetration loss (15-25 dB), and how they vary by frequency band (n1, n28, n41, n77, n78, n257, n258).
lesson4 min
Coverage vs capacity dimensioning
When is your network coverage-limited vs capacity-limited? Coverage dimensioning determines minimum signal level for service. Capacity dimensioning ensures enough resources (PRBs, sectors, carriers) for the traffic load. Rural areas are coverage-limited; urban areas are capacity-limited.
lesson3 min
Capacity dimensioning
Calculate required site count from capacity perspective — traffic model (subscribers, busy hour traffic per user, DL/UL ratio), PRB calculation (bandwidth → RBs per SCS), sector throughput (modulation, MIMO layers, scheduling efficiency), and site capacity. Interactive calculator: input subscribers → get required sites.
lab5 min
Inter-cell interference and frequency reuse
Inter-cell interference in 5G NR with reuse-1 deployment. Interference mitigation techniques: ICIC (Inter-Cell Interference Coordination), eICIC (enhanced ICIC), CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Point), power control, beam-based interference management in massive MIMO.
lesson3 min
Real-world: Plan 5G coverage for a suburban cluster
End-to-end planning exercise — given a 2 km² suburban area with population density, terrain type, and traffic demand, calculate link budget for n78 (3.5 GHz), determine cell radius, estimate site count, create nominal plan with site locations, and validate coverage.
lesson5 min
Quiz: RF Planning Fundamentals
Test your understanding of RF planning methodology, propagation models, link budget calculations, and coverage/capacity dimensioning.
quiz3 min
Antenna Systems & MIMO Configuration
0/8Understand 5G antenna technologies and MIMO configurations — passive panels vs active AAUs, antenna parameters (gain, beamwidth, F/B ratio), tilt strategies, azimuth planning, massive MIMO configurations (4T4R to 64T64R), and indoor antenna systems.
5G antenna types: passive panels vs active AAU
Comparison of 5G antenna types — passive panel antennas (used with separate RRU for sub-3 GHz), active antenna units (AAU) with integrated radio and antenna elements (32T32R, 64T64R for C-band and mmWave). Specs: weight (15-40 kg), power consumption (800-1200W), wind load, and dimensions.
lesson3 min
Antenna parameters
Key antenna parameters for RF planning — gain (15-25 dBi), horizontal beamwidth (65° for 3-sector, 33° for 6-sector), vertical beamwidth (6-12°), front-to-back ratio (>25 dB), cross-polar discrimination (>18 dB), and VSWR (<1.5). How each parameter affects coverage.
lesson3 min
Mechanical tilt vs electrical tilt vs digital tilt
Interactive beam tilt simulator — mechanical downtilt (physical bracket, affects entire pattern), electrical downtilt (RET motor, independent per band), digital tilt (beamforming weights, beam-specific). See how each tilt type changes coverage footprint, cell edge RSRP, and interference to neighbors.
lab4 min
Azimuth planning and sector orientation
Sector azimuth planning — 3-sector (0°/120°/240° or 0°/110°/250°), 6-sector configurations, offset patterns for coverage optimization, inter-site azimuth coordination to minimize pilot pollution. How to choose sector orientation for different site types.
lesson3 min
Massive MIMO configurations for planning
MIMO configuration comparison for 5G planning — 4T4R (FDD low-band, ~200 Mbps/cell), 8T8R (FDD mid-band, ~400 Mbps/cell), 32T32R (TDD C-band, ~1.5 Gbps/cell), 64T64R (TDD C-band, ~2.5 Gbps/cell). Coverage gain from beamforming (3-7 dB), capacity multiplier, and cost/power trade-offs.
lesson4 min
Indoor antenna systems: DAS, small cells, repeaters
Indoor coverage solutions — Distributed Antenna Systems (passive DAS, active DAS, digital DAS), small cells (picocells, femtocells), signal repeaters/boosters, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH). When to use each: capacity requirements, building size, cost, and operator control.
lesson3 min
Real-world: Antenna selection for different environments
Practical antenna selection — urban dense (64T64R AAU on n78, 6° tilt), suburban (32T32R AAU on n78 + 4T4R on n28), rural (4T4R on low-band n28/n1, high-gain antenna 18 dBi), indoor (small cells for capacity, DAS for large venues). Decision matrix exercise.
lesson3 min
Quiz: Antenna Systems
Test your knowledge of 5G antenna types, antenna parameters, tilt strategies, MIMO configurations, and indoor antenna systems.
quiz3 min
Site Design & Deployment
0/9Learn the complete 5G site lifecycle — site types, site survey, hardware installation, transport requirements, software commissioning, integration testing, and site acceptance with real KPI thresholds.
Site types for 5G deployment
Types of 5G cell sites — macro rooftop (urban, 20-40m height, 0.5-2 km radius), greenfield tower (suburban/rural, 30-60m, 1-5 km), micro/street-level (small cells on poles/walls, 100-500m), indoor (ceiling/wall mounted, 20-50m), and COW (Cell on Wheels for temporary coverage). When to use each type.
lesson3 min
Site survey checklist
What to check during a 5G site survey — structural assessment (load bearing, space for AAU/BBU), RF assessment (height, clear LoS, nearby obstructions, interference sources), power assessment (capacity, backup, metering), transport assessment (fiber availability, backhaul capacity), and regulatory (permits, zoning, EMF compliance).
lesson3 min
Hardware components and installation
Step-by-step hardware installation — Active Antenna Unit (AAU/mMIMO) mounting and alignment, Baseband Unit (BBU/DU) rack installation, power distribution and battery backup, fiber optic cabling (fronthaul eCPRI), RF jumper cables, GPS antenna for timing, grounding and lightning protection. Safety protocols.
lesson4 min
Transport requirements
Bandwidth requirements for 5G transport — fronthaul (eCPRI) for 7.2x split: 25 Gbps per cell for 64T64R, midhaul (F1 interface): 10 Gbps per site, backhaul (N3/S1): 10 Gbps per macro site. Latency requirements: fronthaul <100μs, midhaul <1ms, backhaul <10ms. Transport options: dark fiber, wavelength, microwave.
lesson3 min
Software commissioning and parameter configuration
Key commissioning steps — software upload, cell parameter configuration (PCI, TAC, PLMN, frequency/ARFCN, bandwidth, SCS, TDD pattern), neighbor relations (intra-freq, inter-freq, inter-RAT), power parameters (max Tx power, RACH target received power), and handover parameters (A3 offset, TTT, hysteresis).
lesson4 min
Integration testing
Post-commissioning validation — first call test (registration, PDU session, data), CSFB/VoNR voice call test, intra-frequency handover test, inter-frequency handover test, inter-RAT handover test (5G↔4G), throughput test (DL/UL with iPerf), latency test (ping), and alarm check.
lesson3 min
Site acceptance KPI thresholds
Site acceptance criteria with real KPI thresholds — Coverage: RSRP > -110 dBm (outdoor), SINR > 0 dB at cell edge. Performance: DL throughput > 100 Mbps (avg), UL > 30 Mbps. Accessibility: RRC setup SR > 99%, RACH SR > 99%. Retainability: Drop rate < 1%. Mobility: HO success rate > 98%. Alarms: zero critical/major alarms.
lesson3 min
Lab: Commission a 5G NR site
Simulated end-to-end site commissioning — configure cell parameters (PCI, TAC, frequency), set neighbor relations, configure power and handover parameters, run integration tests (first call, handover, throughput), check KPIs against acceptance thresholds, and sign off.
lab6 min
Quiz: Site Design & Deployment
Test your knowledge of 5G site types, survey processes, hardware installation, commissioning, integration testing, and site acceptance criteria.
quiz3 min
4G/5G Co-existence & Migration
0/6Understand how 4G and 5G coexist on the same infrastructure — co-site deployment, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), spectrum refarming strategies, and the phased migration from NSA to SA architecture.
4G + 5G co-site deployment
How 4G and 5G share the same physical site — shared antennas (multi-band panels), shared transport (common backhaul), shared power systems, split vs shared BBU/DU, and RF considerations (isolation, interference, PIM). Typical co-site configurations for different operators.
lesson3 min
Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS)
DSS allows LTE and NR to share the same carrier simultaneously — how it works (dynamic resource allocation per TTI), performance impact (10-20% throughput reduction vs dedicated carrier), MBSFN subframe approach, rate matching, and when DSS makes sense (low 5G traffic, spectrum-constrained operators).
lesson3 min
Spectrum refarming: 2G/3G sunset
Spectrum refarming strategy — shutting down 2G/3G networks to free spectrum for 4G/5G. Timeline: 2G sunset (2025-2028 globally), 3G sunset (2024-2027). Real operator examples: AT&T (3G shutdown Feb 2022), Vodafone, Orange. Challenges: M2M/IoT migration, voice fallback, regulatory requirements.
lesson3 min
NSA → SA migration
Migration from Non-Standalone to Standalone 5G — phased approach: Phase 1 (NSA Option 3x with EPC), Phase 2 (5GC deployment with NSA), Phase 3 (SA activation with dual registration), Phase 4 (full SA, EPC sunset). Benefits of SA: network slicing, URLLC, reduced latency, independent 5G core.
lesson3 min
Real-world: Operator migration case studies
Real-world migration examples — T-Mobile USA (first major SA launch 2020, mid-band n41), Jio India (greenfield SA with n78, world's largest SA network), SK Telecom (early SA with network slicing), Deutsche Telekom (phased NSA→SA with DSS). Lessons learned, timelines, and deployment strategies.
lesson3 min
Quiz: Co-existence & Migration
Test your knowledge of 4G/5G co-site deployment, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, spectrum refarming, and NSA to SA migration strategies.
quiz3 min