Innovative Solutions

We believe that faster network infrastructure rollout can contribute to digital inclusivity only if the cost of access is within reach of the masses. It said that TowerCos are best positioned to help telcos by moving up their value chain to offer more innovative 5G-enabled solutions such as OpenRAN, Network-as-as-Service solutions and Edge Computing to help telcos deploy their own cost-effective and network-efficient solutions.

TowerCos can contribute to this endeavour by deepening tower sharing, using advanced data analytics, especially around power systems, as well as innovating next-generation solutions such as 5G-enabled street furniture, zero-touch operations and delivering scale-based cost advantage to the industry.

Network and Planning Analytics (NaPA)

NaPA

Network and Planning Analytics (NaPA) is a tool to provide insights of potential locations for new tower sites and reduce build time. NaPA uses powerful geocoding and analytics to generate coordinates with granularity and accuracy. At present, 40% of Malaysia’s 25,000 sites overlap, and many sites are located within less than a 0.5km of each other. This causes wastage of capital on an industrial scale, and also increases operational expenditure. To prevent such overlaps, NaPA overlays three datasets to select the most appropriate sites for MNos. First, the demand dataset identifies factors such as population size, settlements and points of interest. Second, the supply dataset provides each MNOs’ subscriber data and coverage signal strength. Lastly, NaPA’s matching module identifies whether there are nearby LuminEarth sites which can be used for site – sharing.

With NaPA, LuminEarth has identified and installed 113 sites that meet the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) objectives as well as 223 sites for Jalingan Digital Negara (JENDELA) initiative in Malaysia. The tool was developed in-house by LuminEarth’s engineers to proactively assist telcos to be more efficient in achieving their planning objectives

Drones and AI to Speed Up Deployment

Digital Twin

After a tower is deployed, there’s always a need to monitor the infrastructure closely. Traditionally, a field data capture of the towers would require manual inspection which is not only time-consuming and expensive but it is risky as well.

LuminEarth uses Digital Twin, a solution that uses drones to capture a digital copy of the physical asset to assist customers in interacting, analysing, simulating, predicting and improving performance remotely, without requiring a person to be physically present at the tower sites.

A Key Driver For A Hyperconnected World

Small Cell Solutions

With 5G’s increased speed and lower latency, bandwidth demands can be met more quickly and efficiently and this will be vital to managing the surge of mobile data traffic crossing networks, which is expected to reach 160 exabytes by the end of 2025. Meeting this demand requires network densification to add more cell sites, which traditionally would be done by increasing the number of cell towers in a given area, optimally near densely populated urban areas where there are higher number of users. LuminEarth is deploying these plug-and-play indoor small cells solutions, one such case being a proof of concept that produced the world’s first multi-operator, multi-technology small cells indoor solution at the Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station, Malaysia’s largest transit hub. Shared by four MNOs, the solution provides enhanced coverage and connectivity for up to 180,000 commuters passing through the hub. Small cells can also be deployed outdoors as smart street furniture that optimises the management of public infrastructure, especially where space may be limited. Deployed onto existing infrastructure such as billboards, lamp poles and bus stops to provide WiFi, illuminate city streets to increase public safety, and provide comfortable and efficient transit points, these smart solutions increase capacity while blending seamlessly into urban environments.