Directory of Wireless System Planning Tools

If you contact a planning tool vendor, please be sure to mention that you saw them listed in this directory!

If you are a planning tool vendor, please contact Prof. Dave Michelson, davem@ece.ubc.ca, for information concerning how to be added to the directory or to update your entry.

This page is still under development. Please check back later for a more complete version.





Planning Tools for Wide Area Wireless Systems

Radio Planning Tools
Mentum Planet ™
Mentum CellPlanner ™
Forsk Atoll
ASSET
Broadband Planner
CelPlan
WinProp
V-Soft Probe
EDXWireless
x-Wizard
Overture
iBwave
CRC-COVLAB
FUN
Hi-Res
MbP
RedPredict
TAP
RFCAD
Astrix
ComSite

Propagation Engines
Volcano
Wavesight

Automation Tools
Mentum Fusion ™
RadioplanActix
Mobile OSS
OneTOOL

Microwave Tools
Mentum Ellipse ™
Mentum LinkPlanner ™
iQ-LinkXG
Pathloss
ComStudy

Drive Test Tools
TRAMPS
TEMS Investigation
NEMO

Amateur Radio
SPLAT!
DX Toolbox

Spectrum and Health Issues
SEAMCAT
IXUS Manager





Professional Tools

Radio Planning Tools

Mentum
Mentum Planet ™ (Cost: Commercial)

Mentum Planet 5 - the fifth generation of this software platform - was built to address the complex requirements of LTE and WiMAX operators, as well as their consultants and equipment vendors. The product is a sophisticated (yet easy-to use) Windows-based software solution that helps wireless operators and others operating wireless networks to plan and optimize their performance. Along with Mentum Planet 4.5, the Mentum Planet product family addresses the vast majority of all commercially deployed wireless technologies including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSPA, CDMA, CDMA2000, EVDO, WiMAX and LTE.
Contact:      online form

Mentum
Mentum CellPlanner ™ (Cost: Commercial)

Mentum CellPlanner, formerly known as TEMS CellPlanner, is an advanced radio network design solution. Developed in close relationship with Ericsson, it provides superior planning and optimization capabilities that will save time and money during network deployment. Mentum CellPlanner supports planning and optimization activities for LTE, WCDMA (including HSPA), and GSM (including GPRS, EDGE and Evolved EDGE). To fully utilize investments in drive test data, Mentum CellPlanner enables the import of native TEMS investigation data.
Contact:      online form

Forsk

Atoll (Cost: Commercial)

Atoll is a scalable and flexible multi-technology network design and optimisation platform that supports wireless operators throughout the network lifecycle, from initial design to densification and optimisation. Atoll supports the following technologies: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA, CDMA2000 1xRTT/EV-DO, LTE, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX/BWA and Microwave links. Atoll supports a wide range of implementation scenarios, from standalone to enterprise-wide server-based configurations using distributed and multi-threaded computing.

Contact:     sales@forsk.com  ,  more contacts



AIRCOM International
ASSET (Cost: Commercial)

Plan and optimize your LTE network rollout with ASSET 7.0. Consider both engineering and business objectives quickly and efficiently and ensure you get the best possible network performance - enhance your network capabilities and get the best ROI.
Contact:     online form

Motorola
Broadband Planner (Cost: Commercial)

BroadbandPlanner's advanced RF modeling engine, integration with Google Earth and streamlined measurement and verification capability enable you to propose wireless network solutions with confidence and deploy them with maximum efficiency. Optimizing network designs is easy with views that show optimal equipment placement, signal strength heatmaps, optimal urban-canyon remote access point locations and terrain obstruction path profiles.
Features include: integrated mesh and point-to-multipoint design, powerful and fast RF predictions, Google Earth visualizations, integrated measurement and verification, optimal equipment placement workflow, RSSI heat-map workflow, urban networks workflow, dynamic path profiler, and multi-platform compatibility.
Contact:      online form

CelPlan Technologies
CelPlanner (Cost: Commercial)

CelPlan Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of RF Planning & Optimization Tools and Engineering Services to the wireless industry. Founded in 1992, CelPlan has steadily developed the CelPlanner™ Suite of tools into one of the finest set of PC-based application modules available for designing high quality fixed and mobile 4G networks. In addition, the suite of tools supports planning and optimization of 2G, 3G and 4G technologies with a traffic based approach. CelPlan has been involved in over 100 WiMAX projects in the last year from a solution provider to technology transfer programs, to full project management.
Contact:     online form

AWE-Communications
WinProp (Cost: Commercial)

WinProp is the main product of AWE Communications. The development of WinProp started in the mid 1990's and WinProp runs on standard PCs under MS Windows (all 32 bit and 64 bit versions are supported). Together with several partners AWE Communications was able to develop a software package ideally suited for propagation modeling in different scenarios (rural, urban, indoor) and for network planning of different air interfaces (2G/2.5G, 3G, WLAN, WiMAX , DVB-H/DVB-SH).

Besides the above described WinProp product, AWE Communications offers several modules of WinProp  (e.g. propagation engines, data conversion modules,...) as plug-ins for other radio network planning tools.

Contact:     support@awe-communications.com

V-Soft
Probe (Cost: Commercial)

Probe 4.0 utilizes standard or dual and quad core processors for professional level RF propagation modeling, DTV/TV, communications systems and FM interference analysis. Produces spectacular "atlas" type maps. Integrates a 200,000 megabyte population database with state-of the-art polygon mapping. Includes Longley-Rice, Okamura-Hata, Cost-Hata, PTP #1 & #2, Line of sight, ITU, standard FCC methods and more.
V-Soft also has an extensive line of other productivity tools for engineering consultants.
Contact:     info@v-soft.com

EDX Wireless
EDX SignalPro (Cost: Commercial)

The principal building block of EDX's comprehensive line of wireless network engineering tools, it is appropriate for any system, including broadband wireless WiMAX, LTE, & Wi-Fi, cellular, and other mobile radio systems. It offers all of the study types you need to design a basic wireless network, including area studies, link/point-to-point studies and route studies." With the Network Design Add-On Module, "you have a carrier-class design tool, complete with automatic system layout, automatic traffic loading and automatic frequency planning - putting the Power of Smart Planning to work for you.

Numerous add-ons available, including SignalProof, Signal MX, Microcell/Indoor, and Building Editor.
Contact:     online form

Optimi
x-Wizard (Cost: Commercial)

Highly precise multi-technology network planning solution, allows you to manage all your networks in a single application. xWizard is a well established and proven multi-technology network planning solution that offers advanced functionalities for propagation prediction, performance analysis, network simulation and specialized diagnostic, supporting iDEN, TDMA, GSM, cdma2000, UMTS/HSPA, WiMAX and LTE.

Benefits include: Scalable deployment capabilities to adapt to different operator sizes (from centralized large-scale enterprise deployments to standalone installations); Multi-technology projects, e.g. allowing engineers to use the same project to simultaneously expand a UMTS/HSPA network and plan the roll-out of LTE; More accurate predictions for better assessment of coverage and interference; More control on site rationalization processes, by means of more accurate assessment tools; and Seamless integration with Optimi optimization solutions (xACP and xAFP).
Contact:     info@optimi.com

Ovature Overture Online
Overture (Cost: Commercial)

Overture is the next-generation in planning solutions for mobile and wireless broadband network design. Overture supports all major wireless standards (LTE, WiMAX, GSM, WCDMA,CDMA, etc...), and is highly adaptable to new technologies or vendor specific implementations. It runs on all Microsoft supported Operating Systems and is multi-threaded, multi-processor capable and 64-bit enabled.

SDK Download

Contact:   Keima


iBwave
iBwave Design (Cost: Commercial)

iBwave Design is the automated wireless radio planning and design software that over 270 wireless operators and telecom leaders worldwide trust to deliver strong wireless networks indoors. iBwave Design gives RF professionals the right mix of DAS automation, usability, control, and flexibility to simulate real project situations and accurately predict the network quality of service before deployment inside high-rise buildings, stadiums, hotels, malls, airports, parking lots, etc.

iBwave Design is an integrated radio planning multi-technology solution that takes RF designers through network planning, design, costing, validation, documentation and reporting. iBwave Design is the radio planning solution that ensures quality coverage with optimum voice and data capacity to mobile users anytime, anywhere

Contact:     info@ibwave.com  ,  more contacts


CRC-COVLAB
CRC-COVLAB Products by the Communications Research Centre Canada (Cost: Commercial)

CRC-COVLAB specializes in the design of transmitters operating in a synchronized network taking into consideration constructive and destructive signal components from the network to ultimately calculate the service availability and signal margin throughout the coverage. As a research laboratory, our software systems incorporate the latest and ongoing results from the most current research being done in broadcast system modeling and software technology.

The software enables to generate high accuracy service coverage, evaluate the interference from self and from neighbouring systems, optimize and strengthen the coverage using state-of-the-art tools, select and mix technologies in a network design, compare simulation and experimental data, conduct demographic (population reached) coverage assessment, specify target areas and derive statistics on the coverage performance and search station databases to identify potential interfering stations.
Contact:     crc-covlab@crc.gc.ca

COSIRO
FUN (Cost: Commercial)

FUN is a Java based network planning tool with an open, J2EE based application server architecture offering both centralized and decentralized planning of medium sized to large networks. It provides integrated planning and optimisation capability for combined networks with the ability to incorporate infrastructure sharing.
Contact:     email@cosiro.de  ,  more contacts

Red-M Wireless Ltd
Hi-Res (Cost: Commercial)

A high-resolution, semi-empirical coverage prediction software tool providing high certainty predictions with a greater precision, allowing increased prediction resolution at a national level. Developed by Red-M initially for broadcast applications, this outdoor prediction tool is suitable for many technologies . Furthermore Hi-Res covers all geographies ranging from areas such as a local village to national coverage and specifically takes into consideration terrain and buildings.

Contact:     online form  ,  more contacts


Red-M Wireless Ltd
MbP - Measurement-based Prediction (Cost: Commercial)

MbP (Measurement-based Prediction) is a unique, patented process which provides accurate assessment of network coverage at specific sites. It achieves this by combining data from traditional network planning tools with data from real-world local measurements to provide a comprehensive and detailed prediction with a lower standard deviation of error which takes into account specific features of the site including terrain, buildings and trees.
Contact:     online form  ,  more contacts

Red-M Wireless Ltd
Red Predict (Cost: Commercial)

Designing effective in-building wireless systems requires RF prediction tools that deliver a high level of confidence. The in-building environment is complex, but most planning tools don't have sufficient accuracy to achieve the desired results. Red-M's Red-Predict in-house planning tool solves this problem by achieving high prediction accuracy and consistency for assured network performance from each design. Red-Predict uses patented technology and covers all wireless bands, including: PMR; 2G/3G cellular; and Wi-Fi as well as next generation technologies.
Contact:     online form   ,  more contacts

SoftWright LLC
Terrain Analysis Package (Cost: Commercial)

SoftWright is the developer of the Terrain Analysis Package - TAPtm- for Windows XP PC-based software to perform evaluation of existing or proposed radio transmitter sites; radio coverage predictions, intermodulation studies and radio transmitter site administration; TV and FM broadcasting, MMDS, ITFS, PCS, SCADA, WLL, WiFi, WiMAX, microwave, cellular, paging, air-to-ground, ship-to-shore and conventional two-way radio system design.  The Version 6.0 of the Terrain Analysis Package (TAP) for Windows XP consists of twenty-five modules that, when combined together, are tools that bring a broad capability of RF system design to your personal computer. Most studies are accessed through one of two main screens - HDPath and HDCoverage.
Contact:     sales@softwright.com

SiteSafe Inc.
RFCAD (Cost: Commercial)

By integrating scanned topographic maps for use as the base layer in your system design, you can produce clear and easy-to-see RF coverage and analysis maps. No longer do you need to contend with the primitive mapping found in some RF Tools. Create maps and displays that make sense and are easy to read. In addition, RFCAD 2.4 will allow you to export your propagation study color display into ArcView for integration with other GIS system elements.  ArcView in a registered trademark of Environmental System Research Institute, Inc.
Contact:     clients@sitesafe.com

Teleplan

ASTRIX (Cost: Commercial)

ASTRIX is a multi-technology radio frequency (RF) planning tool designed to plan and optimize wireless networks. It is developed in close cooperation with major European network operators to ensure perfomance, scalability, reliability and openess. ASTRIX scales from a stand alone or portable solution to a company-wide multiuser system with hundreds of users and centralized open database.

Contact:  info@teleplan.no  , 

RCC Consultants
ComSite (Cost: Commercial)

ComSitePro is a powerful, wireless communications site interference analysis tool. It is one of the only tools on the market specifically designed to help identify, analyze, locate and resolve radio frequency interference that could affect the safe and efficient operation of wireless communications systems.
ComSiteManager is a comprehensive communications site database manager that organizes all of your wireless radio communications site information. No more having to search through piles of paper, confusing spreadsheets or "sticky notes" for site information. Whether you are responsible for a single wireless communications site or a nationwide network with hundreds of sites, ComSiteManager will save you countless hours of work and frustration.
ComSiteDesign is the latest in radio propagation software. This high-speed software tool set supports wireless system design, analysis, and optimization of wireless networks in one scaleable PC platform small enough for field technicians to use but powerful enough to design the largest of wireless networks.
ComSiteMPEis a software tool for non-ionizing radio frequency (RF) emissions analysis, which predicts the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) potential to humans at or near wireless communication sites. The predicted RF emissions are evaluated against acceptable MPE limits as defined by specific established standards. The analysis then determines if the communications site is in compliance with Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulations or other standards regarding safe human exposure to radio frequency radiation.
Contact:     online form

Propagation Engines

SIRADEL
Volcano (Cost: Commercial)

Volcano is a propagation software component developed by Siradel, which stems from nearly 10 years of continuous research and development to meet the increasingly complex demands of wireless telecommunications operators. Volcano can be integrated into any type of radio planning software tool and offers deterministic propagation models that include UMTS-ready functions and powerful algorithms such as optimized ray-tracing/UTD, automatic tuning, multi-resolution capabilities, indoor penetration, wideband propagation, as well as macro-, mini-, micro- and pico-cellular propagation simulation. Moreover, Volcano is unrivaled in its ability to generate highly accurate and fast calculations, with accuracy vs. calculation speed adaptability, essential for many radio-planning tasks.

Integrated in all leading radio network planning tools, Volcano implements a range of unique Siradel  propagation models, designed to quickly and accurately predict the radio coverage of any type of wireless network, as well as analyze point-to-point links.
Contact:     info@siradel.com

Wavecall
Wavesight (Cost: Commercial)

Wavecall's WaveSight software functions as a module within leading planning tools or as a stand-alone application. Wavesight uses UTD (Unified Theory of Diffraction) and in doing so has converted academic possibility into commercial application.
Contact:     support@wavecall.com


Automation Tools

Mentum
Mentum Fusion ™ (Cost: Commercial)

Mentum Fusion enables the automation of engineering workflows associated with the management of wireless networks. This product line’s name is derived from the various elements it helps integrate – or fuse – together. Specifically these elements include: 1) Desktop applications & server applications, 2) Network planning solutions and optimization/management solutions, 3) User driven decisions & process driven decisions, 4) Mentum applications and third-party solutions, 5) Predictive and measurement-based data.
Contact:      online form

ACTIX
ActixOne Optimization Platform (Cost: Commercial)

The ActixOne optimization platform provides a unified workspace for automating an unparalleled breadth of mobile network optimization activities. ActixOne is a multi-vendor, multi-technology platform that supports all key mobile network data sources, embeds automated diagnostics and solution-finding algorithms, and delivers visualization, analysis, and optimization software capabilities through a web-based interface.
Contacts:      info@actix.com  ,  more contacts

ACTIX
Radioplan Actix (Cost: Commercial)

Radioplan has been developed to give carriers the most profitable and effective network setup. By taking into account both network planning and optimisation, Radioplan can quickly improve coverage, quality and capacity figures. In fact, Radioplan products have been proven to reduce time spent on network optimisation by up to 80%. This technology is a huge leap forward for carriers, providing an important edge in the competitive race to acquire and retain 3G users.
Contacts:      info@actix.com   ,  more contacts

Emssixus
IXUS Manager (Cost: Commercial)

IXUS is a proven and complete solution that helps network operators and sub-contractors to establish and maintain EMF compliance. It has proved very useful from site planning and acquisition stages right through to site upgrades and maintenance. IXUS can be integrated with proprietary base station databases, and modified to work with various EMF guidelines like ICNIRP and IEEE standards. It consists of two integrated modules called IXUS Manager and IXUS Modeller.
Contact:      website

Microwave Tools

Mentum
Mentum Ellipse ™ (Cost: Commercial)

Mentum Ellipse 7 is a new generation wireless backhaul engineering solution focused on the needs of wireless operators who demand a superior solution that goes well beyond traditional microwave link engineering. Indeed, Mentum Ellipse 7 is a state-of-the-art microwave engineering tool and it offers several innovations in that field but what truly makes it different is the ability to manage and optimize large scale backhaul networks so that the operator can minimize cost.
Contact:      online form

Mentum
Mentum LinkPlanner ™ (Cost: Commercial)

Mentum LinkPlanner, formerly known as TEMS LinkPlanner, is an advanced feature-rich software for microwave network planning. It is continually evolving, benefiting from the knowledge of microwave experts and feedback from the rollout of large microwave transmission networks. Mentum LinkPlanner supports integrated planning, optimization, and management of short-haul and long-haul links as well as the integrated planning of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks.
Contact:      online form

Comsearch
iQ-LinkXG (Cost: Commercial)

From the beginning, iQ-link was designed to handle the planning requirements of any size backhaul and fixed access network, a capability that continues to be a major differentiator from the competition.
The demand for analytical tools that enable rapid and reliable deployment of expanding networks continues to grow. Keeping pace with a dynamic industry, Comsearch has continually refined iQ-link. iQ-linkXG represents the latest generation of the software, blending a modern cross-platform architecture with the mature, proven, feature-rich functionality that has resulted from supporting the industry for over two decades.
Contact:     customersupport@comsearch.com  ,  more contacts

Contract Telecommunication Engineering

Pathloss (Cost: Commercial)

The Pathloss program is a comprehensive path design tool for radio links operating in the frequency range from 30 MHz to 100 GHz. The program is organized into eight path design modules, an area signal coverage module and a network module which integrates the radio paths and area coverage analysis. Switching between modules is accomplished by selecting the module from the menu bar.



Contact:     cte@pathloss.com   ,  more contacts

RadioSoft
ComStudy (Cost: Commercial)

ComStudy is software designed for Microsoft Windows which fully integrates coverage, interference and allocation studies for AM, FM, TV, Point-to-Point, Point-to-Multipoint and all forms of Land Mobile services.
Simple enough for beginners and yet powerful enough for design engineers and professional frequency coordinators, ComStudy can map a single police department frequency as easily as interference to a thousand-site network. Continuous improvements ensure that ComStudy users will always be up-to-date, whether it is the latest online transmitter databases or new FCC or ITU TV interference definitions.
Contact:     1-888-723-4695  , more contacts

Amateur Radio

Mr. John A. Magliacane
SPLAT! (Cost: Freeware)

SPLAT! is an RF Signal Propagation, Loss, And Terrain analysis tool for the spectrum between 20 MHz and 20 GHz.
Applications of SPLAT! include site engineering, wireless network design, amateur radio communications, frequency coordination, communication system design, and terrestrial analog and digital television and radio broadcasting.
SPLAT! provides site engineering data such as the great circle distances and bearings between sites, antenna elevation angles (uptilt), depression angles (downtilt), antenna height above mean sea level, antenna height above average terrain, bearings and distances to known obstructions based on U.S. Geological Survey and Space Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data, path loss and field strength based on the Longley-Rice Irregular Terrain Model, and minimum antenna height requirements needed to establish line-of-sight communication paths and Fresnel Zone clearances absent of obstructions due to terrain.
Contact:     kd2bd@amsat.org

Black Cat Systems
DX Toolbox (Cost: Commercial)

A special effort has been done to provide a program easy to use, fast with an attracting GUI. DX ToolBox uses online solar and geomagnetic data to calculate propagation estimations. Results are displayed in a large propagation map. Clicking anywhere on the map you can display the target location coordinates, the signal strength, and the number of hops. All current solar and geomagnetic parameters can be displayed in four additional charts (Current conditions, Solar wind, Magnetic field and Solar data extracted from SEC and ACE websites). In addition MUF and LUF to a target location are displayed in a 24-hour chart using a rainbow indicator to predict the signal strength expressed in dB. A gray-line map permits to follow beacons in real-time, to display short paths, heading and distance to target locations. Long path are not supported yet. At last thanks to its Internet connection, it can also download and display in real-time various bulletins (WWV, Geoalert, etc) and images from any website.
To read more information about this product, please click here
Contact:     info@blackcatsystems.com

Not Yet Classified

European Communications Office
SEAMCAT - Spectrum Engineering Advanced Monte Carlo Analysis

SEAMCAT is a software tool based on the Monte-Carlo simulation method, which was developed within the frame of European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication administrations (CEPT). This tool permits statistical modelling of different radio interference scenarios for performing sharing and compatibility studies between radiocommunications systems in the same or adjacent frequency bands.
Contact:     kermoal@ero.dk
               +45-33-89-63-07

Multiple Access Communications
TRAMPS (Cost: Commercial)

TRAMPS can be used to quickly identify coverage and quality problems within the network and it can also be used to build cell neighbour lists and identify problems with missing neighbours. The software also supports the comparison of two different drive tests and this allows the user to identify areas within the network where the coverage or quality has degraded over time.

Contact:     enquiries@macltd.com




Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

UBC Radio Science Lab
2356 Main Mall, Room 4034,
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604.822.3544
Fax: 604.822.5949
E-mail: david.michelson@ubc.ca

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