1

Course
Objective:

Duration:

By the end of the course, you will be able to use Mentum Planet to
complete network planning and optimization tasks.
2 days (Core)

Prerequisite
Knowledge: You should be able to:
Use a computer and a mouse.
Use standard Windows functionality such as browsing, copy and
paste as well as how to access shortcut menus.
Use basic Microsoft Excel functions.
Use basic MapInfo functions (not required, but strongly
recommended).
You should also have an understanding of basic RF concepts and the RAN
technology.

Since some discussions about Mentum Planet can consume class time, your
instructor will create a parking lot of discussion topics to address at a later
time. Your questions are important, and your instructor is committed to
addressing them appropriately.
The activities you will complete as part of this class use a sample project and
dataset. The dataset includes:

High-resolution geodata (heights and clutter)

Major and minor street vectors
Sites modeled for best coverage and interference reduction

Your involvement in class is critical for you and others to benefit most from this
course. Please maintain the appropriate classroom etiquette.

Mentum Planet supports LTE including advanced LTE features such as:

LTE frame configurations and flexible bandwidth deployment

MCS C/(N+I) or Spectral efficiency curves
Mobility support (speed modeling)
LTE FDD/TDD duplex operations
LTE interference coordination and LTE cyclic prefixes
LTE Automatic Physical Cell ID Planning and Tracking Area Code (TAC) support
MBSFN (Multicast-Broadcast Single Frequency Network), also known as eMBMS(enhanced
Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services)
LTE Rel.8/9 Inter-Cell Interference Coordination schemes: Fractional Frequency Reuse; Soft
Frequency Reuse; Partial Frequency Reuse
LTE-Advanced features: Almost Blank Subframes (eICIC), Cross-carrier scheduling, also known as
carrier aggregation-based ICIC
Rel.10/11 Carrier Aggregation
Geolocalization engine to geolocalize LTE call trace events. Call trace events geolocalized by
third-party companies can also be imported into Mentum Planet.
Dedicated tool for the selection and optimization of LTE small cells.
VoLTE specific features including semi-persistent scheduling and TTI bundling.
Frequency Selective Scheduling.
Define beamforming and beam-switching patterns for multiple electrical tilts and frequency
bands, within the same .pafx antenna file.
It also supports static and Monte-Carlo simulations, as well as 3D network analyses.
Mentum Planet includes the latest version of MapInfo Professional (version 12.0.2), which provides
you with advanced GIS capabilities.

Mentum Planet is a next generation planning product, which boasts a new software
architecture and which includes the following high-level enhancements:
Integration between Mentum Planet and VistaInsight for Planet solution for Mobile
Network Performance, in order to allow Mentum Planet users to:
Import, visualize, and analyze performance data from within Mentum Planet.
Leverage per-cell traffic data measured in live networks, in the Traffic Map
Generator.
Leverage per-cell cell loads measured in live networks.
Support for WiMAX FDD/TDD (both Fixed and Mobile) and LTE (FDD/TDD) networks
detailed modeling of OFDMA air-interfaces and support for Advanced Antenna Systems
(AAS)
Support for WiFi
Ease of useredesigned user interfaces, easy-to-use tabular editors and new site
management features
Better scalability and stabilityability to handle larger networks within a single project
Better performanceimproved performance in user interfaces, data-related actions and
import/export functions
Future-proof platformready for on-going evolution of radio access networks including
OFDM technologies and advanced antenna systems
Open Planet APIsopen antenna format and API with support for advanced antennas;
improved iecon performance, Prediction generation etc.
MapInfo Professional 12.0
Multi-threaded, modeless application. Allowing for comparisons and ultra fast
performance.
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Mentum Planet 5 introduces a series of new Editors intended to improve overall

usability and improve the end-user experience. These include:

Antenna Editor contains all the elements necessary to model advanced

antenna systems incl. smart antennas and MIMO
Antenna Algorithm Editor contains the algorithms used to model complex
antenna systems
Site Editor contains all the parameters related to the site and sector
Link Configuration Editor enables you to define link configurations for
specific environments
Frame Editor enables you to define frame configurations that meet your
requirements
Subscriber Editor enables you to define the characteristics of network
subscribers
Environment Editor contains a list of clutter classes to which you associate
environment parameters
Tabular Editor provides you with the ability to visualize and globally edit
project data in an easy-to-use tabular format
Propagation Model Editor enables you to refine any propagation model
parameters
Fixed Subscriber Editor enable control of fixed subscribers for WiMAX and
LTE technologies

The Start up page makes it easy to get started with quick access to Recent
projects. There is also a possibility to open an exsisting project (Open project) or
create a new project directly in the start page.
In this page you will also find links to product information and to learning
opportunities like webinars or hands-on training.
The start up page is continuously updated with the latest news and events from
Mentum

10

When you obtained your Mentum Planet license, you also gained access to
multiple sources of help. You can find help about using Mentum Planet features
from:

Web Help
Knowledge Base
Customer Care Self-Serve Portal
The Customer Care Centers, a staff of experts in Mentum Planet use.

11

When you obtained your Mentum Planet license, you also gained access to
multiple sources of help. You can find help about using Mentum Planet features
from:

Web Help
Knowledge Base
Customer Care Self-Serve Portal
The Customer Care Centers, a staff of experts in Mentum Planet use.

12

The workflow you follow will depend on your requirements and your work
practices. The workflow illustrated is intended to be a general high-level
workflow.

13

To create a new project, you can use the Project Wizard, which will lead you
through the steps required to create a project. From the File menu, choose New
project.

14

You can customize your Mentum Planet user environment by defining the following
preferences:

General preferences enable you to determine how a project is displayed when Mentum
Planet is first opened.
Units allows you to define the units to be used across the project including height,
distance, and coordinates.
Project Explorer gives you access to performance settings as well as the ability to apply
translucency.
Data Manager permits you to define Data Manager profiles, which determine
connectivity to the database.
Project Wizard Defaults enable you to define the defaults to use when you create a new
project. This includes the default project folder, the default global folder (where default
antenna and curve files are stored). You can also specify the default geodata location.
Geodata can be stored locally or remotely but the geodata folder must, at a minimum,
contain a Heights folder and a Clutter folder. The primary heights file and primary clutter
file are those that will be used when you generate analyses.
Microwave allows you to define unit and geodata paths for microwave planning.
Miscellaneous allows you to define the pathloss lower limit. Masked pathloss values
stored in prediction view files will be lower or equal to the defined value. MS Excel
version for use by Mentum Planet for Exporting and reporting tasks.

To define user preferences

Choose Edit Preferences..

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You can specify project settings in order to configure the project to meet your requirements. Project
settings include:

General settings, which includes the project name and description as well as workspace settings.
Geodata settings , which includes the geodata folder location as well as the primary height and
clutter files. The geodata folder can be stored locally or remotely but must contain a Heights
folder and a Clutter folder in order for the primary heights and clutter file lists to be populated.
Coordinate System settings, which include the Geodata cooridinate system and Network
coordinate system.
Folders settings, which include Project and Bin folders locations.
Channel Models Use this tab to account for user mobility.
Prediciton Heights Use this tab to define height parameters to be used in prediction generation.
Advanced Options settings, which include additional layers, sharing permissions, prediction
thresholds and the environment grid.
Custom List settings, which create pre-defined lists that can use when adding custom

attributes to project elements (such as a site, sector, or antenna) on the Custom Data tab.
Custom Data settings, which determine the requirements that dictate whether data
entered is valid.
Network Perfomance Management settings, define network performance platforms to
retrieve sector load values.

Color Profiles are defined using the command from the Edit menu.
To configure project settings

Choose Edit Project Settings.

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The geodata folder can be local or remote but must contain a subfolder called
Heights, where the elevation grids are saved and another called Clutter,
where the clutter grid is saved. The Heights file is mandatory while the clutter
file is optional (although the Clutter folder must be present even if empty).
Elevation files are numeric grids (*.grd) and clutter files are classified grids
(*.grc).
The Network Coordinate System setting specifies how site data is displayed and
used.

To save a workspace
1.
2.
3.
4.

To save a workspace, choose GIS Save Workspace.

In the Project Settings dialog box, click the General tab.
Click the Browse button and navigate to the .wor file.
If you want Mentum Planet to save the display settings each time to save the
project, enable the Workspace Autosave check box.

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18

Mobile Speeds allows the user to fully model mobility issues with networks by
allowing speed based MSC to be defined and modeled with Monte Carlo
simulations and through network analysis.
Channel Models, which include the model name as well as an associated mobile
speed value, are used when you define subscriber types in the Subscriber
Settings dialog box.

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In order to include more detailed information in a Mentum Planet project, you

can now define local custom data attributes at the base station, site, sector,
antenna, repeater, and carrier level.

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In order to improve the appearance and readability of map layers, you can
modify the default color schemes that Mentum Planet uses for numeric grids.
Color profiles are grouped by the analysis type:

Common
GSM
WCDMA
CDMA2000
LTE FDD/TDD
HetNet
WiMAX
TDMA_FDMA etc.

Color profiles are only available if technology is enabled in the project.

To choose and assign color profiles

Choose Edit Color Profiles.

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Network settings define the technology type, supported modulations and the
carrier configuration settings that apply to your network as well as the spectrum
definition. All network settings are grouped in the Network Settings dialog box.
Mentum Planet fully supports multiple technologies within the same project
technologies can be configured under network settings if valid licenses are
available.
Mentum Planet supports sub-bands within a frequency band (GSM,
TDMA/FDMA, WCDMA, cdma2000, WiMAX and LTE).
From the Network Settings dialog box, you can access the Frame Editor, (For LTE
and WiMAX) where you can define frame configurations.

To define network settings

Choose Edit Network Settings

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Network settings define the technology type, supported modulations and the
carrier configuration settings that apply to your network as well as the spectrum
definition. All network settings are grouped in the Network Settings dialog box.
Mentum Planet fully supports multiple technologies within the same project
technologies can be configured under network settings if valid licenses are
available.
Define Carrier Groups, Carrier Types and Mobile Allocation Lists
Carriers can be defined to different carrier groups and by using MAL list,
Mentum Planet supports typical frequency planning senario, i.e. frequency
hopping and fixed frequency.

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On the Cellular Layer tab, you can define the layers of your network. For
example, the macro, micro and pico layers.
In the Site Editor, you assign the sectors to a specific cellular layer.
This is used in e.g the Heterogeneous Network modeling.

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You can define base station types in the network settings that encompass the
modulations supported as well as the neighbor plan criteria.
Maximum Intra-Carrier Neighbors, define the maximum intra-carrier neighbors
allowed in the neighbor planning process. This value is used when identifying
same technology, same carrier neighbors.
Maximum Inter-Carrier Neighbors, define the maximum inter-carrier neighbors
allowed in the neighbor planning process. This value is used when identifying
same technology, different carrier neighbors.

25

Using the Site Editor toolbar, you can:

add a new base station

add a new sector to a base station
add a new repeater system
add a new antenna system
delete a base station, sector, or antenna system
locate a sector in the Map window
open the Tabular Editor, where you can globally modify site settings.

You can have several base stations at one site, each using a specific technology (e.g.,
one LTE base station + one WCDMA and GSM base station) or using the same
technology. A base station can have multiple physical sectors. Each sector can use one
antenna system or multiple antenna systems for true split sector or DAS configurations .
Different technologies can also share the same antenna system in different bands with
different antenna properties and patterns related to there respective bands.
You can open the Site Editor:

From the Project Explorer by rightclicking on site name and choosing Edit or by
doubleclicking the site name.
From the Map window by right-clicking a site, and selecting Edit.
From the Mentum Planet toolbar by clicking the Edit Site button and clicking on the
site in the Map window.

26

Mentum Planet supports antenna systems, which include not only the antenna pattern
but also the parameters related to advanced antenna systems. Because the sector is
now separate from the antenna system, you can easily specify the location of the
antenna on the sector.
Each antenna system consists of an antenna (.pafx or .paf) file, an azimuth, a tilt, a
twist, a location, a height and band specific electrical parameters.
Planet supports Electrical Tilt, Electrical Beam-width and Electrical azimuth.
For multiband antennas you can specify different electrical characteristics if allowed by
that antenna, one antenna can be shared between multiple sectors or technologies

You specify an antenna pattern, which by default becomes the antenna name. The
name is composed of the elements defining the antenna system separated by colons
(i.e., Azimuth:Tilt:Antenna File Name (Antenna ID)). In the example,
45:2:LSCP9012T2_8515-PCS (1).
You can enter exact coordinates (e.g., Long /Lat) or an offset to the site location (in
meters) or you can directly get the coordinates from the map.
At the bottom of the dialog box, there is a tool strip where warnings are displayed (e.g.,
if the antennas are being used outside their operating bands).

27

In the Site Editor and on the Antennas node/tab General, you can use the Select
Button to list all of the antennas in the local Mentum Planet database to find the
antenna that best fits your needs.

28

Each sector has an assigned antenna system, which includes the antenna pattern and
advanced antenna modeling parameters. The antenna patterns are displayed in the
Project Data category of the Project Explorer. From the Antennas node, you can add a
new antenna to your project, show unassigned antennas, sort antennas based on
specific features, and view the antenna pattern.
Using advanced antenna systems ensures accurate and reliable predictions and
network analyses.
Mentum Planet supports advanced antenna systems including electrical tilt antennas,
MIMO, and AAS through the use of a antenna format .paf.
The new antenna format .pafx is a compressed antenna format to reduce files size.
Previously supported antenna format can automatically be migrated to the new
antenna format. Mentum Planet users may download antennas in the .pafx format
from the Mentum Antenna Server directly within Mentum Planet. The new antenna
format allows the support for:
multi-band antennas.
multi-beam antennas, used in single sector or multi-sector configurations.
electrical tilt, azimuth, beamwidth.
remote control units
explicit definition of antenna ports
polarizations, including cross-pole and quad-pole
a 3D antenna viewer
antenna ports
In the Antenna Editor there is an ability to define antenna ports and to select downlink
and uplink ports.

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30

Choosing and configuring the antennas correctly is essential in order to

maximize the coverage and capacity of the network. By default, the Antennas
node in the Project Data category of the Project Explorer shows only antennas
that are currently assigned to at least one sector.
When you have just added a new antenna, that antenna name may not be
visible under the Antennas node because it is unassigned.
In order to see all your antennas, assigned and unassigned, rightclick the
Antenna Files (Project Data Category) and select Show Unassigned Antennas.
The unassigned antennas will have a grayedout icon next to their names. By
default, the antennas will be listed in alphabetical order under the Antennas
node in your Project Explorer. However, you can sort them out differently, based
on their electrical features, like frequency, horizontal beamwidth or gain,
amongst others.
To sort antennas

In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the Antenna
Files node and choose Group By <antenna criteria>.
For example, if the antenna criteria you choose is Frequency, the antennas
will be grouped under different frequency ranges. The filter for unassigned
antennas will also be applied.
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Mentum Planet Online Antenna Server. Allows Antenna Vendors to publish

antenna patterns so that they can be directly accessed by Planet users
It is expected over time and as customers required them most, if not all the
antenna manufactures will move to populate the antenna server.
Although Mentum hosts the server we do not make the patterns or claim
responsibility for what antenna vendors choose to publish there.

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Mentum Planet supports many variants for DAS-style antenna systems:

Repeater functionality for Fiber fed and Off-Air Repeaters

Single sector multi-antenna (referred to as Quasi-omni) support, but in

Mentum Planet 5 these can be locally non co-located for true local DAS
system support.

Links and power splitting can be independently assigned per antenna even
different cable lengths.

All variants are fully modeled in both Monte-Carlo simulations and static
analysis.

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34

In the Site Editor, when you select a sector in the tree view, the antenna system
associated with that sector is highlighted. This visual cue enables you to quickly
determine if the sector is using the most appropriate antenna system.
On the General tab, you can specify flag conditions and add a sector to a group.
You can also associate a sector display scheme with the sector in order to create
a visually descriptive map of the sectors in your network based on display
criteria you define.
As the sector display schemes are linked to the general sector parameters, they
are retained and updated based on modifications you make to the site or sector
display scheme. You can share sector display schemes with other users as they
are submitted to Data Manager along with other site parameters.
Location area code (LAC), routing area code (RAC) and service area code (SAC)
can be defined here for WCDMA and used to manage and identify the location
of mobile terminals in the network.
For GSM, except for LAC and RAC also the Color codes; Base Station Identity
Code (BSIC) , Network Color Code (NCC) and Base Station Color Code (BCC) is
defined here and the Tracking Area Code (TAC) is defined for LTE.

35

Before you can specify which flags and groups to associate with the sector on
the General tab in the Site Editor, you must have defined the flags and groups
you want to use in your network.
A flag is a property that you can use to identify sectors as having certain
characteristics (i.e., conditions). You can create multiple flags, and each flag can
have multiple conditions, but you can assign only one condition per flag to a
sector. The conditions of a flag should be a set of related but mutually exclusive
values.
A group is a collection of sectors where a common characteristic links all the
sectors in the group. You can create multiple groups in a project to optimize your
network design. This enables you to easily analyze a particular area of the
network or on a particular group of sectors.
For interference matrix generation, it is important to define groups and use
them for all steps in the specific workflow.

36

To define flags and conditions

1. In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Flags node and
choose New.
2. Define a meaningful name for the flag and click OK.
The flag is displayed in the Project Explorer.
3. Right-click the newly created flag node and choose New Condition.
4. Specify a name for the condition and click OK.
The condition is displayed beneath the flag node. To apply the condition, you
enable the associated check box.

To define groups

In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Groups node
and do one of the following:
Choose New Local to create a local group.
Choose New Shared to create a shared group.
(Shared groups are stored in Data Manager)

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Project Explorer, Category Sites, right-click Queries.

The Sector Query Editor is to define queries that enable you to perform actions
on a specific group of sites. You can use queries to identify and locate sites, or
highlight sites that require further analysis. For example, you can use queries:

to identify sectors that are at a specific point in the network life cycle.
to identify sectors where the PA power is less than expected.
to identify sectors within a defined interpolation distance.

The results of the query can be:

visualized in the Map window in conjunction with analysis layer information

displayed in the Tabular Editor where you can modify site and sector
parameters on a global scale
viewed in the Report Preview dialog box from which data can be exported to
Excel for further analysis
used to create a new sector group
The resulting sector count is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the
Sector Query Editor dialog box.

38

On the Link tab, you specify the antenna system you want to associate with the
sector. This includes the antenna pattern.
Prediction criteria such as the propagation model, the distance, and the number
of radials, is defined in the Predictions tab.
Prediction calculations are performed along radial lines originating at the site.
The more radials you use, potentially the more accurate but slower the
calculation. If you are planning on generating merged predictions, where survey
values are merged with prediction results, you must have a license for the
Measurement Data Package.

39

Link configurations track the gains and losses that occur as a signal travels. In
other words, a link configuration calculates the radiated power for a sector
based on the power output of the sectors power amplifier (PA) plus or minus
system gains and losses.
You associate a link configuration with each sector. You can do this globally using
the Tabular Editor. If you want to view the link configuration defined for a sector,
in the Site Editor, on the Link tab, click the View tab. You can view the link
configuration settings but you cannot edit them in the Site Editor.

40

The Link Configuration Editor opens where you can specify a common set of link
settings, which can be applied to sites, sector groups, or flags.
To create a new link configuration

In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Link

Configurations, and choose New.

The link configuration includes a Main Feeder in both up and down links which
allows you to set a loss per meter for the main feeder. The feeder length is
defined at the sector level and allows you to use link configurations multiple
times with different feeder lengths.
In Uplink, the link configuration also includes BTS noise figure.

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Hierachical Cell Layers

Override Default Settings enable this check box to define Hierarchical Cell Layer
settings.
Cellular Layer choose from this list the cellular layer to which you want to assign the
sector. Cellular layers are defined in the network settings. When you define a
heterogeneous network analysis, you do so for a specific layer.
To define the traffic of the sector, both packet and voice traffic need to consider.
Packet Traffic

Packet Throughput the effective data rate for packet data that is handled by
time slots in the sector.

GPRS the maximum supported coding scheme for GPRS technology for the
sector.

EGPRS the maximum supported coding scheme for EGPRS technology for the
sector.
Voice Traffic

Carried Traffic the actual traffic carried by a sector. If the Use Per-sector Carried
Erlangs option is chosen in the analysis settings, the specified carried traffic value
is used for the GSM frequency hopping analysis used when calculating C/I layers.

Offered Traffic the carried traffic plus any blocked traffic. Use this value when
calculating interference layers.

% of Hopping TSs in Use indicate the percentage of the hopping time slots in
use. Use this value when calculating interference layers.
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Neighbor List
Displays a list of candidate neighbors and associated sector information
including the site ID, the sector ID, the frequency band, the carrier ID, and the
technology.
Black List
Displays a list of neighbors that are part of the sector's black list. Sectors that are
part of the black list are not available and will not be considered a candidate
neighbor.

43

You can customize sector symbols by creating and applying sector display
schemes based on sector properties. This provides you with a quick visual
summary of the state of the sectors in your network.
There is support for repeaters in the Sector Display Scheme
You apply sector display schemes on a sector level on the General tab in the Site
Editor. You can use the Tabular Editor to apply a sector display scheme to many
sectors. You can also create a site template, which includes a sector display
scheme. The scheme will be applied when you create a new site.
Because sector display schemes are now linked to the general sector
parameters, they are retained and updated based on modifications you make to
the site or sector display scheme.
You can share sector display schemes with other users as they are submitted to
Data Manager along with other site parameters.

44

Site templates store the settings defined in the Site Editor and make it easy to
add sites with the same configuration at a later time. You can create as many
site templates as required for the purposes of your project. When you export a
site template, you can view all the site and sector parameters in Excel.
To create a site template
1. In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the site upon which
you want to base the site template and choose Create Site Template Local
or Create Site Template Shared (if you want the template to be stored in
Data Manger and accessible to other users).
2. Type a descriptive name for the new template and click OK.
All site and sector parameters are saved to the site template and the template
is added to the Site Templates node in the Project Explorer. If you have
assigned a sector display scheme, this includes the sector display formatting.
You can create a new site template (local or shared) from an existing site. You
can then use the site template, to place a new site.

45

If your site data is contained in an external database from which you can export
site details to an Excel format, you can quickly pull this information into your
Mentum Planet project. The site data must contain the following three
mandatory columns:
Site ID
Longitude
Latitude
It can also contain the following optional columns:
Site UID
Site Name
Site Name 2
Candidate Priority
Site Template (e.g., WiFi_Sites or WiFi_Sites.xls)
Height (e.g., 49.2125 where the unit defined in the User Preferences is
used)
Antenna (e.g., Omni.pafx)
Propagation Model (e.g., Predict.pmf)
Link Configuration

46

The Tabular Editor provides a quick and easy way to edit and analyze project
data. This is useful when you want to visualize all project parameters (e.g.
Site/sectors parameters) and/or make a mass change to project data. For
example, if you want to change a flag associated with a group of sectors without
setting the flag for each individual sector, which could be a time consuming task.
You can open the Tabular Editor from many nodes in the Project Explorer
including the:

Flags node
Sites node
Queries node
Link Configurations node

Using the Tabular Editor, you can sort information, modify information, and
export data to Excel

47

The Tabular Editor provides a quick and easy way to edit and analyze project
data.
All project related data can be edited using the Tabular Editor:
Filters can be set on one tab and the filer will be respected in the corresponding
data tabs within Tabular Editor.

48

There will be scenarios where you want to make significant project and site data
changes that touch many elements of your project. Using the Tabular Editor is
one way to do this. However, it does not offer advanced report, compare and
analysis capabilities like in Excel. If these are the type of capabilities you require,
you can use the Export Wizard to export project data to Microsoft Excel where
you can view data in various different ways.
Before import, you have the possibility to see the deference between the
current network settings and the settings from the file. There is a compare
feature available to use.

Mentum Planet supports exporting all project based data do ether CSV files or
MS Excel both .xls and .xlsx (MS Excel 2007)

49

There will be scenarios where you want to make significant project and site data
changes that touch many elements of your project. Using the Tabular Editor is
one way to do this. However, it does not offer advanced report, compare and
analysis capabilities like in Excel. If these are the type of capabilities you require,
you can use the Export Wizard to export project data to Microsoft Excel where
you can view data in various different ways.
Before import, you have the possibility to see the deference between the
current network settings and the settings from the file. There is a compare
feature available to use.

Mentum Planet supports exporting all project based data do ether CSV files or
MS Excel both .xls and .xlsx (MS Excel 2007)

50

A site set is a collection of sites. When you create a project, a default site set is
automatically created and is set as the active site set. A green arrow identifies the
active site set and a plus sign indicates that the site set contains all sites.
Site data is stored in the site set and not in the MapInfo site table, which only contains
the required information to graphically display sites and sectors in the Map window as
well as additional site table columns you can use to query the site data using MapBasic
functionality; however, you cannot update site data by modifying the .tab file.
You can create a subset of the site set in order to work on whatif scenarios, or
analyze changes you make to site data without changing the active site set. Only when
you are satisfied with the changes, you merge the new site parameters back into the
active site set. The subset feature enables you to test different configurations without
worrying that your changes will negatively impact coverage or capacity.
When select two site sets, it is possible to make a compare between each other to
check the differences.
Site sets can be local or shared (i.e., stored in Data Manager).
To create a site subset

In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the site set for
which you want to create a subset, and choose Copy Subset.

51

52

53

Improved multi-resolution support from Mentum Planet 5.4.

Planet General Model leverages numeric clutter height grids, e.g. 5 m resolution
Skyline and 15 m resolution Cityscapes HD grid.

54

Improved multi-resolution support from Mentum Planet 5.4.

CRC-Predict 4 leverages numeric clutter height grids, e.g. 5 m resolution Skyline
and 15 m resolution Cityscapes HD grid.

55

For more information, see CRC-Predict technical Note.

56

For more information, see Universal Model User Guide.

57

The Universal Model from Orange Labs is available in Mentum Planet. UM is an

advanced propagation model with the following key advantages:

Multiple system compliant DVB-H, GSM, EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, WIFI, WIMAX, LTE
Supports any kind of cell type: Micro-cells, mini-cells, smalls-cells and macro-cells
Supports any kind of environments: Dense urban, urban, suburban, open, seaside,

mountainous
Wide frequency range validity : tested and validated from 400MHz to 5 GHz
Support for indoor to outdoor de-penetration
Supports and adapts automatically to different geographical data
Elevation, clutter, building raster (clutter height) in MapInfo format
Polygon outlines (building vectors) in MapInfo format
Morphologies, facets and graphs (specific data generated by UM)

Universal Model supports 2 prediction modes:

Masked: the model calculates the total losses by taking into account the Orange
Labs masking algorithm (recommended)

Unmasked: the model calculates the loss without taking account antenna
contribution, while Mentum Planet is in charge to add the antenna losses (antenna
masking) to the prediction of the model.
New version of the Universal Model (version 410) includes Management of bridge thickness
and improvement of the morphologies generator (redefinition of default themes)

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Propagation models simulate how radio waves travel through the environment from
one point to another. To model the real-world behaviour of a network and account for
how radio waves react to elevation changes and clutter (e.g., reflection, diffraction, and
scattering), you must account for features in the environment such as the surface of the
terrain (e.g., hilly or flat) and the presence of lakes. Ground cover such as buildings and
trees must also be taken into consideration.
In order to accurately model the network, you must ensure that you choose a
propagation model that is appropriate to the environment you are modeling. With
Mentum Planet, you have the option of selecting one of several different propagation
models:

CRC-Predict (deterministic model)

Planet General Model (slope-based model)
Planet 3D Model (P3M)
Universal Model (optional, requires a specific license)
Q9 (slope-based model)
Urban Model (deterministic model ported from Mentum CellPlanner)
Longley-Rice

For more information, see the CRC-Predict Technical Note, the Planet General Model
Technical Note, and the Universal Model User Guide located in the Help folder within
the Mentum Planet installation folder.

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Automated Model tuner for optimal accuracy

P3M offers an in-building penetration algorithm
It supports cells of any layer (macro cells, small cells)
P3M optimized for 3D propagation, in terms of accuracy and performance
Is supported in Point to Point profile tool
Supports frequencies between 100 MHz and 60 GHz

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Planet 3D Prediction

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Propagation models are organized in the Project Data category of the Project
Explorer. The icons of propagation models that have been assigned to a sector
are displayed in color. The icons of propagation models that have not been
assigned to a sector, but are located in the Model folder of the project, appear
dimmed.
You can refine how a propagation model behaves by modifying the propagation
model settings using the Propagation Model Editor. Once you have refined the
model, you can apply the propagation model to an individual site or sector.
To create a propagation model
1. In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the Propagation
Models node.
2. Right-click the propagation model upon which you want to base your refined
model and choose New.
3. Type a descriptive name for the new model and click OK
4. The Propagation Model Editor opens. The tabs that are displayed depend on
the model.

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Operators/Vendors typically tune propagation models periodically based on CW

measurements. The Tuned propagation models are then to be used by RF
engineers for accurate predictions.
One challenge is to assess which propagation model is the most appropriate
one. This is a rather time-consuming process, and also quite often leads to
incorrect model assignments
Another challenge faced by operators/vendors is that measurements are not
available in all markets, hence the will to reuse models tuned in one region to
another region of similar environment.
A propagation model signature is a blueprint of the environmental details in
which a model is valid. It ensures that the right propagation model is used
within each environment.
A propagation model signature is created from:
the project height file
the project clutter file
the list of clutter classes defined in the clutter height files
the clutter distribution across 20 pre-defined distance ranges
the calculated effective transmitter heights

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Once the Propagation Signatures have been created it is possible to use the
Automatic Model assignment feature.

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Procedure
Choose Tools > Automatic Propagation Model Assignment.
Follow the prompts in the Automatic Propagation Model Assignment Wizard.
When propagation model assignment is finished, review report statistics and,
from the Selected Model list, choose to keep current propagation model
assignments or to assign the best model recommended.

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Automatic Model selection sector by sector.

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General guidelines for model tuning

Follow the recommended guidelines for collecting survey data.
Average survey data in order to remove Rayleigh fading.
Filter survey data to get rid of inconsistent measurement points (e.g.
Tunnels, bridge, values below receiver sensitivity etc.)
Ensure that the frequency of the input model used in model tuning is
accurate and the receiver height corresponds to measured data.
Ensure that the clutter maps you use are accurate and up-to-date.
Verify that the model uses clutter heights that are recommended or
appropriate for the model.
Ensure that ground types, if used, are appropriate. For example, moist
ground should be assigned to farmland.
Create one model to cover all surveys with similar characteristics. For
example, for a given metropolitan area, start with one input propagation
model. Tune one model for the sub-urban area. Using the same input
model, tune a second model for very dense urban and downtown area. The
tuned models will provide reasonably accurate predictions for topologies of
similar clutter characteristics (such as neighboring regions). This approach
can be fine tuned by subdividing the metropolitan area to more than two
areas and generating corresponding models for each area.

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In Mentum Planet, you use imported and filtered survey data to improve the
accuracy of your prediction models. Mentum Planet uses the survey data to fine
tune its calculations and display results that more closely emulate the conditions
in the real world. A survey data file must follow a set structure: longitude,
latitude, and signal strength.
Survey data is organized and grouped in the Operational Data category of the
Project Explorer. If the survey data is in *.tab format and already contains survey
points viewable in a Map window, you can open the file directly. Otherwise,
there are three file types that Mentum Planet can import: Microsoft Excel (.xls
and .xlsx), ASCII text (.txt), and Planet DMS. Once a survey is added to the
project, the status of the survey is identified colored icons.
TEMS Route Reader 8.1 is integrated with Mentum Planet 5.6, in order to allow
the import of native-format TEMS Investigations files.
Mentum Planet also has support for WCDMA/HSPA JDSU AOD drive test format.
To import or add a survey
1. In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Survey
Data and choose Import.

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Planet has very advanced feature set for model tuning and survey manipulation
including

Survey manager
Statistical visualization
Survey filtering
Survey averaging

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Mentum Planet Survey Filtering and Averaging allows the user to post process
surveys to remove non-optimal data points that could potentially skew model
results.
To Filter a survey
1. In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Survey
Data>Survey RSSI and choose a survey (or surveys). Right click and choose
Analyze>Filter
To Average a survey
1. In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Survey
Data>Survey RSSI and choose a survey (or surveys). Right click and choose
Analyze>Average

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You can tune the Planet General Model using one of the following methods:

Smart - simplifies the tuning process and is recommended if you have little or
no knowledge of model tuning. All of the model parameters are set to
Optimize.
Standard - enables you to manually tune the model using a complex, multistep procedure.

You can tune the CRC-Predict using the following method:

Clutter Absorption Loss

To tune a propagation model

1. In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, expand the Propagation
Models node.
2. Right-click the propagation model upon which you want to base your refined
model and choose New.
For detailed information on using the Standard option available for the Planet
Automatic Model Tuner, see Tuning the Planet General Model using AMT in
the Planet General Model Technical Note.

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After model tuning process, the model tuning report will show up and consists
of multiple tabs.
On the General tab, key statistics are displayed and color coded based on the
legend you define in the Model Tuning Report Settings dialog box. In addition,
individual survey statistics are displayed on separate tabs and, finally, a textbased version is displayed on the Report tab.
To validate a propagation model, examine the following statistics in the Model
Tuning reports:
Mean Error used to validate the tuning process. Ranges from less than 2 dB
(exceptional) to greater than 7 dB (poor)
RMS (a combination of the standard deviation and the mean) used to
evaluate test sites. Ranges from less than 6 dB (exceptional) to greater than
10 dB (poor).
Correlation used to determine the quality of the drive test data and the
robustness of the propagation model. Ranges from greater than 0.90
(exceptional) to less than 0.70 (poor). Right-click a survey and choose
Analyze > Compare to Modeled Prediction or Compare to Grid to view the
correlation factor.
Error versus Distance used to ensure that the propagation model does not
contain errors close to or far from the transmitter.

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Mentum Planet has an extensive set of post model tuning tools to help validate
models and suitability of model assignments for existing and new sites based on
survey data analysis

Compare to Grid functions allow for basic survey to grid analysis.

Mentum Planets Advanced Measurement Data Package allows for

additional functionality within the Mentum Planet tool

Compare to Model Prediction allows for extended reporting functionality

over basic compare to grid. (As seen above)

Merged Propagations using the Survey prediction Tool (SPT)

Propagation Model Analyses, a fully featured model performance analysis

tool.

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Mentum Planets Propagation Analysis Tool allows for extremely detailed model
analysis on a sector by sector basis (if survey data is available) including:

Distance based performance

Clutter based performance
Per sector/Model performance
Pre survey/Model performance
Reporting and exporting functions

Thresholds can be set for all metrics as per the users specifications, the PMA is
fully integrated in Mentum Planet when the AMDP package is purchased.

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Mentum Planets Propagation Analysis Tool Has advanced Reporting tools to

allow for very detailed reports on model specific performance metrics including:

Survey Point distribution

Mean-RMS and Standard Deviation
Correlation
Quality

Reports can be run for any type:

Survey, Distance or Clutter

Model, Distance or Clutter
Sector, Distance or Clutter
Sector/Survey, Distance-Clutter matrix

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Predictions use a propagation model, terrain and clutter information, and

general sector settings including the power, antenna, and azimuth to predict the
signal strength and path loss of a sector at any location where the signal exceeds
the defined minimum level. You can generate predictions separately or as part
of an analysis.
Prediction files can take up a lot of disk space. You can use the Prediction
Manager to view a list of the predictions that have been generated for a project,
and remove any files that you no longer require.
To open the Prediction Manager

Choose Tools Prediction Manager.

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When you generate predictions, Mentum Planet performs coverage and

propagation calculations using the parameters you configured, and creates map
layers to display the calculation results.
You can view prediction layers for individual sites or sectors from the Project
Explorer. This is a fast and easy way to view predictions in the same Map
window. You can display prediction layers for various powers depending on the
technology of the sector.
To view predictions

1. In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, expand the Sites node.
2. Right-click a sector, choose View Predictions, and choose the type and
power you want to view.

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As part of the enhancements brought by MapInfos latest version 11.5, Mentum

Planet now includes an embedded Bing Maps Visualization option, allowing for
instant viewing of a satellite photograph on the Map window.
The feature supports two modes: aerial (only the map) and hybrid (with street
names)
When enabled, the photo will be shown as another layer under Mentum
Planets Windows category or MapInfos Layer Control, from where it can be
managed (e.g. moved, hidden, etc)
The resolution of the picture will change according to your zoom.

Mentum Planet also has the ability to display Open Street Map Roads and
Bing Roads as MapInfo layers.

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The user can display any grid (e.g. analysis layers, clutter, etc) on top of the
aerial photograph by using the translucency feature and use the Grid Info
feature to check data anywhere around the screen.
Mentum Planet can support export layers and site information to Google

Earth for further analysis or for inclusion in reports.

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Mentum Planet supports export to Google Earth functionalities, which allows

you to export network data (e.g. Site, sector and antenna information) as well as
MapInfo grids (e.g. coverage layers)

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Automatic Site Placement tool allows users to make fast nominal cell plans for
greenfield-style rollouts or expansion-style rollouts.
The tool uses simple radius methods for placing a grid of hexagons based on
user input in a selected polygon area.
You have several choices in avoiding placement outside of the polygon, and in
certain clutter classes i.e. avoid placing sites in clutter type water
It is specifically designed to quickly build clusters of sites with predetermined
cell radius
You can chose to use site templates to build site and sectors at the centers
defined

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HetNet in Mentum Planet

In Network settings (Cellular Layer tab) you can define the layers of your
network. For example, the macro, micro and pico layers.
In the Site Editor, you can assign the sectors to a specific cellular layer.

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HetNet in Mentum Planet

You can select a group of sites of different tecnologies. Create HetNet Analyses
for these sectors which allows you to create Best server coverage maps, Best
uplink data rate maps etc.
You define priories for different technologies. In this example WiFi is prio 1 and
for a given location Mentum Planet checks if WiFi is the best server, if the signal
strenght is better than -90 dBm. If not, Mentum Planet checks the defined
condition for the second preference (LTE, in this example) etc.

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Data Manager provides for multi-user collaboration in a secure centralized data

management environment where multiple users are accessing a project
simultaneously. A version control system prevents users from overwriting one
anothers changes. In order for site sets, attachments, groups, and site
templates to be stored in Data Manager they must be located in the Shared
folder in the Project Explorer.
When you update your project locally or submit changes to the project stored
on the Data Manager Server, you will be required to resolve any conflicts that
are found. A conflict occurs when a project item stored on your workstation
differs from the same project item stored in Data Manager. You choose whether
the Mentum Planet value (i.e., the local value) is kept or the value stored on the
server is kept.
To connect to Data Manager

In Mentum Planet, choose Data Data Manager.

For more information, see the Data Manager User Guide and the Data Manager
Application Note located in the Help folder within the Mentum Planet
installation folder.
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Data Management in Mentum Planet is comprised of two distinct (and separate)

elements:

The Data Manager client, which is installed as part of Mentum Planet

The Data Manager server, which is installed on a network server and which is
managed by the Data Manager Administrator

Implementing Mentum Planet data management provides the following

advantages:

Any number of users can work on a project simultaneously

You can get up-to-date project data from the server and then disconnect
from the server and continue working.
Project data can be held in a secure central location that is routinely backed
up.

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The Data Manager Server is installed on a corporate server and administer by

the Data Manager Administrator. It is the Administrator who creates the project
hierarchy, user profiles, and grants permissions to users. The Data Manager
Server consists of the database (either SQL or Oracle) and a file server folder
(where certain types of data are stored). All users must have read/write
permission on the file server folder.
The Administrator works in the Data Manager Server Console. From this
Console, the Administrator can perform a myriad of tasks including backing up
the database and creating custom columns.

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Data Manager is installed as part of Mentum Planet. Using Data Manager,

multiple Mentum Planet users can perform the following tasks:
update their Mentum Planet projects with changes made by other users
lock or unlock project data (locking prevents other users from modifying the
data in Data Manager)
submit modified project data to Data Manager
filter the data shown in the Data Manager tree view to display only a subset
view details of individual project items, the lock status of items, and the date
and time of the last update
compare the values in the Mentum Planet project currently open and the
values stored in Data Manager
Data Manager clients work in the Data Manager dialog box.

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Mentum Planet supports for Data Manager Partial Get feature. Mentum
Planet users can retrieve a subset of
the sites that are part of the Data Manager if they want, as opposed to all the
sites.

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