5G Radio Planning and Design

Did you know that a North American Tier-1 operator deployed over 75,000 5G sites in months using automated multi-vendor planning and beamforming validation, Verizon uses massive MIMO and beamforming to overcome mmWave propagation challenges, and real-world studies show T-Mobile’s mid-band n41 achieved higher spectral efficiency than AT&T and Verizon through denser sites and more beams? The 5G Radio Planning and Design course delivers expert-level capability in 5G NR radio network planning, dimensioning, and performance-driven design for SA and NSA deployments using advanced RF concepts including massive MIMO, beamforming, OFDM numerology, and TDD patterns across FR1 and FR2 bands.

Course Overview

The 5G Radio Planning and Design course by Rcademy is designed to equip senior RF planning and optimization engineers, RAN solution architects, network designers, and spectrum planners with expert-level capability in 5G NR radio network planning, dimensioning, and performance-driven design for standalone and non-standalone deployments. Participants gain deep mastery of advanced RF concepts including massive MIMO, beamforming, scalable OFDM numerology, TDD frame configurations, link budgets, propagation modeling, and traffic-based dimensioning so they can design macro, micro, and small-cell layers for eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC services across diverse FR1 and FR2 environments.

Without specialized 5G radio planning training, RF professionals may struggle to configure beam patterns, dimension FR2 mmWave capacity, or integrate C-RAN transport constraints, limiting their ability to deliver competitive 5G networks that balance coverage, capacity, quality, and cost. This advanced course provides a structured path to mastery across link budget calculations, massive MIMO beam planning, and end-to-end RF design workflows, preparing attendees to lead commercial 5G rollouts and private network deployments.

The 5G Radio Planning and Design course covers 5G radio planning foundations, 5G NR air interface for planners, propagation and coverage modeling, link budget and MAPL for 5G NR, capacity planning and dimensioning, cell planning and HetNets, massive MIMO and beam planning, interference management and spectrum coexistence, radio planning workflow and tools, advanced topics for private 5G and special scenarios, KPI targets and acceptance criteria, and practical design workshops. Participants learn to apply advanced RF design calculations, configure 5G-specific planning parameters, design heterogeneous network layers, integrate radio planning with transport and core constraints, use professional RF planning tools, plan for LTE coexistence and refarming, and complete end-to-end 5G RF designs.

Real-world cases show how a North American Tier-1 operator deployed over 75,000 5G sites using automated multi-vendor planning platforms that parsed drive-test data containing mmWave measurements, validated beamforming through beam index usage and bin distribution, and continuously refined configurations based on lab trials and field data.

Studies also show that planning decisions including site density, beam count, and spectrum allocation directly affect 5G performance, with T-Mobile’s mid-band n41 achieving much higher spectral efficiency than AT&T and Verizon due to denser deployment and larger number of beams, validating the critical role of expert RF design taught in this course.

Take charge of your 5G radio planning expertise. Enroll now in the Rcademy 5G Radio Planning and Design course to master the advanced RF skills that drive competitive 5G network performance.

Who Should Attend?

The 5G Radio Planning and Design course by Rcademy is ideal for:

• Senior RF planning and optimization engineers
• RAN solution architects and technical leads
• Network design and pre-sales professionals
• Spectrum planners and regulatory technical staff
• Transmission and transport engineers
• Experienced LTE planners transitioning to 5G NR
• RF consultants working on 5G bids and solutions
• Private 5G network designers for enterprise
• Mobile network operators’ technical staff
• Telecom equipment vendors’ planning teams
• System integration engineers for 5G deployments
• Radio network planning managers
• Quality assurance engineers for RAN acceptance
• Technical project managers for 5G rollout
• Professionals seeking advanced 5G RF expertise

What are the Training Goals?

The main objectives of The 5G Radio Planning and Design course by Rcademy are to enable professionals to:

• Develop expert-level 5G NR radio network planning capability
• Apply advanced RF concepts across FR1 and FR2 bands
• Perform end-to-end RF design calculations and link budgets
• Configure 5G-specific planning parameters and numerology
• Design HetNets for eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC services
• Integrate radio planning with transport and core architecture
• Use professional RF planning tools for 5G design
• Plan for LTE coexistence and spectrum refarming
• Master massive MIMO and beamforming techniques
• Optimize beam patterns for coverage and capacity
• Dimension FR2 mmWave networks for dense scenarios
• Design private 5G networks for enterprise use cases
• Define KPI targets and acceptance criteria
• Build end-to-end 5G radio plans from input to deployment
• Lead commercial 5G rollouts and network transformations

How Will This Training Course Be Presented?

At Rcademy, the extensive focus is laid on the relevance of the training content to the audience. Thus, content is reviewed and customised as per the professional backgrounds of the audience.

The training framework includes:

• Expert-led lectures by senior 5G radio planning professionals using audio-visual sessions
• Hands-on RF design exercises with link budgets, propagation models, and planning tools
• Interactive workshops for beam planning, site dimensioning, and coverage prediction
• Case studies covering North American Tier-1 deployments, Verizon mmWave, and multi-operator benchmarks
• Practical design projects where participants build complete 5G RF plans

The theoretical part of training is delivered by an experienced professional from the relevant domain, using audio-visual presentations. This advanced approach ensures RF professionals translate theory into practical 5G planning workflows through link budget calculations, tool configurations, and real-world design scenarios.

This expert-level model ensures participants gain both conceptual depth and hands-on proficiency to immediately apply advanced 5G radio planning techniques in commercial and private network deployments.

Register now to experience a rigorous, practice-focused learning journey designed to equip you for leading 5G radio planning and design initiatives.

Course Syllabus

Module 1: 5G Radio Planning Foundations

• Objectives of radio network design: coverage, capacity, quality, and cost constraints.​
• 5G NR service categories (eMBB, URLLC, mMTC) and their radio design implications.​
• SA vs. NSA deployment options and impact on radio planning.​
• 5G spectrum landscape: low-, mid-, and high-band (mmWave) allocations and use cases.​

Module 2: 5G NR Air Interface for Planners

• Scalable numerology, subcarrier spacing options, and frame/slot structure.​
• TDD and FDD modes; DL/UL configuration, guard periods, and impact on capacity/latency.​
• NR channels and signals (SSB, PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PRACH, reference signals) relevant to planning.​
• Power control concepts and channel mapping from a planning perspective.​

Module 3: Propagation, Path Loss, and Coverage Modelling

• 5G propagation models for sub‑6 GHz and mmWave (urban macro, micro, indoor hotspot, rural).​
• Path loss, shadowing, fast fading, penetration losses, and clutter modelling.​
• Model tuning using drive test / field measurements and calibration best practices.​
• Coverage probability, cell edge SINR, and minimum RSRP/RSRQ design targets.​

Module 4: Link Budget and MAPL for 5G NR

• Downlink and uplink link budget structure for 5G NR, including beamforming gains.​
• Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL) calculation and relation to cell radius.​
• Special considerations for TDD, massive MIMO, and hybrid beamforming in budgets.​
• Separate link budgets for FR1 vs. FR2, outdoor vs. indoor, macro vs. small cells.​

Module 5: Capacity Planning and Dimensioning

• Traffic modelling for 5G: busy-hour traffic, service mix, and spatial distribution.​
• Resource allocation, MCS mapping, SINR–throughput relationships, and spectral efficiency assumptions.​
• Site count and carrier dimensioning for eMBB, FWA, IoT, and enterprise slices.​
• Contention, scheduling, and overhead factors in effective capacity estimation.​

Module 6: Cell Planning, Site Strategy, and HetNets

• Macro, micro, pico, and femto layer roles in 5G heterogeneous networks.​
• Site selection criteria: morphology, height, tilt, clutter, and zoning constraints.​
• Small-cell and indoor system planning (DAS, small cells, repeaters) for capacity hotspots.​
• Inter-site distance planning, overlap, and dominance for robust mobility and neighbour design.​

Module 7: Massive MIMO and Beam Planning

• Massive MIMO array concepts, active antenna units, and sectorization strategies.​
• Beamforming and beam management: SSB beams, CSI-RS beams, and coverage shaping.​
• Impact of beam patterns on coverage predictions and planning tool configuration.​
• Optimizing beams for street canyons, high-rise, venues, and FWA scenarios.​

Module 8: Interference Management and Spectrum Coexistence

• Intra- and inter-layer interference in dense 5G deployments.​
• Coexistence with LTE and legacy systems, including DSS and guard-band design.​
• TDD synchronization and frame alignment across operators and bands.​
• Interference analysis, mitigation strategies, and coordination mechanisms.​

Module 9: Radio Planning Workflow and Tools

• End-to-end 5G radio planning workflow from input data to final design.​
• RF design inputs: maps, clutter, traffic layers, existing sites, spectrum, device mix.​
• Use of professional planning tools: modelling, Monte Carlo simulations, and prediction outputs.​
• Iterative design refinement: tuning parameters to meet coverage and capacity KPIs.​

Module 10: Advanced Topics – Private 5G and Special Scenarios

• Radio planning for private and campus 5G networks (factories, ports, mining, hospitals).​
• Planning for ultra-dense venues (stadiums, malls, transport hubs) with high concurrency.​
• FR2/mmWave-specific design issues: blockage, beam tracking, and outdoor–indoor service.​
• RAN slicing implications for radio planning: isolation, KPIs, and resource pools.​

Module 11: KPI Targets, Acceptance, and Optimization Handshake

• 5G RAN KPI framework: coverage, quality, capacity, mobility, and accessibility KPIs.​
• Design acceptance criteria and drive-test/scan benchmarks.​
• Handover to optimization: creating an RF design package for post-launch tuning.​
• Feedback loop: using performance data to improve planning assumptions and models.​

Module 12: Practical Design Workshop

• Building a complete 5G RF design (inputs, link budgets, site plan, predictions) for a target city/enterprise.​
• Hands-on exercises in coverage and capacity simulations, what‑if scenarios, and design trade-offs.​
• Case studies from commercial 5G deployments highlighting pitfalls and best practices.​
• Participant presentations and expert critique of proposed radio plans.

Training Impact

The impact of 5G Radio Planning and Design training is evident in how leading operators accelerate nationwide rollouts, solve mmWave propagation challenges, and improve spectral efficiency through expert decisions on site density, beamforming, and spectrum allocation.

North American Tier 1 Operator Automating 75,000 Plus 5G Sites with Advanced Planning Tools

Implementation: A major North American operator deployed more than 75,000 5G sites in months using an integrated multi vendor planning and optimization platform supporting technologies from GSM to 5G NR. Automated workflows parsed mmWave drive test data, defined custom KPIs, validated beamforming through beam index usage and bin distribution, and generated acceptance reports within hours of field testing. The same configurations were reused from lab trials through large scale regional cluster deployments across 5G NSA, 5G SA, VoNR, and carrier aggregation.

Results: Automated analytics enabled rapid acceptance of thousands of sites across low band, mid band, and mmWave deployments, drastically reducing troubleshooting time and accelerating nationwide rollout. Early detection of beam coverage issues and transmit power anomalies improved coverage and quality KPIs. Lessons learned were quickly scaled across the network, enabling consistent deployment practices and helping the operator become one of North America’s fastest and most awarded 5G networks.

Verizon Massive MIMO and Beamforming Enabling 5G Ultra Wideband

Implementation: Verizon deployed 5G Ultra Wideband using mmWave spectrum, addressing propagation limits through advanced beamforming and massive MIMO. Large antenna arrays at gNBs enabled precise horizontal and vertical beam steering toward devices, improving link reliability, throughput, and energy efficiency in dense urban environments.

Results: Beamforming combined with massive MIMO allowed Verizon to deliver consistent ultra high capacity service in cities, venues, and stadiums where mmWave would otherwise struggle. Adaptive beams improved signal robustness around obstacles and indoors, enabling Verizon to scale Ultra Wideband coverage while maintaining competitive performance in challenging RF conditions.

AT and T Verizon T Mobile Real World 5G Performance Across FR1 and FR2

Implementation: A large scale field study across Chicago and Minneapolis collected over 1,200 km of driving data to compare low band, mid band, and mmWave 5G performance across three operators. Measurements captured detailed RF and PHY layer metrics including beam indices, MIMO layers, SINR, modulation, resource blocks, and throughput to assess the impact of planning choices.

Results: T Mobile’s mid band n41 achieved significantly higher spectral efficiency due to denser site deployment and more beams per site. With 462 unique physical cell identifiers compared to roughly 150 for competing mid band networks, T Mobile reached median spectral efficiency of 3.14 bit per second per hertz per stream versus 1.9 to 2.3 for others. The study confirmed that expert planning decisions on site density and beam configuration create measurable performance advantages, validating the core skills delivered in the 5G Radio Planning and Design course.

Learn how Tier-1 operators scaled fast and won with beam validation, massive MIMO, and beamforming. Join the Rcademy 5G Radio Planning and Design course and build networks that outperform.