Designing telecom sites faster, cleaner and smarter

Commercial context

The demand for high-quality connectivity is rising both indoors and outdoors. As a result, CSPs face increasing pressure to roll out and manage expensive and complex, high-density networks. At the same time, operators need to keep costs down and also meet detailed regulatory and planning requirements.

Traditional site design, planning and regulatory compliance involve slow, expensive and fragmented manual processes. These tasks rely heavily on field visits, while site images, asset inventories and compliance data are often stored in silos. Moreover, many CSP teams still run EMF simulations, plan coverage and develop bills of materials (BOMs) manually.

Incomplete or outdated models can compound these issues, reducing the accuracy of RF and structural planning. Meanwhile, XR (extended reality), CAD and network planning platforms are also rarely integrated with live asset and coverage data. As a result, there can be inconsistencies and misalignment between design and execution teams.

Ultimately, it takes multiple visits per site for planning, auditing and documentation, resulting in high costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Long planning cycles delay 5G and indoor coverage deployments, especially in enterprise venues.

The solution

To solve these challenges, the ‘InfraVerse: Breaking boundaries for XR sustainability’ Catalyst is bringing together several advanced technologies. It employs AI, digital twins and remote collaboration software to create a modular solution for telecom site planning and compliance. The project team integrates TM Forum standards, advanced analytics and immersive technologies, streamlining operations and enabling scalable, autonomous infrastructure planning.

For example, generative AI will automate EMF compliance simulations, asset tracking, BOM creation, analytics reporting and document generation. To build a digital twin of a site, the Catalyst will use images captured by drones and scanners to generate high-fidelity 3D models. The Catalyst will also use TM Forum’s Digital Twin API to manage the lifecycle and integration of each digital twin. The Catalyst envisions tXR allowing CSP staff to remotely inspect, validate and collaborate on site designs in real time. The TM Forum Extended Reality API will help enable immersive remote site design and virtual walkthroughs.

The project team also plans to use TM Forum APIs to enrich site models with resource inventory, geographic data and other information. The Catalyst is, for example, using TMF Resource Inventory Management API for managing and tracking network site components, such as antennas and cabinets, and the Geographic Site Management API for geo-referencing site locations and associating them with infrastructure data. A data fabric and automation layer will be used to seamlessly orchestrate business and technical workflows.

Application and wider value

The proposed solution promises to streamline site deployment, reduce cost, improve accuracy and enable the expansion of autonomous networks. Using XR tools and APIs to streamline workflows between engineering, field ops and regulatory teams, CSPs will reduce site visits. This will lower their carbon emissions and operational footprint. The solution should also help operators achieve regulatory compliance, as automated EMF simulation and reporting improves safety assurance and reduces manual errors.

The Catalyst team believes that automation and remote design will reduce network rollout costs by up to 40% per site. Further, the combination of digital twin and AI planning could lower design and compliance time by 30–50%, accelerating 5G and indoor coverage deployments. This could translate to 44 billion euros in global savings from improved indoor coverage planning.

The Catalyst is promoting the use of TM Forum Open APIs, which enable cross-vendor integration and data sharing. It is also creating a blueprint for autonomous networks, which will act as a scalable framework for self-optimizing network planning. In so doing, the project hopes to encourage the faster rollout of smart buildings, 5G campuses and neutral host environments.

As the Catalyst helps increase indoor and rural coverage, society will benefit from better connectivity and greater digital inclusion. Moreover, accurate EMF compliance will facilitate the deployment of networks near sensitive areas, such as schools and hospitals. Meanwhile, it will also reduce travel, and efficient asset use will contribute to net-zero telecom infrastructure goals.

"As Vodafone’s digital strategy lead, I’m excited about InfraVerse’s potential to transform how we plan and manage networks,” concludes Mostafa Helmy, Manager of Digital Strategy Network Development at Vodafone, one of the champions of the Catalyst, along with Verizon. “By automating 35% of site operations and cutting deployment costs by up to 40%, we’ll accelerate 5G rollouts and indoor coverage—while reducing our carbon footprint. Beyond Vodafone, this approach sets a new industry benchmark for autonomous networks, driving sustainable connectivity and bridging the digital divide in underserved communities.”