Links without limitations

Mentum LinkPlanner is an advanced, feature-rich software product for

microwave network planning. It is continually enhanced, 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- and long-haul links as well as the integrated planning of point-to-point and point-to-
multi- point networks.

Capacity at the Right Cost

Adaptive modulation is a hot topic in the point-to-point microwave industry today. The
KEY POINTS
capacity demands in mobile operators’ transport networks are quickly growing, especially
with the introduction of mobile broadband technologies. One way of mastering these  Increasing capacity needs in transport networks
ever increasing needs is to introduce adaptive modulation in the microwave links. Mentum  New high-capacity links
LinkPlanner supports planning these new high-capacity links. Most of the time, links  Adaptive modulation support
with adaptive modulation can use high-modulation schemes, which gives high-capacity
throughputs. Modulation is stepped down to lower capacities when links experience
fading, such as during heavy rainfall. In Mentum LinkPlanner, you can design the link both
for maximum capacity and for guaranteed capacity.

Optimize Output Power

Another adaptive feature for microwave links is Automatic Transmit Power Control (ATPC),
KEY POINTS
which is modeled in Mentum LinkPlanner. A link with ATPC will automatically adjust its
output power to reach the desired receiver signal level during fading events. The result
 Support for Automatic Transmit Power Control
is less interference in the network and improved received signals resulting in higher
 Optimize output power to reduce interference
availability. Links with adaptive modulation can also use ATPC to enhance the availability for
 Achieve Quality and Availability targets
the guaranteed traffic.

A key objective in microwave networks is to keep output power levels as low as possible
while maintaining Quality and Availability. In Mentum LinkPlanner, the output power levels
can be optimized with the Remote Transmit Power Control (RTPC) function. It calculates
optimum output power levels based on a percentage of the link-chain’s Quality and
Availability targets.
Focus on Quality and Availability

The analysis of Quality and Availability conforms to the latest

recommendations from ITU. To support planning of both PDH and
SDH paths, Mentum LinkPlanner utilizes the ITU-R recommendations
based on ITU-T Rec. G.821 G.826, G.827, and G.828 as well as user-
defined targets. Different sets of objective values can be defined for
various purposes depending on the planning strategy. The Quality and  End-to-end quality

Availability analysis can either be done for a single path, several paths,  Path chain analysis

or a path-chain, ensuring the desired end-to-end Quality and Availability.  ITU-T or user-defined targets

Point-to-Point Planning Ease of Use

Mentum LinkPlanner supports the latest ITU recommendations and other
well-known algorithms, as well as advanced algorithms and concepts for
radio transmission planning. The frequency allocation support feature
assists the transmission engineer in creating an optimal frequency plan
by analyzing the available channels. The detailed far-end interference
analysis includes calculations and presentation of interference between
point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks.
The path quality report includes all calculation results for the microwave
link, also for the diversity and protection paths (e.g., rain, multipath,
cross-polar discrimination, and refraction fading). The result is presented
on an annual or worst-month basis. Hardware failure (MTBF and MTTR),
space, and frequency diversity are also included in the path quality
report together with the calculation of obstacle losses, free space, and
gas attenuation.
Mentum LinkPlanner is Windows®-based software that
is easy to use and install. It offers both stand-alone and
multi-user configurations. User-defined projects and
versions help you handle different scenarios and manage
various planning tasks. The multi-user support feature
synchronizes a master database with client databases.
This ensures that common planning parameters are used
and allows network data to be shared during the planning
process. The network report is a spreadsheet-style
window that gives an excellent overview of the network
configuration, thus enabling high-quality planning. Data
can be exported to other applications, such as Microsoft®
Excel. The network configuration can be further evaluated
with the network diagnostics tool.

Mentum LinkPlanner supports advanced reflection analysis allowing

engineers to vary the k-value and see the effect on reflections. The KEY POINTS

software can also optimize antenna heights based on clearance criteria.

 Flexible set-up and licensing
 Multi-user support
KEY POINTS  Focus on network configuration

 Support for latest ITU recommendations

 Assisted frequency allocation
 Path quality report includes all calculation results
 Advanced reflection analysis

Email: sales@mentum.com
www.mentum.com

© 2011 Mentum S.A. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.