AT&T’s wireless site digitization advancements

In a collaborative effort, AT&T is leveraging Ericsson’s Site Digital Twin (ESDT) to gain more control over the entire network deployment cycle, enabling faster deployments and lower cost models. ESDT is a unified platform using BIM (Building Information Modeling) standards to turn physical assets into digital assets that boost safety, sustainability and accuracy.

AT&T has historically relied on data from multiple sources with varying levels of accuracy, with the potential to create inefficiencies.  The key opportunities include:

• Development of a single source of truth
• Remote visualization of existing site conditions
• Minimizing or eliminating the need for pre-work site visits for any adjustments in plan
• Reduce rework, cycle time, and improve operational inefficiency

Ericsson Site Digital Twin (ESDT) offers improved control throughout the full network deployment cycle. It’s a unified platform using BIM Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards to turn physical assets into digital assets. Leveraging ESDT, AT&T has successfully digitized over thirty-nine thousand cell sites. Today the solution supports AT&T teams across pre- and post-construction phases, providing:

• Precise tower infrastructure data, creating a reliable data set for real time decision making
• 360-degree visualizations with interactive models detail hardware placement, positioning, tilts, and azimuths
• Enhanced RF design and an accurate baseline for RF planning
• Optimized workflow with reduced site visits, improved scoping clarity, and cuts rework
• Support for AT&T integrated workflow management, aligning with AT&T’s modernization efforts, replacing legacy tools with a SaaS platform

The adoption of ESDT has led to a number of benefits and improved operational efficiency. Measurable results were achieved in a short time, such as:

• Efficiency gains—reduces manual site visits and rework
• Quality data and a single source of truth driving data-driven decisions
• A rich data set enabling future process automation opportunities
• In less than a year, AT&T has captured and fully digitized over 39,000 cell sites