Data-Driven Case Study of gNB Placement Optimization in a Private Indoor 5G Testbed
Accurate radio planning is a fundamental requirement for the deployment of wireless networks in indoor environments, where signal propagation is strongly affected by walls, partitions, and other structural obstacles. Despite the availability of standardized propagation models, their ability to represent the characteristics of specific deployment scenarios is often limited, motivating the use of measurement-driven approaches. In this context, this paper presents a data-driven case study of next generation NodeB (gNB) placement optimization in an office using measurements collected from an experimental fifth generation (5G) testbed. A propagation model is trained from reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements using distance and wall count as input features and integrated with a combinatorial search framework. The proposed workflow is used to evaluate alternative deployment strategies under different optimization criteria. Results indicate that satisfactory indoor coverage and improved cell-edge conditions can be achieved with a small number of gNBs.