Real-world validation
Continuous field, indoor, static and vehicle-based measurement replaces one-off assurance with living evidence.
Metricell Mission Critical Broadband Offering 2026
Assuring Your New Mission Critical Broadband Network
A digital assurance, testing and intelligence platform for resilient, secure and high-performing mission critical communications.
Executive summary
Metricell turns mission critical network assurance into a continuous digital operating layer.
The offering combines telecoms consulting, real-world measurement, automation, GIS visualisation and AI-enabled analytics so mission critical stakeholders can validate, understand and improve their broadband communications environment.
Digital transformationMission critical assuranceTesting automationGIS dashboardsAI-enabled analyticsDelivery expertise
Actionable intelligence
Measurement, OSS, GIS and support data are brought into one view for dashboards, maps, alerts and workflow.
Independent delivery
Metricell combines software and services with radio optimisation, planning engineering and mission critical experience.
Why it matters
The mission critical communications model is moving from narrowband voice to broadband-enabled operations.
Legacy systems such as TETRA, P25 and DMR remain important in many environments, but LTE, 4G and 5G enable richer data-led public safety workflows when they are assured, resilient and operationally trusted.
Legacy systems
TETRA / P25 / DMR
Designed primarily around voice and short message services, with bespoke mission critical infrastructure and established operational practices.
Mission critical broadband
LTE / 4G / 5G MCX
Enables voice, data, apps, video, location services, real-time intelligence and interoperability benefits through mature industry standards and scale.
VoiceVideoDataLocationReal-time intelligenceInteroperabilityResiliencePriority communications
Introducing Metricell
Automated technology for a better connected world.
Metricell is a software and services company focused on digital transformation for the telecommunications industry, with solutions tailored to network experience, subscriber and location-centric assurance.
2007Established
15+Years telecoms experience
40+Radio optimisers and planning engineers
AICurrent focus on automation and analytics
Quality Management
Clear process implementation for quality customer service.
Environmental Management
Green credentials and environmental compliance focus.
Business Continuity
Protection against threats and business interruption.
Information Security
Robust and secure approach to data security.
Customer landscape
One assurance model, multiple mission critical stakeholder groups.
The platform and services model supports organisations responsible for operating, regulating, deploying, monitoring or depending on high-performing wireless networks.
Network Operators
Network quality, availability, optimisation and operational dashboards.
Enterprise Business
Experience validation for locations, users, fleets and critical sites.
Government & Regulators
Independent evidence, coverage validation and public service assurance.
Managed Service Providers
Operational workflow, status visibility and customer support intelligence.
Tower Companies
Coverage, asset and site performance intelligence for infrastructure decisions.
Platform overview
A unified mission critical broadband assurance platform.
Metricell brings network intelligence, AI-enabled test and measurement, automation and digital self-care into a single geospatial operating environment.
Centralised Mission Critical Assurance Platform
GIS, dashboards, analytics, workflow and stakeholder visibility.
Network Intelligence System
AI-powered network management and private data analysis.
AI Test & Measurement
Generic loading of in-building, drive test, scanner and CEM data.
Automated AI Solutions
Automated ticketing, analytics and network operations intelligence.
Fully Digital Self Care
Support journeys with real-time analytics and customer-facing status.
SmartToolsSurveyorBeaconAutoMobileSpectrum Analyser
Product portfolio
Click each capability to reveal what it does, where it fits and why it matters.
Translates complex network, coverage and operational data into map-led dashboards, issue workflows and support views.
- Used for shared operational visibility.
- Benefits: faster diagnosis, stakeholder alignment and evidence-led decisions.
Supports field, in-building, route and site testing with real-time network information and configurable quality tests.
- Used by engineers and non-technical users.
- Benefits: scalable testing without specialist drive test complexity.
Fixed-location monitoring for continuously testing mobile service at points of interest and critical indoor sites.
- Used for SLA monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Benefits: continuous evidence and automated poor-performance alerting.
Turns vehicles into autonomous drive test units, geolocating telephony data and uploading it to a central analytics platform.
- Used across road, rail and waterway environments.
- Benefits: large-scale, low-friction validation.
Combines network datasets, measurement data and geospatial context into intelligence for performance, availability and improvement.
- Used by operations, planning and assurance teams.
- Benefits: one source of operational evidence.
Applies algorithms and automation to identify poor performance, trigger workflows and support proactive investigations.
- Used to reduce manual analysis effort.
- Benefits: faster prioritisation and repeatable decisions.
Uses end-user and crowdsourced measurement feeds to build a broad view of service quality across live environments.
- Used for continuous sampling.
- Benefits: captures the user experience at scale.
Assesses indoor and outdoor predictions against measurement data using grids, thresholds and RAG visualisation.
- Used for contractual and operational validation.
- Benefits: shows where predicted experience is not achieved.
Combines availability counters, planned works, outages and coverage impact modelling to support SLA oversight.
- Used by operations and contractual teams.
- Benefits: near real-time visibility and future risk forecasting.
Turns signal, KPI, best server and coverage information into support-ready status views and issue workflows.
- Used by Level 1-2 support and customer-facing teams.
- Benefits: clearer issue handling and fewer manual escalations.
Covers technology assessment, RF design, network testing and system integration testing for mission critical users.
- Used during procurement, planning and implementation.
- Benefits: practical roadmaps and independent supplier evaluation.
Supports comparison and analysis where legacy service environments transition toward LTE-based mission critical broadband.
- Used for transition understanding.
- Benefits: improved evidence during technology migration.
UK ESN case study
Experience from one of the world's largest mission critical broadband assurance programmes.
ESN Assure launched in 2018 to support confidence in the UK's new LTE-based mission critical communications environment, using real-world testing, indoor surveys, vehicle-based data and centralised analytics.
0service users
0regional emergency service organisations
0control rooms
0vehicles
0km of roads
0new masts
0upgraded masts
0samples
Challenges addressed
A challenge-to-solution matrix for mission critical broadband assurance.
Coverage and Reliability
Validate indoor, outdoor, rural, urban, land, sea and air performance with measurement evidence.
Network Resilience
Model outages, monitor availability and expose areas where redundancy or service levels need attention.
Security
Support secure data handling through information security management and controlled platform workflows.
Interoperability
Support multi-stakeholder analysis across organisations, devices, service types and network data sources.
Regulatory Compliance
Evidence contractual thresholds, SLAs, coverage obligations and performance trends in shared dashboards.
Public Perception
Build confidence by using end-user and vehicle-based testing from the people and fleets that rely on the service.
Transition Planning
Compare legacy environments with LTE service readiness and manage improvement processes early.
Vendor Dependence
Provide independent measurement and validation that can run separately from the network provider.
Training and Support
Enable non-technical users to test with simple tools while giving engineers deeper analysis layers.
End User Acceptance
Engage users with testing, analysis and real-world confidence-building before and during transition.
Cost Management
Automate sampling and reuse live data to reduce repeated manual drive testing and reporting cycles.
Lessons from ESN
Six practical lessons for planning, assuring and operating mission critical broadband.
Stakeholders
Onboard and collaborate with all key stakeholders early so assurance is trusted across the user community.
Indoor vs Outdoor
Define the in-building and outdoor coverage scope clearly, including rural, urban and specialist environments.
Process
Put improvement processes in place early so coverage issues can be identified, assigned and tracked.
Service Levels
Negotiate realistic but favourable and strict SLAs with the communications service provider.
Testing
Test data, voice, signalling, mobility and related experience - not just one isolated metric.
Devices
Select devices with long lifespans so operational assurance can continue throughout transition and live service.
Use case hub
Click a mission critical assurance use case.
Each module connects a practical user need to the relevant Metricell product component and customer benefit.
Use case: data ingestion and visualisation
Data from test and measurement inputs, network operations and GIS is transformed into shared information.
OperationsMaintenanceSitesIndoor coverageOutdoor coverageFaultPerformanceGIS
Centralised Platform
GIS, dashboards, analytics and workflows
Coverage insightAvailability viewsRAG gridsAoC workflowsSupport statusExecutive dashboards
Use case: test automation
AutoMobile turns vehicles into autonomous drive test units.
AutoMobile captures geolocated telephony data points and automatically uploads them to the analytics platform, enabling large-scale fit-and-forget testing across road, rail and waterway infrastructure.
- Automate large-scale network testing.
- Benchmark multiple network operators where required.
- Reduce dependency on expensive traditional test equipment.
- Independently verify network connectivity at scale.
Use case: fixed location monitoring
Beacon provides 24/7/365 monitoring at static locations and points of interest.
Beacon continuously tests mobile service indoors and at critical sites, with remote configuration, SLA visibility, automated alerting and AI-enabled detection of poor performance.
Indoor performanceRemote configurationSLA monitoringAutomated alertingTroubleshooting supportAI poor-performance detection
Use case: handheld testing
Surveyor makes on-demand network testing accessible in the field.
Surveyor is an Android-based engineering application for visualising the radio environment and running in-building, route and site surveys with real-time visibility.
- MCPTT, voice, data and coverage tests.
- Floor-by-floor, room-by-room in-building surveys.
- Route testing across road and rail environments.
- Field access to cell, prediction, OSS KPI and GIS layers.
- Usable by non-technical personnel for broader testing coverage.
Use case: coverage validation and network resiliency
Compare real-world measurements against predicted service and required thresholds.
Metricell aggregates measurement data into standard grids, applies user-defined thresholds and creates RAG visuals with drill-down for each grid area.
Aggregate
Data is aggregated into a standard grid.
Period
User defines the analysis period.
Thresholds
User defines performance thresholds.
RAG Visuals
Grid applies red, amber and green analysis.
Drill-down
Details are available per grid area.
Use case: network improvements
Identify, action and track areas where network improvements are required.
The platform can automatically identify poor telephony performance linked to data speeds, coverage, calls and MCPTT services, then manage Areas of Concern through workflow and trend tracking.
Measurement dataAoC identifiedInvestigationWorksheetsKQI trends
Use case: availability management
A three-part operating view for uptime, forecasts and impact modelling.
Monitor network uptime in near real time.
Use network availability counters, ticketing feeds, coverage predictions, OSS KPIs, planned works and unplanned outages to visualise whether areas meet contractual SLA obligations.
- GIS map interface and dynamic reports.
- Colour-coded service level views.
- Operational visibility for all key data sources.
Forecast future availability based on planned changes.
Integrate ticketing systems and planned works to understand SLA risk before changes take place, with alarms where areas are predicted to breach obligations.
- Customisable forecasting logic.
- Reschedule planned works when SLA risk is identified.
- Unplanned outage impacts factored into future statistics.
Model coverage impact scenarios instantly.
Upload impacted and interim sites, switch coverage footprints on or off, and calculate the net operational result across possible deployment or outage scenarios.
- Interim site and baseline coverage modelling.
- Multiple site add/remove scenario planning.
- Coverage and operational KPI impact assessment.
Use case: customer support
SmartTools supports network quality issue handling.
Complex network data becomes meaningful live status information for support personnel and, where deployed, end customers.
Live network statusSignal and KPI drill-downBest serving cellsTop neighbour cellsValidated coverage overlaysIndoor/outdoor differentiationWorkflow managerTicketing / CRM integrationCustomer self-service potential
MCX communications requirements
Mission critical users need efficient group communications, available service and proper prioritisation.
Efficient Group Communications
Group calls are the backbone of professional communications, especially when people from different organisations need to work together.
Fast, Reliable, Available Connection
Users must be able to access systems, resources and applications when they need them, including during demanding operational conditions.
Proper Prioritisation
Mission critical communications require service priority between users, organisations, services, applications and emergency call scenarios.
3GPP defined standardInteroperabilityReliabilitySecurityData speedsFrequency bandEnd-user devicesDeployment option
Consulting services
Independent expertise across mission critical technology assessment, planning, testing and integration.
Metricell engineers and consultants bring wireless technology experience and ESN assurance insight to support procurement, planning and implementation.
Technology and Supplier Assessment
Evaluate technologies and suppliers against practical MCX requirements, legacy transition needs and user community priorities.
Design and Planning
Develop network plans, budgets, link budgets, deployment plans, site designs and RF planning models across wireless technologies.
Network Testing
Perform automated voice, data, signal and coverage tests in vehicles, trains, buses and other environments using proven test workflows.
System Integration Testing
Plan and test end-to-end architecture, interfaces, APIs, workflows, reporting, performance, usability and data integrity.
Delivery roadmap
A practical methodology from discovery to continuous improvement.
Discover
Clarify objectives, stakeholders, users and operational constraints.
Assess
Review technologies, suppliers, service levels, data sources and gaps.
Design
Define platform architecture, testing approach, thresholds and workflows.
Test
Deploy AutoMobile, Beacon, Surveyor and calibrated testing where needed.
Validate
Compare actual service against predictions, SLAs and user expectations.
Optimise
Prioritise Areas of Concern and manage improvement actions.
Operate
Monitor availability, support workflows and executive dashboards.
Improve
Track KQI trends and continuously refresh the evidence base.
Why Metricell
A trusted partner for mission critical broadband assurance.
Metricell combines proven ESN experience, independent telecoms expertise, large-scale testing capability, AI and automation, real-world measurement data, GIS visualisation and end-to-end consulting and software capability.
Proven ESN experienceIndependent telecoms expertiseLarge-scale testingAI and automationReal-world measurementGIS dashboardsMission critical user supportSoftware + services
From measurement to management.Collect, visualise, action and prove network experience.