2021/08/01 by Muhammad Iqbal Rochman, Rochman, Muhammad Iqbal, Vanlin Sathya +11 · 2 citations
Engineering · #Advanced MIMO Systems Optimization #FOS: Computer and information sciences #ICT Impact and Policies #Millimeter-Wave Propagation and Modeling #Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2108.00453
openalex publication_date 2021/08/01 · openalex created_date 2022/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Cellular operators have begun deploying 5G New Radio (NR) in all available\nbands: low (< 1 GHz), mid (1 - 6 GHz), and high (> 24 GHz) to exploit the\ndifferent capabilities of each. At the same time, traditional 4G Long Term\nEvolution (LTE) deployments are being enhanced with the addition of bands in\nthe unlicensed 5 GHz (using License Assisted Access, or LAA) and the 3.5 GHz\nCitizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) resulting in throughput performance\ncomparable to 5G in mid-band. We present a detailed study comparing 4G and 5G\ndeployments, in all bands in Chicago, and focused mmWave measurements and\nanalysis in Miami. Our methodology, based on commercial and custom apps, is\nscalable for crowdsourcing measurements on a large scale and provides detailed\ndata (throughput, latency, signal strength, etc.) on actual deployments. Our\nmain conclusions based on the measurements are (i) optimized 4G networks in\nmid-band are comparable in both throughput and latency to current deployments\nof 5G (both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA)) and (ii) mmWave 5G, even\nin NSA mode, can deliver multi-Gbps throughput reliably if the installation is\ndense enough, but performance is still brittle due to the propagation\nlimitations imposed by distance and body loss. Thus, while 5G demonstrates\nsignificant early promise, further work needs to be done to ensure that the\nstated goals of 5G are met.\n