mmWave Whitepaper January 2022 – Signal Research Group
Signals Research Group (SRG) conducted a benchmark study to quantify the incremental benefits of 5G NR mmWave when deployed in an operator’s existing network, including a network which also supports mid-band 5G NR. This study is highly unique relative to earlier studies we have done since it incorporated a large number of mobile devices to quantify system-level performance with LTE, mid-band 5G NR, and 5G NR mmWave. In addition to determining the capacity thresholds for each network technology, we incorporated user experience metrics related to video performance to demonstrate how 5G NR – both mid-band and mmWave – improve the user experience in a congested network.
For this study, we tested at the Footprint Center, home to the Phoenix Suns NBA team, in Phoenix, AZ using the Verizon Wireless network. We used up to 17 Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones with the Snapdragon 865 5G Mobile Platform to determine the potential downlink and uplink capacity of the operator’s LTE network and then the additional capacity 5G NR mmWave provided. We also tested in an outdoor area in central Helsinki, Finland on the Elisa network which included LTE, 5G NR Bn78 (3.5 GHz) and 5G NR Bn258 (25 GHz or mmWave). In this network we leveraged up to 20 Asus smartphones for Snapdragon Insiders with the Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform. Our objectives when testing this network were similar to our objectives when testing the Verizon network. Two key differentiators with the second study were that it involved an outdoor venue that has high traffic volumes on a daily basis and that the network was located in Europe. 5G NR mmWave is no longer a US centric story.
Key highlights from our benchmark study, which we validate with supporting data in this whitepaper, include:
➤ Despite the enhanced efficiencies of LTE networks, there is a breaking point in the amount of data traffic these networks can support. When testing both venues, we calculated the LTE spectral efficiency for downlink data traffic was between 5-7 bps/Hz with the uplink spectral efficiency approximately half what we observed in the downlink direction.
mmWave Whitepaper January 2022 – Signal Research Group
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