Performance and Measurement Analysis of a Commercial 5G Millimeter-Wave Network

Abstract

Millimeter-wave (mmW) communication has great potential in expanding channel capacity, increasing transmission rates, enhancing anti-interference capabilities, and reducing delay. Therefore, it has been the subject of much attention and research, and it has been adopted as a core technology of 5G. So far, researchers have experimentally verified that high throughput can be achieved with 5G mmWs. However, compared to those of traditional medium- and low-frequency base stations, the propagation characteristics of mmWs have caused link instability and interference problems in large-scale networks, which brings new challenges to the industrial capability of the mmW band and puts forward new requirements for the performance evaluation of mmW base stations. In this paper, based on the signal characteristics of the mmW band and applicable scenarios of mmW base stations, a performance evaluation method for mmW base stations in commercial networks is comprehensively presented. Using the evaluation system described in this paper, we conduct measurements on commercial mmW base stations, evaluate the performance of these stations, and provide comprehensive guidance for their design and actual deployment.

Keywords

• 5G
• millimeter-wave