Indoor 5G and how to solve it

We all know the problem: mobile phone service is working fine … until you move indoors. Then, sometimes it works (you don’t notice), sometimes it sort of works (meh) and sometimes it clings on by one tiny bar or drops out entirely (argh).

Diagnosing the problem is relatively simple. The loss of mobile service indoors is fundamentally a result of outside-in coverage strategies and building entry loss (BEL) — i.e., the attenuation of radio signals due to walls and windows. This is particularly an issue for 5G mid-band frequencies (the main 5G band in most markets). At these frequencies, BEL is typically 20–30 dB* (depending on building type). For users already toward the outdoor cell edge, this amount of loss is enough to seriously degrade service quality or block service entirely as the user moves indoors.

Addressing the problem is harder. There are myriad physical, commercial and technical factors that combine to make indoor 5G service a knotty problem to solve on a countrywide basis. It is certainly a fixable problem technically — there are several great solutions — but who pays and how to deal with the sheer variety of buildings and venues, and their owners and tenants, remain big challenges.

The case for indoor 5G

Indoor coverage matters because we spend so much time indoors (Americans apparently spend an average of 87% of their time in enclosed buildings**). A better experience for customers, with less frustration, is surely worthwhile. And in a business context, there is a direct line from good/poor mobile service to productivity.

There are also opportunities that build on better indoor 5G service:

• Venue and smart-building services. Especially for larger, prestige venues, there are opportunities to supplement Wi-Fi (and other wireless technologies) to better support venue operations and the visitor experience through all manner of venue services (safety, signage, video monitoring, staff comms, point of sale, etc.). Stadiums and airports are the canonical examples.
• To combine private and public mobile network services. In many cases, there are multiple users for 5G venue connectivity. 5G technology enables public network customers and private network applications to run on common infrastructure — for example, using separate network slices or discrete virtual networks to protect privacy and performance.
• Because it adds value to real estate. This is of direct interest to landlords, and the logic leads inexorably to the conclusion that building owners should contribute funding to indoor 5G systems. Real estate developers are now very aware of this requirement. Owners of existing buildings sometimes take more persuading.

The good news is there are several ways to deliver brilliant indoor 5G networks to industrial venues, campus networks and all manner of commercial buildings.

To read the complete article, visit Light Reading.