Intenna Systems
Connection
December 2022
5G vs 4G EnRoute to 5G: The Benefits & Challenges of Implementing C-Band Intenna Newsletter
Table of Contents
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5G vs 4G Different than 4G LTE, 5G technology is capable of running on a wider range than current networks but isn't much faster than 4G on the same old radio channels.
EnRoute to 5G The Benefits & Challenges of Implementing C-Band
Wireless that Works
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Christopher Lange President & CEO William Shouldis VP Engineering
Sales Jeff Reale Director, Enterprise and Carrier Solutions Eric McCarthy Solutions Manager-Enterprise Sales West and South Regions Eclipse Rattanavong Regional Solutions Manager
Marketing Intenna Systems designs, builds and maintains some of the most complex in-building wireless solutions available in the enterprise and service provider segments of the industry. The Intenna DAS that you deploy now will immediately enable 4G technology while laying the foundation for future 5G services.
Robin Lange Marketing Manager
E sales@intennasystems.com T 609.714.8268
What does that really mean? “Total internet hits have increased by up to 70% since before the pandemic with wireless data usage alone up almost 30%.” (CTIA) INTENNA SYSTEMS: Robin Lange
The role of wireless technologies in keeping people connected has been unprecedented in providing the framework that allows for the increase in streaming media, social networking and video conferencing. Theoretically, 5G will meet the challenges of this new digital world demand by taking advantage of different technologies that work together promising to increase download speeds by up to 10 times that of 4G. But is that really true and how do these various technologies cooperate?
What is 5G? 5G is the fifth generation of cellular technology for network communications that will eventually replace, or at least complement, 4G LTE. Its technology delivers faster download and upload speeds, ultra-low latency (the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks), more reliability and network capacity. But for many, it isn't making much of a difference just yet. The reality of 5G is that the icon on your brand-new smartphone really just feels and works exactly like 4G.
What makes it different? Streaming and downloading on the go was made possible by 4G. 5G expands these capabilities exponentially but still needs a 4G foundation to function. As 4G gets more crowded, problems will surface for everyone including consumers, corporations, even
governments with overall performance suffering. The inconvenience for consumers and businesses is obvious. Growing delays and transmission failures will challenge the reliance on mobile data by services like finance, emergency services, and data security. The promise is that 5G will bring speeds of more than 600 times faster than the typical 4G speeds, fast enough to download a 4K high-def movie in 25 seconds, or to stream several at the same time.
Different than 4G LTE, 5G technology is capable of running on a wider range than current networks but isn't much faster than 4G on the same old radio channels. The promise is that 5G will bring speeds of more than 600 times faster than the typical 4G speeds, fast enough to download a 4K high-def movie in 25 seconds, or to stream several at the same time. Different than 4G LTE, 5G technology is capable of running on a wider range than current networks but isn't much faster than 4G on the same old radio channels.
Instead, 5G allows phones much wider usage on channels across a broader range of frequencies.
How does it work? To reach the top speeds associated with 5G, carriers need millimeterwave (or mmWave) technology, which takes advantage of the very high end of the wireless spectrum and large channel sizes. mmWave could enable those 10-Gbps speeds, but it comes with major challenges: Millimeter-wave signals are less reliable over long distances and are easily disrupted by obstacles like trees, people, and even rain. To make it practical for mobile use, carriers need to deploy huge numbers of small access points in cities, instead of relying on a few big cell towers as they do today, driving up the cost of deploying mmWave networks.
The alternative to mmW for in-building 5G coverage is a distributed antenna system (DAS).
The alternative to mmW for inbuilding 5G coverage is a distributed antenna system (DAS). All the benefits of full interior coverage, increased data speed, improved latency and greater capacity can be achieved with a DAS network while addressing the challenges and high costs of mmW. “When deployed inside a building, a smart repeater amplifies a weak beamed signal and can light up an entire room, improving end-user and application connectivity experiences.
Widespread use of active repeaters throughout 5G networks enables service providers to launch indoor, outdoor, and mobile enhanced 5G mmWave services at 50% lower costs.” (PCMag)
The bottom line. While eventually this new technology will be standalone, currently, 5G phones generally still need 4G networks to establish their initial connections. Where there is limited 5G coverage, the data is carried on the 4G network providing the continuous connection. Essentially with this design, the 5G network is complementing the existing 4G network. So most connections will be combined 4G/5G links for quite some time.
The bottom line is that 4G has many years ahead of it as part of the 5G landscape.
4G vs 5G
5G
The need for Speed
The dawn of 5G promises to meet the challenges of a new digital world demand. But is that really true?
40% 100x* 5-20 5G world coverage by 2024
87%
faster than 4G
*eventually
4G global coverage
works w/ 4G & 5G phones
millisecond low-latency
30-70 millisecond low-latency
5G is set to bring forth a slew of new connectivity features, including better cellular coverage and hefty speed improvements over previous cellular generations. However, as networks transition from 4G to 5G, mobile network operators, or carriers, must have the right infrastructure in place — one that is built on 4G, but has the capacity to deliver 5G service.
5G requires a new framework including broad, dedicated channels and multiple antennas to ensure strong signal, said William Shouldis, vice president of engineering at Intenna Systems, a provider of in-building wireless solutions. Shouldis said that to provide users with 5G-quality service, mobile network operators are implementing C-Band — or midband radio frequencies that help provide speedy connections and wide-ranging coverage. “If not for C-Band, enjoying 5G benefits could be something we will all be waiting on for a long while," Shouldis said. " To achieve the full potential of 5G, the carriers need more expansive channel sizes to allow large amounts of data to pass through and provide the speeds that everyone is waiting for. We need those big channel sizes, which is where C-Band comes in. ” He said that currently, the 5G phones people have are not capable of delivering 5G service nor can the speed be faster than the current 4G LTE because the necessary infrastructure is not yet in place.
While the big three operators, Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile, are working to build these new networks, C-Band is seen as a "middle ground" between mmWave and legacy midbands. While the mmWave has a large channel, the signal doesn’t transmit far. And while legacy bands transmit signals the farthest, sizes are smaller and therefore offer lower throughput speeds.
“The C-Band is an ideal balance in the spectrum, giving good coverage that will allow for reasonable deployment costs, but also provides the channel sizes that are required to get the 5G experience,” Shouldis said. Despite the benefits, Shouldis said there are challenges to getting C-Band into buildings from outdoor networks. In order for C-Band to work well, an in-building radio frequency design that is tailored to the unique building materials and environment of each building would be required. Each system requires a head end location that can allocate cellular signals from the core network as well as enough room in telecommunications closets for the distribution amplifiers to reside. Additionally, he said, some manufacturers have been facing issues with building the right equipment due to supply chain shortages and issues with materials getting delivered on time for service providers to install.
“Throughout 2022, there’s been a challenge to get access to the components that can support a C-Band network,” Shouldis said. “By mid-2023, the equipment manufacturers should have the components needed for us to build C-Band networks, but there have been slowdowns through 2022.”
To ensure that indoor wireless can function with optimum performance, providers such as Intenna Systems may still need to install a distributed antenna system, or a group of antennas responsible for delivering cell signals within a building. That allows recipients to have a strong and clear cellular connection.
“A lot of the building materials that are used in today’s construction to achieve the LEED compliances may block cellular signals,” Shouldis said. “Building owners are going to need to provide their building with a DAS that can support C-Band because as the operators begin to deploy their networks in higher frequency ranges, the outdoor network isn’t going to penetrate the indoor environment as well.”
Although users may have to wait a while to experience the full spectrum of 5G, with the right building infrastructure and equipment in place, an in-building provider can install C-Band along with a DAS to deliver a 5G-quality coverage. “The carriers developing the right equipment and elements of their network is what’s going to carry us through the coming years as 5G rolls out,” Shouldis said.
This article was produced in collaboration between Intenna Systems and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.
December 2022
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Spotlight On From the CEO 2022 is another example that the only constant in our industry is change. It's exciting to see the 2023 horizon bringing us many more tools to deploy even more potent wireless coverage.
Quarterly Quote "It now seems the millimeter-wave 5G carriers have been slinging from the start was just a gigantic head fake — a way to stay in the game until their actually useful 5G spectrum was ready." The Verge
Coming Up Look for Intenna in 2023 as we launch a series of informational videos on DAS, in-building wireless coverage and more.
Alyssa Chapelle Business Development Administrator
Whether piano, spelling, or bodybuilding – I love to compete! Favorite food: Chocolate rice cakes topped with almond butter, honey, bananas, and cinnamon. Loves a good word search Would like the superpower of "Omnicompetence" The team at Intenna has been teaching me that asking for help is not a weakness but a quality that ensures the delivery of excellence to our clients.
Intenna Systems can design and build DAS, CBRS, C-Band, Wi-Fi and twoway radio networks. We have over twenty years of experience designing, building and maintaining some of the most complex in-building wireless solutions anywhere. And we have developed a process for taking a project from needs assessment to engineering scope and design through installation all the way to deployment and maintenance to make it as seamless as possible. Think of Intenna as your department of transportation and let us help you get ahead of the curve.
sales@intennasystems.com
609.714.8268