5G has always been envisioned as combining low-, mid- and high-band spectrum in service of providing users the right mix of coverage, capacity, and multi-gigabit-per-second speeds that enable whole new classes of mobile applications. Today operators are using high-band millimeter wave frequencies to deliver blazing fast 5G speeds but, due to the propagation characteristics of millimeter wave, coverage is still relatively limited.
Through a combination of complementary technologies, Qualcomm is working to help operators deliver a more consistent millimeter wave experience while keeping in mind the cost implications that figure into operators’ capital outlay strategies.
Tao Luo, Senior Director of engineering, discussed how a toolkit comprising millimeter wave small cells, simple repeaters, smart repeaters, and integrated access and backhaul (IAB) can help operators densify and expand millimeter wave 5G both outdoors and indoors while also optimizing costs.
Because millimeter wave 5G is delivered by small cells, “You need densification,” he said. “You want to see everywhere uniform performance also have enough coverage. In that case, it’s important to be able to deploy nodes to densify. At the same time you want to consider cost.”
Luo explained that IAB allows for small cell deployment even in the absence of fiber backhaul, and that repeater technologies pave the way for broader outdoor and in-building coverage at a much lower cost point and in a more simplistic deployment method.
The combination, he said, is “how we densify these networks with low cost in mind and at the same time consider specific needs–where do you need a smart repeater, where do you need a simple repeater, where do we need IAB, where do we need a small cell.”
What makes a repeater smart?
Repeaters have been a staple in certain types of network deployments, largely small- to medium-sized buildings, for some time. The idea is to avoid a costly in-building system deployment by using a passive device that receives a signal from the outdoor macro network then amplifies and transmits it indoor nodes, opening up an outside-in approach to in-building coverage.
Qualcomm presented three variations of 5G repeaters:
- A simple repeater that supports bi-directional data flows with uplink and downlink always active;
- A TDD-aware repeater that is uni-directional, capable of amplifying and forwarding downlink and uplink traffic based on slot structure;
- And a smart repeater combines that TDD awareness with dynamic beam management for uplink and downlink traffic based on slot structure.
“This is the first time we’ve had a millimeter wave repeater,” Luo said. “In a typical repeater, they have to amplify the signal in both ways, uplink and downlink…The repeater understands downlink and uplink difference…A smart repeater is able to identify this is for downlink, this is for uplink. This information can…minimize interference and maximize performance.”
Beyond smart repeaters, Qualcomm has also demonstrated the future of mmWave technologies and deployments – its expansion into new device tiers to support high-performance and lower complexity IoT (i.e., supporting eURLLC for 99.9999% reliability with latency bound and NR Light for industrial IoT and more).
Watch the RCR Interview: 5G Mobile mmWave here.
For more content, including demos and live interviews, from Qualcomm’s recent Advanced 5G Research Demonstrations for MWC ’21 click here.
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