5G indoor coverage at home and abroad, from now on

Due to physical characteristics, the coverage of 5G base stations is half that of 4G networks. And because of the high frequency and poor wall penetration capability, the indoor coverage of 5G networks is a headache. Major manufacturers are focusing on ways to improve 5G indoor coverage, and full 5G coverage will have to slow down.

Most of the video about 5G seen on the Internet, whether it is experience or speed measurement, is carried out outdoors. why? It's very simple, because the signal transmitted by the 5G base station can be more directly received outdoors. The indoor micro base stations of major operators have not yet started construction, resulting in 5G indoor coverage is not very good

Taking Beijing as an example, Beijing Tower has now delivered more than 8,000 5G base stations to the three major operators, but the 5G signal will disappear when entering an indoor or office building.

Double the frequency is the first reason

What is the reason? The main thing is that 5G is much higher than 4G. Taking telecommunications and China Unicom as an example, the FDD-LTE frequency bands of China Telecom are 1755-1785MHZ and 1850-1880MHz; the FDD-LTE frequency bands of China Unicom are 1755-1765MHz and 1850-1860MHz. In the 5G era, the frequency band allocated by telecommunications is 3400MHz-3500MHz; the frequency band allocated by China Unicom is 3500MHZ-3600MHz. For both operators, the frequency band has almost doubled.

The walls of modern tall buildings have doubled

Mobile phone signals are essentially radio waves. According to the physical characteristics of radio waves, the higher the frequency band and the shorter the wavelength, the worse the penetration ability. In this way, we understand why indoor coverage of 5G base stations is a headache for operators.

Now they are all high-rise buildings, and there are many walls on each floor, especially residential buildings with more walls. 5G's wall penetration capability becomes poor, so more base stations need to be built indoors to meet the coverage, and the number is at least double that of 4G base stations.

Whether it is smart home, AR/VR or wireless home broadband, according to predictions, 70% of 5G applications will be carried out indoors in the future. If 5G signals cannot be covered indoors, these applications are impossible to talk about. So, what solutions are available for 5G indoor coverage on the market today?

Foreign manufacturers tackle 5G indoor coverage

As a country with a relatively fast 5G network implementation, South Korea not only grabs the position of the world's first commercial country, but as of now there are 2 million 5G users on the Internet. Korea Telecom (KT) announced on September 18 that it has successfully developed 5G wireless signal relay equipment, which will use the technology to improve 5G signal coverage and 5G network quality in underground spaces and indoors

This technology is called "Beam Pattern" technology, which will enable more accurate signal synchronization between 5G base stations and relay equipment. According to tests, the delay of 5G networks using "Beam Pattern" will be reduced by 50%. And the relay equipment is much smaller than the outdoor base station, so that the indoor space can also be installed.

Domestic manufacturer Huawei first move

In addition to KT, Huawei has also launched a 5G DIS solution. This solution is implemented by the 5G LampSite indoor base station, which is an indoor small base station used as a supplement to the 5G macro base station. The equipment in the 5G DIS solution is equipped with HiSilicon’s self-developed DIS chip and high-performance polarized antenna, which makes the base station equipment more compact and covers 2 times the industry

The 5G network wants full coverage, not only to build base stations on the tower, but also a large number of indoor base stations waiting to be built. The resulting construction costs will become a major burden for operators. Want to experience life in the 5G era? Let's wait for the indoor coverage of 5G signals!