Research and Markets: Signals Ahead - On the Inside, Looking Out: Evaluating the In-Building Performance Capabilities of Commercial LTE Networks (Band 4-7-13-17)

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/73rd6s/signals_ahead) has announced the addition of the "Signals Ahead - On the Inside, Looking Out: Evaluating the in-building performance capabilities of commercial LTE networks (Band 4, Band 7, Band 13 and Band 17)" report to their offering.

“Signals Ahead - On the Inside, Looking Out: Evaluating the in-building performance capabilities of commercial LTE networks (Band 4, Band 7, Band 13 and Band 17)”

This report analyzes the in-building performance of four LTE networks that utilized Band 4, Band 7, Band 13 and Band 17. The extensive analysis leveraged numerous device reported parameters to quantify the impact of RF signals penetrating buildings and interior walls, the subsequent effect on user throughput, and the ability of existing indoor solutions to provide sufficient capacity.

Additionally, the report quantifies the amount of in-building network loading that exists today, how it compares to the outdoor macro network, and how the performance in the in-building and outdoor networks varies as a function of loading.

Executive Summary:

As we enter the fourth year of commercial LTE networks, operators who have been at it for a while are starting to transition from providing basic macro network coverage across a large swath of territory to improving and enhancing the performance of their networks. As revealed in this report, one critical area that requires a lot of [immediate] attention is in-building coverage along with the requisite capacity to satisfy the needs of the in-building mobile data subscriber.

With the continued support of Accuver, we leveraged its XCAL-M drive test solution and its enhanced support for in-building testing to evaluate the performance of four LTE networks encompassing Band 4, Band 7, Band 13, and Band 17. In addition to drive testing the outdoor macro network as we have done numerous times in the past, we ventured indoors to map out the network performance in a number of prominent publicly-accessible buildings, including five major airport terminals, two shopping malls, two hotels and a large convention center. Once we completed the testing campaign, we used the Accuver XCAP post-processing solution to analyze the data and to reach our conclusions on how LTE performs in an in-building scenario. SRG takes full responsibility for the analysis and conclusions that we provide in this report.

In this 75-page report we provide the answers to several important questions, including the following:

1. How loaded are today's outdoor macro LTE networks and how does the outdoor loading compare with loading that exists in various publicly-accessible buildings where a large number of people congregate and use their mobile devices?

2. How does network performance degrade as a function of network loading and are there material differences between the outdoor and indoor networks?

3. Will today's in-building network solutions scale to meet the projected growth of mobile data traffic?

4. Does a 700 MHz LTE network overlaid on an operator's existing cellular grid offer sufficient in-building coverage? Will it meet the performance criteria of FirstNet and their public safety network?

5. Can a dual-band strategy involving Band 4 (coverage) and Band 7 (capacity) provide sufficient in-building coverage and capacity?

6. How do coverage-related issues differ between the downlink and the uplink and as a function of the frequency band?

7. What are the performance differences between the Verizon Wireless and AT&T LTE networks? How do the differences in network loading influence the results?

8. What will happen to the current coverage profile once networks experience higher traffic levels and available network resources become limited?

To answer these questions, we present a wealth of information in 77 figures, plus we include commentary and analysis of other test results that we did not include in the report.

Analyzed KPIs include the following:

1. PDSCH/PUSCH Throughput

2. Utilization Rate (percentage of network resources assigned to a mobile device)

3. RSRP

4. Power Headroom

5. SINR

6. CQI

7. MIMO Availability

8. Transmit Power

9. Modulation Schemes

10. Serving Cell Site PCI

11. Resource Block Utilization