Now is the time to use 5G indoors

Operators have made huge investments in 5G RAN, which can now deliver excellent outdoor performance. However, while mid-band spectrum with massive MIMO provides some indoor coverage, dedicated indoor 5G systems are still needed to deliver an excellent indoor experience and enable advanced use cases.

Indoor 5G coverage in venues such as offices, airports and arenas is now imperative. 5G sets new performance benchmarks and raises customer expectations in all regions. Better indoor services are important not only for operators and customers, but also for venue owners. In the medium term, 5G Internet of Things (IoT) is emerging in several indoor scenarios, including dedicated networks.

Many indoor systems have not yet been upgraded to 5G, and many venues and enterprises have yet to achieve dedicated coverage. This will change. For operators, enterprises and venues looking to deploy dedicated 5G solutions, there are three key issues to consider: spectrum, technology and business models.

Spectrum options for indoor 5G

Before considering which additional bands are needed for user services, a baseline of current indoor coverage needs to be established across already deployed mid-, low-, and high-band spectrum. Enterprises and venues will need to choose the best option from licensed, shared, or unlicensed spectrum; a location’s RF characteristics, required density, and many other factors will ultimately determine their choice.

Specific use cases will also drive spectrum decisions for indoor use. For example, in manufacturing facilities or dense user environments, mid-band and high-band frequencies are favorable due to higher capacity advantages. In addition, some indoor locations have special requirements for uplink performance and low latency.

Technology selection for venue and indoor coverage systems

There are already good indoor 4G solutions, but these form a diverse and complex installed base that is a mix of building types and technology generations. 5G also offers diverse technology solutions for indoor and campus area systems. In general terms, there are two main options:

• Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS): DAS is not going away, it is a mature technology and will continue to remain important. However, the many flavors of DAS make it difficult to navigate. Evaluation of whether the system can support a wide enough range of 5G frequencies will determine whether upgrading existing deployments is feasible or whether a completely new installation is required. It is encouraging to see a lot of innovation in DAS, such as creating energy-efficient systems, introducing support for MIMO, and enabling higher frequencies and wider channel widths.
• Indoor small cell systems: There are many varieties of small cells to meet different coverage, capacity and spectrum requirements. This operating model is more similar to the one used by Wi-Fi, making the deployment and maintenance of small base stations relatively simple. Again, there has been a lot of innovation in products, and there are now dedicated indoor systems for venues of all sizes.

In both cases, when new cabling is required for both power and fiber, installation logistics present challenges. Innovations like bidirectional optics can allow fiber to be reused in certain locations, but venues must weigh options, cost, and time before selecting a solution. Enterprises can really benefit from the expertise of suppliers and system integrators to navigate this complexity.

Ownership and business model

Excellent connectivity and independently verified network performance benchmarks are now critical for venue owners who want to ensure an excellent customer experience and make their venues ideal for new users and businesses. The value of connectivity to venue owners and businesses may be the key to accelerating 5G deployments indoors and on campus.

There are several business models that address the importance of mobile connectivity to venues and end users. Key issues to consider include:

• Multi-operator, neutral host: This deployment model is suitable for public venues and multi-tenant venues. For users, it means greater coverage and more choice. For venues, this model makes in-building coverage more attractive to tenants. Neutral host providers who operate network facilities on behalf of venues and lease access from operators are becoming valuable contributors in this market. The main challenge is to ensure that the economic incentives are right for all parties.
• Single-carrier installations: This model can successfully deliver brilliant, reliable performance. Historically, these deployments have been funded by the carrier and tied to long-term strategic contracts. Enterprises or venues can fund or partially fund the installation, depending on the situation.
• Public and private access: This model is particularly attractive in large venues where both public access and private services are required for venue operation, such as airports and stadiums. This model is already common in Wi-Fi networks, where public "guest" access and private services can be securely delivered over a common infrastructure.

"Indoor 5G is the next logical step to support greater capacity, user experience and true 5G use cases across the entire network. Now is the time for venues and enterprises to work with operators to ensure indoor 5G coverage is delivered on a sustainable, long-term basis."

—Ruth Brown, Chief Mobile Network Analyst, Heavy Reading