Rohde & Schwarz, iBwave and Anokiwave showcase indoor 5G NR network in Munich

As part of the 5G Expert Days at the Rohde & Schwarz headquarters in Munich, Germany, the three companies have planned, implemented and measured an indoor 5G NR network. The network was created on an experimental frequency license for mmWave at 26 GHz.

While 5G NR pre-commercial trials are currently ongoing in several countries mostly in outdoor environments, indoor trials, especially in mmWave frequency range, are still rare.

The 5G NR network at 5G Expert Days was planned by iBwave, a leader in in-building network planning. In the setup a R&S SMW200A signal generator transmitted 5G NR signals via the 24/26 GHz Active Antenna Innovator Kit, supplied by Anokiwave to control various beams.

The performance of the network was measured using the first commercially available 5G NR network measurement solution including an autonomous 5G NR network scanner R&S TSMA6 with integrated PC, a downconverter R&S TSME30DC that also covers 28 GHz frequency band and R&S ROMES4 drive test software commissioned into a backpack. The collected measurement data was analyzed in terms of coverage of different beams with the R&S ROMES4 software and compared with the iBwave network planning and simulation based on modeling the indoor environment.

Seth Roy, VP Products of iBwave, said: “For iBwave this is an exciting time in the wireless industry, and we’re thrilled to be supporting this experimental 5G NR network design initiative. We’ve been through a similar transition before during the shift from 3G to 4G deployments, and have full confidence our solutions will help our customers through the 4G to 5G transition phase as well.”

Andy Crofts, Anokiwave VP of Applications, stated: “We are delighted to support Rohde & Schwarz’ 5G Expert Days with our 24/26 GHz Active Antenna Innovator Kit, based on our highly integrated Silicon 5G ICs, to demonstrate the high EiRP and low power dissipation achievable using silicon RF integration in a planar active antenna module.”

Leading the way into the future

The commercial roll-out of 5G is at hand. As a world market and technology leader in RF and microwave test and measurement equipment, Rohde & Schwarz supports the entire mobile technology lifecycle and offers early adopters commercial network measurement solutions at a very early stage.

For the customer, 5G trials mean faster and safer launch of 5G products and services. Early field trials are the only way to provide insights and to overcome doubts and uncertainties before a commercial launch. In particular, indoor environments will be the target for 5G in the mmWave frequency range.

5G NR is a new technology, and it is highly important to understand its coverage in real-world environments, especially with new frequencies such as 3.5 GHz and in the mmWave range such as 26 GHz.

A 5G workshop for professionals

The 5G Expert Days, hosted by Rohde & Schwarz, are a well-established industry workshop that offers researchers, developers, manufacturers and test equipment users an excellent opportunity to discuss the recently finalized 5G NR technology.

Andreas Pauly, Executive Vice President of Rohde & Schwarz Test and Measurement, stated: “The experimental 5G NR network was a successful hands-on complement to the 5G Expert Days, using Anokiwave’s most advanced and highest performing 5G integrated circuits and iBwave’s network planning and simulation. The results show our real expertise in 5G deployment, in particular for the mmWave frequency range.”