5G Fixed is the next generation of wireless focused on providing fiber like speeds to the consumer or business fixed (non-mobile) locations in the last mile. There are wide variations of spectrum (mmWave, sub-6 GHz, etc.) and licensing techniques (e.g. auctioned, lightly licensed, unlicensed) expected to be leveraged by different ISPs and vendors to achieve these speeds. Technologically most systems are expected to include Massive MIMO, and phased array antenna beamforming techniques to increase capacity, with the goal to bring fixed wireless into high density urban and suburban markets where fiber has proven to be difficult to deploy.
While the 3GPP 5G cellular/mobile specification is still being defined and standardized for years to come, the fixed wireless internet applications to displace expensive fiber-to-the-home are advancing far faster. With no need for compatibility across hundreds of consumer smartphones and IoT devices, 5G Fixed has no need for a wireless standard for interoperability as each base station and client device on homes and buildings can operate as a system together.
Some are already, and many more can soon be on the road to 5G Fixed. 5G Fixed needs to go far beyond the FCC definition of broadband (25 Mbps downstream, 3 Mbps upstream), offering fiber-like 100 Mbps services on the road to future Gigabit capable services.
Mimosa SRS solves the high-density fixed wireless challenge, allowing base stations to smartly reuse channels across the network. This has two key benefits:
It leverages GPS and GLONASS satellite technology, using precision timing across an entire network geography to ensure each A5/A5c base station coordinate their transmissions with clients. This allows other nearby base stations to share that same frequency reducing the possibility of so called “self-interference”.
Mimosa sees the Spectrum Reuse Synchronization technology, and other MIMO and Beamforming advancements, as a vital technology to optimizing use and expansion of capacity in other lower frequency bands including the 3.5 GHz CBRS and other new proposed spectrum sharing opportunities being pursued.
With other forthcoming 5G Fixed solutions targeted for 2020, they’re typically focusing on mmWave bands including 28 GHz, 60 GHz and 70/80 GHz. These bands are much broader in available spectrum, limiting the initial need for spectrum reuse techniques. However, these bands are also less usable versus the sub-6 GHz spectrum, as mmWave propagation characteristics do not match well the physical characteristics, distances, and geocapacities in critical suburban and rural areas.
Without SRS coordination in a network, the usable spectrum becomes quickly polluted by overlapping base station coverage areas. This is especially important in the scarcer, valuable sub-6 GHz spectrum, where signals propagate extremely well—a desirable trait for overcoming physical foliage to reach homes in neighborhoods, but detrimental for managing interference. This exacerbates the potential overlap of base stations needed to cover a dense population area.
As population density increases, and an ISP scales subscribers, the need to add more base stations to handle the capacity is critical. The use of legacy non-coordinated TDMA technology pollutes the spectrum, preventing the addition of overlapping base stations and preventing ISP scalability.
Current subscriber speeds realized on the Mimosa A5/A5c with SRS will range between approximately 300-700 Mbps of aggregate (upstream + downstream) IP throughput depending on subscriber client capacity on the radio and packet sizes. This assumes 80 MHz channels, and proper deployment of C5 clients with proper link budget to achieve signal levels necessary for the aforementioned speeds.
Mimosa A5/A5c currently support symmetric (50%:50% downstream:upstream) traffic profiles, inside of 8 ms synchronized TDMA frames. A future software update in 2017 will expand to include 75%:25% (downstream:upstream) and 4 ms synchronized TDMA frames.
Expected measured latency of the A5-C5 link in 8 ms mode should range between 19 ms – 30 ms based on low-use or peak periods. Future 4 ms mode is expected to support sub-10 ms latency.
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Yes, currently 8ms 50/50 mode can be configured on both products, this assumes adequate directional isolation between the A5c sector antenna and the B5/B5c antenna patterns. Because of the 360-degree antenna pattern of the A5, same channel reuse is not supported, however adjacent channels are possible.
Not at this time, however Mimosa is discussing this possibility with other leading manufacturers and industry standards bodies to improve spectrum reuse and site coordination possibilities for the future.
No, a GNSS antenna is integrated into the A5 and A5c directly, providing both GPS and GLONASS reception, doubling the available satellite constellation for deriving timing and location. Mimosa has integrated a high precision timing GPS Disciplined Oscillator to accurately clock all A5/A5c devices both collocated and network wide. The C5/C5c receives accurate timing over the air interface from the A5/A5c and does not require localized GPS at each client site.
While many of the concepts of GPS based synchronization for spectrum reuse are well proven with legacy Wireless ISP fixed wireless products, Mimosa stands alone as the leader in client speed by 4-5x throughput, and is nearly ¼ the cost on a Client $/Mbps measured basis.
Yes, from the smallest networks to large area sophisticated planning, our sophisticated online Network Design Tools can help begin your process of building initial network plans. Together with our highly technical support team and field engineering teams we’re also ready to discuss planning high-scale opportunities, and help tune your networks after deployment.