The University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) has published a new whitepaper exploring issues around
universal mobile network coverage and the reach and reliability of
future 5G mobile networks in rural and urban not-spots, parts of the country where a strong mobile signal cannot always be guaranteed.
The report, Meeting the challenge of “universal” coverage, reach and reliability in the coming 5G era,
identified and explored challenges affecting rural mobile coverage, and
suggested a vision of how 5G and existing network technology could work
together to deliver appropriate resources to meet demand.
Experts at 5GIC, a government and industry-funded programme based at
the University of Surrey’s Guildford campus, worked alongside industry
partners at BT, EE, Real Wireless and Telefónica, to produce the
research.
“5G will be expected to deliver universal coverage, but in order to
do this, we need to not necessarily build a faster or denser network,
but a smarter network,” said report author Tim Brown of 5GIC.
“With the advent of 5G, users will want to hear impressive headline
speeds, as this is how previous generations such as 4G have been
marketed, but in reality, speed is overly focused on the urban user.”
5GIC head Rahim Tafazolli said future network providers would have to
give users the impression – if not always the reality – of infinite
network capacity by delivering a response to network demand that he
described as “always sufficient”.
“This involves building a smart network that can handle basic
demands, such as 999 calls from the most remote locations, to the
delivery of reliable networks to villages and hamlets in an economically
viable manner,” said Tafazolli.
The resulting paper explored several means by which these challenges
could be addressed, including redesigned base stations, spectrum
resourcing, and even smartphone design. For example, snap-on external antennae could boost signal reception for users.
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“Our paper explores seemingly simple answers to these difficult
challenges, such as building higher masts to overcome obstructions such
as trees and improved quality of the radio in mobile devices,” said
Brown. “Where trees are of comparable heights to masts, coverage can be
reduced by as much as 70% and this is the source of many of the rural
coverage issues we see today.
“However, we must work with the public and authorities to ensure
there is a balance between technology and landscape. This can be met
with creative design that delivers what mobile users need, while
retaining the personality of our countryside. The mobile device is
becoming increasingly complex, with more radios and antennas packed into
a small space, but there are clear examples of how this compromises
coverage.”
Brown made the case for more investment in small cells
and personal base stations, which are already seen by many as a key
element of future 5G networks, and introduced the concept of
‘meadowcells’ – small cell developments originally intended for urban
areas that can be repurposed and adapted to cover hamlets and villages.
The whitepaper sets out the business case for investment in new small
cell, ‘metrocell’ and ‘personal base station’ technologies for rural
environments. It explores how new ‘meadowcells’ (small cell developments
originally intended for dense urban areas) can be adapted to provide
small community coverage for hamlets and villages.
“Studies show that just a 9% increase in coverage equates to $1tn increase in worldwide GDP,”
said Tafazolli. “These figures show that the business case for
combating rural ‘not-spots’ makes sense, and it is now our job to
realise these challenges and help to deliver a global 5G standard that
will ensure access for all.”
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