Summary

SRG just completed its eighth 5G benchmark study, this time with a focus on Verizon’s 5G millimeter wave indoor network that it has deployed in US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings in downtown Minneapolis.  For this study we used two Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones in the Ericsson-supplied network.

Highlights of the Report include the following:

5G Benchmark Video.  We posted a link on our homepage to a video which shows a behind-the-scenes look at multiple 5G benchmark studies that we have done. If nothing else, the 3 minute video features the greatest rock anthem of all time, plus it interjects key findings from some of our earlier studies that we’ve done. https://signalsresearch.com/5gtf-video-2/).

Our Thanks.  We did this study in collaboration with Accuver Americas and Spirent Communications who provided us with their respective test equipment and platforms, which we identify in the report. SRG is solely responsible for the analysis and commentary in the report.

Our Methodology.  We had full access to the stadium seating area on a day when there were not any other activities taking place. Game day testing would have been impractical, plus we doubt it would have had much impact on the 5G network performance. We used two Galaxy S10 smartphones to log chipset data while pushing continuous high-bandwidth data transfers.

5G millimeter wave coverage was near-ubiquitous.  Twelve radios within the stadium, plus another radio near one entrance provided virtually complete coverage throughout the stadium seating area, not to mention along a corridor behind the seating area.

Very strong 5G KPIs.  In addition to peak [PDSCH] speeds near 2 Gbps and a median throughput of just under 1 Gbps, the other KPIs (BRSRP, BSINR, CQI, MCS, etc.) were about as good as they can be. Obviously, speeds drop with 5G data traffic, but the concern with millimeter wave is coverage and not capacity, and we had no issues with the coverage.

Mobility is an area for improvement.  We continuously moved throughout the seating area so handovers between 5G PCIs and between LTE PCIs (used for the anchor with NSA) had an impact. Pending improvements in the standard, vendor features, and moving to the SA architecture can help improve mobility. All handovers were better than they were in April when the operator launched 5G.

5G indoors is a no-brainer.  There was nothing magic about getting the great results we observed since there was line-of-site to the 5G radios and all seats were within the range of a millimeter wave signal. These venues generate tremendous data traffic when occupied, plus the tens of thousands of attendees have discretionary income to afford 5G smartphones.

Bring on SA.  Having higher speeds is nice, but the key to success is the ability to offer true 5G services that are not impeded by the legacy LTE core network. With ubiquitous coverage within the stadium, Verizon has the opportunity to truly differentiate and move to an SA architecture within these types of venues, even if it retains NSA outdoors.