5G Network Deployment: Interplay of Key Elements in the Challenging Outdoor-to-Indoor Scenario

This paper discusses the implications of 5G outdoor-to-indoor deployment on key radio communication components as channel bandwidth, radio propagation, antenna gain and transmit power. With the adoption of suitable assumptions on each of these components, a numerical analysis is presented, where the feasibility of 5G deployment in different spectrum ranges can be assessed. It is observed that increasing antenna gain and channel bandwidth with carrier frequency are able to compensate for the more challenging radio propagation at some extent. However, for the fulfillment of radio link and coverage requirements, the network operation in frequencies above 10 GHz seems to require short cell ranges, as 50 m or less, according to how demanding the requirements are.