Performance Assessment of 5G Private Networks with Shared Spectrum in Deep-Urban Environments

In this work, we present the initial analysis of the results of field-trials conducted for 5G Private Networks that were operating based on shared-access spectrum in upper n77 band. The experimental evaluations were based on using an outdoor sandbox testbed in central London to replicate the dynamics of deep-urban propagation environments, while also isolating the testing conditions from unwanted wireless channel impairments. It was shown that although spectrum sharing can result in significant throughput performance degradations compared with the interference-free scenarios, in some cases, the performance loss can be within an acceptable range, e.g. 20%. We also present early results of our comparative study using Interference Impact Metric (IIM), which is derived based on correlating different network performance indicators to further quantify the impact of spectrum sharing. The contribution of this work will support the UK spectrum regulator (Ofcom) in decision-makings about the intensity of spectrum sharing for different applications and deployment scenarios.