Dual Connectivity in Non-Stand Alone Deployment mode of 5G in Manhattan Environment

Abstract

The main target of this paper is to analyze the performance of an outdoor user in a dense micro cellular Manhattan grid environment using a ray launching simulation tool. The radio propagation simulations are performed using a Shoot and Bouncing Ray (SBR) method. The network performance is analyzed at three different frequencies i.e. 1.8 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 28 GHz. Additionally, the benefits of combining LTE and potential 5G frequency bands by using feature of Dual Connectivity (DC) in an outdoor scenario has been highlighted. The considered performance metrics are received signal level, SINR, application throughput. The acquired simulation results from Manhattan canyon street environment reveal that a good 5G outdoor coverage can be provided at 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz while using existing 4G micro sites. The impact of Dual Connectivity at user's throughput is studied in this article, and it is shown user throughput can be doubled by leveraging the benefits of LTE and 5G NR together.