Cellular Wireless Networks in the Upper Mid-Band

TL;DR

This paper assesses the feasibility and potential benefits of wideband cellular systems in the upper mid-band (7-24 GHz), highlighting the need for system redesigns, spectrum sharing, and advanced antenna technologies.

Contribution

It provides an initial system study, interference analysis, and antenna design insights for deploying cellular networks in the upper mid-band frequencies.

Findings

Wideband systems can significantly improve coverage and capacity.

Interference from satellites can be mitigated with nulling techniques.

Compact multi-band antennas are feasible for these applications.

Abstract

The upper mid-band - roughly from 7 to 24 GHz - has attracted considerable recent interest for new cellular services. This frequency range has vastly more spectrum than the highly congested bands below 7 GHz while offering more favorable propagation and coverage than the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies. The upper mid-band can thus provide a powerful and complementary frequency range to balance coverage and capacity. Realizing the full potential of these bands, however, will require fundamental changes to the design of cellular systems. Most importantly, spectrum will likely need to be shared with incumbents including communication satellites, military RADAR, and radio astronomy. Also, the upper mid-band is simply a vast frequency range. Due to this wide bandwidth, combined with the directional nature of transmission and intermittent occupancy of incumbents, cellular systems will need to be agile to sense and intelligently use large spatial and frequency degrees of freedom. This paper attempts to provide an initial assessment of the feasibility and potential gains of wideband cellular systems operating in the upper mid-band. The study includes: (1) a system study to assess potential gains of multi-band systems in a representative dense urban environment and illustrate the value of wide band system with dynamic frequency selectivity; (2) an evaluation of potential cross interference between satellites and terrestrial cellular services and interference nulling to reduce that interference; and (3) design and evaluation of a compact multi-band antenna array structure. Leveraging these preliminary results, we identify potential future research directions to realize next-generation systems in these frequencies.