mmWave signal repeaters are a network asset, because mmWave’s weakness is also its strength
Posted on May 12, 2020 by Pivotal Commware
Increasing network capacity through the addition of more cell sites is critical for achieving the coverage and speeds promised by 5G. However, the sheer number of sites needed to get the job done is expensive and daunting. According to Pivotal Commware CEO Brian Deutsch, using signal repeaters to offset the need for new base station buildout has the potential to address this challenge by adding network density in terms of coverage, but not in terms of physical infrastructure, especially when it comes mmWave frequencies.
Typically, because a signal repeater is nondiscriminatory, when used with sub-6 GHz frequencies, those signals tend to travel too far and in too many directions, bouncing off everything, creating significant network interference.
“With sub 6 signals, you would fix one problem and create four others,” Deutsch stated.
“But, guess what?” he continued. “That doesn’t happen with mmWave, because those signals are ridiculously deterministic.”