5G signal booster vendor SureCall has announced the results of a field-based study of its Horizon booster on Verizon’s 5G mmWave Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.
In a release, SureCall stated that the field study consistently produced near 3 Gbps of data speed.
The team tested download and upload speeds for Verizon’s 5G UWB network in an area where, without the Horizon, mmWave data speeds were not found as man-made obstructions were blocking the 5G UWB signals.
After activating SureCall’s Horizon network signal booster and measuring from multiple distances from the 5G mmWave base station, speed and signal strength improved significantly, the company said. At a total distance of 100 meters from the Horizon network booster – in an area where there was no Verizon 5G UWB signal without the Horizon – SureCall’s booster provided speeds of nearly 3 Gbps.
SureCall’s CEO Hongtao Zhan said: “These recent tests showcase the viability of SureCall’s network booster technology and how it will play an essential role in the building out of the 5G infrastructure. Our technology provides an essential and cost-effective boost for carriers as they build out their 5G networks, and now we can say, provides incredible improvements to signal quality, speed and strength.”
For this test, SureCall used its Horizon 5G mmWave network signal booster. It allows carriers to increase the coverage area of a single base station by boosting the signal in multiple directions, to overcome obstructions and fill coverage gaps.
The tests were completed in San Jose, California, where the base station was consistently transmitting more than 3 Gbps, at 100 meters. For the test, the Horizon was placed 100 meters from the base station (for a total of 200 meters away) and repeated the signal 100 meters away.
Last year, Verizon announced it will use signal repeaters from SureCall, as well as FRTek, to increase its 5G Ultra Wideband coverage. Verizon noted that a network repeater takes signals from nearby cell sites, amplifies the signals from those sites and retransmits them to previously underserved areas.
Repeaters are especially beneficial in dense urban areas with multiple buildings and floors like apartment buildings and dormitories. By installing repeaters between the cell site and the area being served, the repeater can amplify the signal and increase the 5G footprint.
Verizon had also said that the FRTek and SureCall network repeaters being deployed by the company are small, consume much less energy than a small cell, and do not require a fiber connection.
