US Operators Encounter Limits of 5G on mmWave Spectrum

Millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, for better or worse, is going to play a critical role in 5G networks. As such, operators will encounter many challenges as they engineer their networks to reach a level of availability and resilience required to fulfill the promise of 5G.The problems are varied and complex, but industry analysts remain convinced that operators and the global ecosystem of vendors will eventually overcome mmWave challenges. One of the key sticking points — the pervasiveness of a cellular signal running on mmWave spectrum from a small cell — is causing some to pause after a new report concluded that mmWave propagation rates are lower than initially expected.