Uncovering 5G Performance on Public Transit Systems with an App-based Measurement Study

Abstract

Fifth-generation (5G) networks are now entering a stable phase in terms of commercial release. 5G design is flexible to support a diverse range of radio bands (i.e., low-, mid-, and high-band) and application requirements. Since its initial roll-out in 2019, extensive measurements studies have revealed key aspects of commercial 5G deployments (e.g., coverage, signal strength, throughput, latency, handover, and power consumption among the others) for several scenarios (e.g., pedestrian and car mobility, mid-, and high-bands, etc.). In this paper, we take a different angle than previous studies and carry out an in-depth measurement study of 5G in a large public bus transit system in a major European city. For several mobile network operators, we identify how flexible the network deployment is by analyzing Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, mobility management, and application performance.