Movandi announced the test drive results showing how 5G mmWave can deliver exceptional performance in a moving automobile when Movandi-powered BeamXR smart repeater with Movandi BeamX cloud software control, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are combined. This landmark test in a moving vehicle demonstrated the ability of these high frequencies and cloud intelligence to deliver high quality of service and multi-gigabit per second downlink speeds in difficult mobile environments. Download the complete whitepaper here.

“Our 5G mmWave BeamXR smart repeater solution augmented with the AI powered BeamX cloud software solution brings together all the key 5G technology breakthroughs to solve the challenges of 5G mmWave connectivity and obstacle penetration, that are amplified in moving vehicles,” said Reza Rofougaran, CTO and co-founder of Movandi. “This landmark test redefines the mobile experience that has not been possible by any other 5G mmWave vendor, but also paves the road for endless possibilities, including the further expansion of 5G into fixed wireless access, 5G private networks, compute, XR and indoor and enterprise applications.”

“Mobile vehicles including trains, buses and cars represent an important use case for millions of users worldwide,” said Joe Madden founder of Mobile Experts. “In the mmWave spectrum, the auto glass and metal cage present difficult connectivity and penetration challenges. This test drive demonstrated the need and ability of vehicle based smart repeaters powered by cloud intelligence to solve these challenges cost-effectively.” 

To perform the test, Movandi mounted a prototype mmWave repeater behind the windshield in the car and measured downlink and uplink speeds on a smartphone with and without the repeater. It was conducted at speeds up to of 28 mph using Verizon’s 28 GHz ultra-wideband network over a three-mile (5-km) route along DeAnza Boulevard, one of the busiest corridors in Silicon Valley near Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. 

Along the route, the car passed six gNBs and 24 switching points that seamlessly handed the signal off to each other. The switching and continuous high speed links were enabled by Movandi BeamX cloud intelligence that collects GPS, speed and environmental intelligence from moving vehicles in real-time and dynamically processes this data to establish and switch to the optimal gNB signal. With the repeater turned off, downlink speeds averaged 114.3 Mbps, and varied from 87 Mbps at 130 meters to 177 Mbps at 90 meters. Performance was significantly affected by the location where a user held the phone, and it periodically switched back to sub-6 5G or 4G LTE when communication was not possible using the mmWave network.

With the Movandi BeamXR powered smart repeater turned on, downlink speeds averaged 1.6 Gbps and 151.2 meters with a maximum downlink speed of 2.7 Gbps at 250 meters. Performance remained strong throughout the route regardless of where the smartphone was held in the car. Even videoconferencing calls with Blue Jeans, Zoom and Cisco Webex were maintained seamlessly without interruptions, which was not possible without the smart repeaters. The signal consistently remained in the mmWave network, never resorting to the lower 4G LTE frequencies. 

The test showed that Movandi BeamXR powered smart repeaters significantly enhanced 5G performance 19x compared to national averages and 14x without repeaters. This type of performance will be necessary for broad 5G adaption and many application use cases including trains, buses, automobiles, entertainment and interactive AR/VR and business real-time applications⁠—telemedicine, customer support and video conferencing. 

In the future, the innovative purpose-built Movandi 5G mmWave technology can be easily integrated within the structure of cars, buses, trains and trucks, similar to today’s 4G or satellite radios. Movandi 5G mmWave powered smart repeaters with cloud control deliver unmatched performance, cost and size advantages across challenging high frequency 5G mmWaves, unlocking the potential of 5G and other multi-gigabit communication applications.