Performance of DECT-2020 NR in an industrial environment for varying RF bands

As there are no publications regarding the performance of DECT-2020 NR in real-life scenarios yet, this work constitutes a first performance assessment of DECT-2020 NR in the 450, 1350 and 3700 MHz frequency bands at different numerologies with bandwidths ranging from 1.728 to 13.824 MHz. To show the benefits of DECT-2020 NR, it is compared to classic DECT in a Rayleigh fading channel. In the course of this evaluation, performance metrics such as Bit Error Rate (BER) and Packet Error Rate (PER) were considered. Furthermore, MATLAB-generated DECT-2020 NR packets were transmitted utilizing GNU Radio and Ettus USRPs. The measurements were conducted in an industrial production line. Overall, the packet error rates were found to be the best at 450 MHz, with a packet loss of less than 5 %. At 1350 MHz, a packet error rate of 15 % was observed, whereas at 3700 MHz, a maximum value of 10 % was recorded. The differences in PER for the different frequencies are attributed to the internal losses at higher frequencies in the used USRP B210s. Another aspect of this work focuses on characterizing the indoor channel of the production line using OFDM-based channel sounding. On average, an RMS delay spread of 65 ns was measured for a bandwidth of 13.824 MHz in the selected frequency bands.