Coverage and performance analysis of 5G non-standalone deployments

Fifth Generation (5G) networks are becoming the norm in the global telecommunications industry. In this paper, we present the first large-scale measurement study on commercial 5G Non Standalone (NSA) deployments in a European country. We leverage the collected dataset, which covers two Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Rome, Italy, to first, study network deployment and radio coverage aspects, and second, explore the performance of two use cases related to enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). Results show that 5G NSA can provide higher downlink throughput and slightly lower latency compared to Fourth Generation (4G) systems. However, performance is influenced by several factors, including propagation conditions, system configurations, and handover events, ultimately highlighting the need for further system optimization.