Empirical Evaluation of SINR and Throughput in 5G/4G Networks: A Drone-Assisted Measurement Approach

The rapid deployment of 5G networks has ushered in a new era of mobile communications, promising unprecedented improvements in network capacity, data rates, and quality of service. However, the integration of 5G, particularly Non-Standalone (NSA) architectures that leverage existing 4G infrastructure, presents unique challenges in ensuring optimal network performance and service quality. This study provides an empirical evaluation of 5G NSA network performance, focusing on SINR and throughput as critical metrics with the help of a drone-assisted data collection approach across different operators. The statistical analysis uncovers that, despite 4G's wide coverage, its SINR often ranks lower, signaling the need for improvements. Meanwhile, 5G shows enhanced SINR quality, suggesting superior signal reliability. However, it is noted that 5G faces challenges with limited system availability and, contrary to expectations, does not always deliver better throughput in both upload and download directions, indicating areas for future network optimization and development.