Comprehensive Modeling and Evaluation of Carrier Aggregation Effects on Network Performance Across Diverse Applications

The exponential growth of connected devices in modern communication networks drives an increasing demand for higher data rates and ultra-low latency. This study addresses the challenge of maintaining reliable performance, especially at the network edges where signal degradation is most severe. Carrier Aggregation (CA) emerges as a key enabler to enhance network capacity and efficiency in fifth-generation (5G) systems. Utilizing the SIMU5G simulation framework, this research evaluates the impact of CA on critical performance metrics. The results demonstrate significant improvements, including increased throughput, enhanced Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), reduced latency, optimized Channel Quality Index (CQI), and improved efficiency of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism. These findings highlight the pivotal role of CA in overcoming network limitations and optimizing 5G performance, offering practical insights for real-world deployments and future network enhancements.