Performance Analysis of a 5G NR Cell - MIMO Antenna Configurations Under Varied OFDM Resource Grids and Deployment Environments

This study evaluate the performance of 5G gNodeB for Rural Macro (RMa) and Urban Macro (UMa) deployments, concentrating on the impact of key network parameters on system performance and creating log table-based observations for efficient network planning. Using MATLAB's 5G toolbox under 3GPP TR 38.901 standards, the analysis evaluates peak throughput, achieved throughput, spectral efficiency, and Block Error Rate (BLER) in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) - n30 (2.3 GHz) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) - n78 (3.5 GHz). Bandwidths from 5–100 MHz and subcarrier spacings of 15, 30, and 60 kHz are considered. For bandwidths up to 60 MHz, results reveal RMa routinely beats UMa in spectral efficiency and throughput. Beyond this, MIMO increases multipath diversity which improves UMa; RMa experiences shadow fading. Lower subcarrier spacing improves spectral efficiency; higher subcarrier spacing increases throughput. This paper helps network operators decide on bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, and deployment techniques for best 5G performance based on data. Future projects seek to apply this concept to a lightweight SDR, so improving real-time flexibility, power economy, and affordable private 5G installations.