Performance of DECT-2020 NR and FCC-Based Mesh IoT Systems in DECT Bands

DECT-2020 NR is a recently standardized radio access technology (RAT) for massive machine-type 5G communications operating in the license-exempt and licensed bands. By relying on multi-hop communications and listen-before-talk (LBT) medium access, DECT-2020 NR allows for cost-controlled flexible deployments. However, the medium access procedures for some of the bands currently used by classic DECT systems are strictly regulated by long-standing policies in the USA. The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the performance of DECT-2020 NR and medium access specified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the Unlicensed Personal Communications Service (UPCS) band. Our results demonstrate that in a mesh system, the use of FCC access rules leads to drastic performance degradation, resulting in less than 85% of delivered packets compared to 98-99% for DECT-2020 NR. This results in a slight 1-2% degradation for coexisting classic DECT devices. For efficient use of the UPCS band, we recommend revisiting current FCC rules, allowing for LBT-based operations.