Characterizing 5G User Throughput via Uncertainty Modeling and Crowdsourced Measurements

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Albert-Smet, Javier, Frias, Zoraida, Mendo, Luis, Melones, Sergio, Yraola, Eduardo
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Albert-Smet, Javier
Frias, Zoraida
Mendo, Luis
Melones, Sergio
Yraola, Eduardo
author_facet Albert-Smet, Javier
Frias, Zoraida
Mendo, Luis
Melones, Sergio
Yraola, Eduardo
contents Characterizing application-layer user throughput in next-generation networks is increasingly challenging as the higher capacity of the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) shifts connectivity bottlenecks towards deeper parts of the network. Traditional methods, such as drive tests and operator equipment counters, are costly, limited, or fail to capture end-to-end (E2E) Quality of Service (QoS) and its variability. In this work, we leverage large-scale crowdsourced measurements-including E2E, radio, contextual and network deployment features collected by the user equipment (UE)-to propose an uncertainty-aware and explainable approach for downlink user throughput estimation. We first validate prior 4G methods, improving R^2 by 8.7%, and then extend them to 5G NSA and 5G SA, providing the first benchmarks for 5G crowdsourced datasets. To address the variability of throughput, we apply NGBoost, a model that outputs both point estimates and calibrated confidence intervals, representing its first use in the field of computer communications. Finally, we use the proposed model to analyze the evolution from 4G to 5G SA, and show that throughput bottlenecks move from the RAN to transport and service layers, as seen by E2E metrics gaining importance over radio-related features.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_09239
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Characterizing 5G User Throughput via Uncertainty Modeling and Crowdsourced Measurements
Albert-Smet, Javier
Frias, Zoraida
Mendo, Luis
Melones, Sergio
Yraola, Eduardo
Networking and Internet Architecture
Machine Learning
C.2.1; C.4; I.2.1; I.6.4
Characterizing application-layer user throughput in next-generation networks is increasingly challenging as the higher capacity of the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) shifts connectivity bottlenecks towards deeper parts of the network. Traditional methods, such as drive tests and operator equipment counters, are costly, limited, or fail to capture end-to-end (E2E) Quality of Service (QoS) and its variability. In this work, we leverage large-scale crowdsourced measurements-including E2E, radio, contextual and network deployment features collected by the user equipment (UE)-to propose an uncertainty-aware and explainable approach for downlink user throughput estimation. We first validate prior 4G methods, improving R^2 by 8.7%, and then extend them to 5G NSA and 5G SA, providing the first benchmarks for 5G crowdsourced datasets. To address the variability of throughput, we apply NGBoost, a model that outputs both point estimates and calibrated confidence intervals, representing its first use in the field of computer communications. Finally, we use the proposed model to analyze the evolution from 4G to 5G SA, and show that throughput bottlenecks move from the RAN to transport and service layers, as seen by E2E metrics gaining importance over radio-related features.
title Characterizing 5G User Throughput via Uncertainty Modeling and Crowdsourced Measurements
topic Networking and Internet Architecture
Machine Learning
C.2.1; C.4; I.2.1; I.6.4
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09239