6G vs 5G: Can the Next Network Finally End Dead Zones?

By DeadCellZones.com • August 2025

5G promised gigabit speeds, ultra-low latency, and a new era of connectivity. But for millions of users, especially in rural communities and large buildings, dead zones never went away. Now, with 6G cellular on the horizon, the question is whether this next-generation network can finally deliver.

Smarter Networks, Not Just Faster

While 5G focused on raw speed, 6G’s pitch is about AI-native networks—systems that automatically adapt to location, device, and environmental conditions. This could mean fewer coverage blind spots, as the network learns to route and boost signals where users need them most.

Satellites in the Standard

6G will integrate non-terrestrial networks (NTN)—direct satellite-to-phone links—from day one. This could bring connectivity to remote valleys, ships at sea, and disaster areas without extra hardware. It’s a major step beyond 5G’s limited satellite trials.

Better Indoor and Urban Coverage

Using sub-terahertz spectrum and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), 6G aims to push signals into urban canyons and deep inside buildings. RIS technology can reflect and shape radio waves, potentially eliminating dead spots in skyscraper districts, stadiums, and malls.

Near-Instant Latency

5G targeted 1 ms latency but rarely achieved it for consumers. 6G promises 0.1 ms latency, unlocking real-time applications like holographic conferencing, autonomous vehicle coordination, and mission-critical robotics—even in previously marginal coverage areas.

Built-In Sensing

6G networks will include RF sensing, enabling them to detect motion, presence, and environmental changes without GPS or extra sensors. This could allow networks to detect coverage disruptions and fix them on the fly.

Security and Sustainability

With quantum-safe encryption and energy-aware protocols, 6G aims to be more secure and greener than 5G. Lower power use could make it economically viable to expand coverage to rural regions where operating costs are a barrier today.

5G vs 6G at a Glance

Feature	5G	6G
Goal	Faster speeds	AI-adaptive coverage
Coverage	Terrestrial towers	Terrestrial + satellite (NTN)
Indoor Gaps	Persistent	RIS + sub-THz fixes
Latency	~1 ms	~0.1 ms
Sensing	Limited	Built-in RF sensing

What It Means for Dead Zones

If 6G’s features live up to their potential, today’s dead zones could become rare. With satellite integration, adaptive AI routing, and advanced indoor coverage tools, carriers will have fewer excuses for gaps. But as with 5G, the real proof will come from crowdsourced coverage maps—not carrier marketing.

Follow 6G developments and help map real-world coverage by reporting your dead zones on DeadCellZones.com.

Cell Phone Signal Boosters

Cell phone signal boosters, also known as cellular repeaters or amplifiers, are devices designed to improve and strengthen cellular signals for better reception and coverage. They work by capturing existing cellular signals, amplifying them, and rebroadcasting them to areas with weak or no signal.

Here's how cell phone signal boosters typically work:

Solutions for Weak Cell Phone Signals at Home

The relationships, work, and information that fuels our lives is made possible by our cellular-powered devices. Remaining connected at home is no longer a matter of want; it has become a need.

This post is for those of you who have already tried the free tricks to improve cell signal and are now looking for paid solutions that can provide reliable cellular coverage within the walls of your home.

To improve cell signal for your home, you’ll want to start by answering the following questions to better assess your needs.

1.   What’s the strongest signal immediately outside of your home?

This is likely the clearest identifier for which solution will best suit your needs. To get started, learn how you can take a signal reading here. Use the results from your signal reading to determine which cellular solution will work best for you.

·     If the strongest single point of cellular signal outside of your home is less than -105 dBm your needs will likely be best met by a femtocell, which can provide reliable coverage for one or two small rooms in your home.
·     If your reading is -94 to -104 dBm you are in a gray zone; you may be able to use a signal booster but may also require a femtocell.

·     If your reading is better than -93 dBm you will be well suited for a cell phone signal booster and, depending on the signal booster kit you select and the size of your home, you can expect to receive usable cellular signals in spaces spanning from just a few rooms to an entire more.

2.  How big is your home?

The solution to boost the cellular signal for a two-bedroom apartment will likely be different from the solution for a five-bedroom home or 12,000-square-foot mansion. Signal boosters tend to provide a usable signal to larger coverage areas whereas femtocells are generally used in small spaces the size of one to two rooms.

3.   In how much of your home do you need to use mobile devices?

Think about how much area within your home will need to have reliable cellular signals. Depending on the solution you select and the signal outside of your building, you may only see an improvement in a small area. If a small area of coverage is sufficient, a femtocell may be a suitable solution. On the other hand, if you have a moderate outside signal, a signal booster may be able to repeat that signal throughout your home.

4.   What is your budget for a cell phone booster?
Your pricing options range from a few hundred dollars for a femtocell or signal booster that can support small spaces to $1000 for very large homes. For signal boosters that can cover very large homes, the cost can exceed $1000 and may require a cellular system design service, which SureCall provides free for buildings above 10,000 square feet. Your cellular provider may offer you a free (or discounted) femtocell solution to enhance your signal within a small area of your home. To pursue that option you’ll need to contact your provider.

5.  Are there other carriers who provide better service for your area?

If you have poor reception with your cellular provider but have friends or family who have better reception with a different cellular carrier, you may want to consider transferring carriers. There can be early contract termination fees if you are not at the end of a contract term. Check with your cellular provider for their contract termination fee or to see when your existing contract expires.

Based on your responses to the questions above you will be best served by one of two viable cellular solutions: femtocell or signal booster. Dive into the details of each cellular signal solution below.

Femtocell

Also known as microcells, femtocells produce a cellular signal by using your internet connection. Femtocells can be purchased through your cellular carrier and will be carrier specific. So, if you have a cellular plan with Verizon you will want to purchase your femtocell through Verizon.

Femtocells are the ideal solution for homes with no cellular reception, which we consider readings lower than -100 dBm. In most instances, femtocells will enhance cellular signal for a small space, but typically not much more than one to two small rooms.

Femtocells cost between $100 and $400 and require a monthly subscription that will be added to your internet bill. Your cellular carrier may provide this for free, but this is very situational and something you shouldn’t depend on.

Signal Booster

Also known as bi-directional amplifiers (BDA) or repeaters, cell phone signal boosters come in kits that include an outdoor antenna, indoor antenna, signal booster, and cabling to connect and power the system. Some kits may combine the indoor or outdoor antenna and booster for a minimalist appearance in your home.

Signal boosters are carrier agnostic, meaning most signal boosters will improve your signal no matter which North American device or provider you use. These are the best solution for homes with weak cellular reception (readings stronger than -93 dBm) outside of the building.

Cell phone signal boosters work by capturing the signal that exists outside of your home with an outdoor antenna before feeding it to the signal booster. The signal booster then amplifies the signal strength and sends it to the indoor antenna to transmit the signal inside of your home.

Some signal boosters are more powerful than others, and the coverage area will primarily depend on the signal that exists outside of your home and density of internal walls and building structure.

Generally, with a clear line of sight, signal booster kits with a Yagi outdoor antenna can reach towers up to 40 miles away, whereas Omni-directional outdoor antenna kits reach towers up to 20 miles away. This range is dependent on the strength of the signal leaving the tower and the number of obstacles between you and that tower.

Signal boosters cost around $300 for small homes and apartments, around $400 to $600 for large homes, and around $1000 for very large homes. These kits can be customized with different indoor antennas to adapt to the layout of your home and outdoor antennas to adapt to the distance between you and the nearest cell phone tower.

Both femtocells and cell phone signal boosters present strong solutions that, given your cellular circumstance, can take you from weak or unusable cellular signals to strong signals. If you have any questions, we suggest doing your research on SureCall, a top signal booster manufacturer. Check out all of SureCall’s cell phone signal boosters for home.

Can You Drive Testing Indoor Coverage?

In our ever more transparent and tough economic environment don't you would think Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint should take a look at new innovative ways to better serve their customer's needs as more customers are using their mobile phones indoors. Our mashup DeadCellZones.com collects thousands of carrier indoor and outdoor cell coverage complaints from customers each month with zero advertising. If our website is collecting this data for free it appears the carriers are all overlooking a very simple way of listening to their customers. Ask!

Wireless service providers (especially in the U.S.) do drive testing to build theoretical coverage maps and test their networks for cell signal strength. Drive Testing or wireless data collection is used to provide coverage analysis, network weakness information and to aid in finding specific problem areas reported by consumers. Most drive testing companies are specifically tasked with simulating the actual call experience of customers during weekday periods to simulate capacity issues outdoors. Such companies include GWS, LCC, and WFI. Most carriers outsource this capability to third parties, unlike Verizon who has its own in-house drive testing team. Drive testing companies usually spend between $15-25 per mile in over 300+ U.S. markets benchmark testing signals. These companies provide a tremendous service to the carriers and deserve every penny for their efforts but how do they efficiently acquire in-building coverage data where customers use their phone the most?

DeadCellZones.com will be a the forefront of the carrier femtocell revolution and will start helping drive testing companies get better visibility of in-building coverage problem areas. U.S. carriers are starting to roll out femtocells and the number of worldwide subscribers is rising rapidly, jumping from 1.7 million in 2007 to 9.7 million in 2008. The number of femtocell phone units is expected to nearly quintuple in the 5 years from 2007 to 2011.

I think the current recession is going to demand cost-cutting measures that we have never seen from these companies since churn is more prevalent than customer growth. The carnage could be huge from suppliers and vendors beneath the umbrella of these giant companies of those who do not innovate. Its widely known throughout the industry that working with carriers is not much different than working with government bureaucrats because of their proprietary networks and huge customer bases. The lack of leadership of the wireless communication giants to is the primary reason why the U.S. is way behind Europe and Asia in wireless telecommunications.

Sprint Home Cell Tower or Femtocell

Sprint will be launching a 3G femtocell, a mini cell phone tower-like device that helps you get a better voice and data signal in your home or office. It will be a faster version of the wireless carrier’s 2G Airave product, according to documents filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The new Sprint femtocell will include a radio for the 3G service and a port for a VoIP (voice-over-IP) line.

A release date for the new femtocell is unknown but expected very soon considering the FCC filing. It may cost the same $100 as the current product and is also likely to carry a $5 monthly fee. When users make calls connected to the Airave, however, the time spent won't count towards plan minutes.

Sprint’s launch comes after AT&T announced its 3G AT&T MicroCell for $150 (+$20 per month) and just as a new study indicates the femtocells could proliferate in the next few years.

A femtocell operates like your personal mini cell phone tower. You connect the router-like device to your existing broadband landline service (cable or fiber) and it provides better indoor coverage for your phone. Sprint, who has reportedly partnered with Femtocell manufacturer Airvana to deliver the new product.

Airave, their $100 femtocell device made by Samsung, has been available nationwide since August 2008. However, Airave doesn’t support 3G - merely Sprint’s CDMA network with speeds of about 150 kilobits per second. Verizon’s solution, the $250 Wireless Network Expander, uses the same network as is only 2G as well.

Femtocells could help numerous customers with coverage issues when it comes to phone calls, but most require an additional monthly fee of $5-$20 per month. In addition, vendors such as Ubiquisys recently announced that the wholesale price of a femtocell has dropped to below $100.

Its usefulness is less obvious when it comes to data transfer, since most customers who own broadband lines already use the much-faster Wi-Fi at home.

Related posts: Sprint Service Plans and Coverage Review

What Are Femtocells?

Femtocells are small, low-power cellular base stations designed to provide enhanced indoor cellular coverage in areas with weak or limited network signals. They are typically used in residential or small office settings and connect to the existing broadband internet connection to transmit cellular signals.

Here's how femtocells work:

Installation: A femtocell is connected to the user's broadband internet router or modem via an Ethernet cable. The femtocell unit is usually compact and can be plugged directly into a power outlet.

Cellular Signal Transmission: Once connected, the femtocell acts as a miniature cellular tower. It receives the user's cellular signals, converts them into IP (Internet Protocol) packets, and transmits them over the internet connection to the wireless carrier's network.

Enhanced Indoor Coverage: The transmitted signals from the femtocell provide improved cellular coverage within a limited range, typically covering an area of a few hundred to a few thousand square feet. Users within this coverage area can connect to the femtocell and make calls, send messages, and access data services using their cellular devices.

Network Integration: The femtocell is integrated with the wireless carrier's network infrastructure, allowing seamless handover of calls and data sessions between the femtocell and the macro cellular network when users move in or out of the coverage area.

Femtocells offer several benefits:

Enhanced Indoor Coverage: Femtocells address the issue of weak or limited cellular signals indoors, where the signals from macro cellular towers may struggle to penetrate buildings. They provide reliable coverage and better call quality for users within the femtocell's range.

Offloading Network Traffic: By utilizing the internet connection for transmitting cellular signals, femtocells help offload network traffic from macro cellular towers. This can help improve overall network capacity and performance.

Cost Savings: Users can potentially save on cellular call charges by making calls through the femtocell, as it uses the internet connection rather than consuming cellular network resources.

Improved Battery Life: Since femtocells operate at lower power levels compared to macro cellular towers, the reduced distance between the device and the femtocell can lead to improved battery life for cellular devices.

It's important to note that femtocells are specific to a particular wireless carrier and require authorization and activation from the carrier. They are typically provided by the carrier as a solution for customers experiencing poor indoor coverage.