What’s in a Name? Moving Forward with 5Gstore

At the start of 2G and 3G cellular technology, our company saw the potential and created 5Gstore.com. 4G LTE was announced next. At that time, we again realized the greater potential of the 5th generation. We became the 5Gstore. 

Now, with 5G networks slowly ramping up, there has already been talk of 6G service and how it will differ. Will we all be immersed in the metaverse by then, with robots bringing us our food and drinks? 

Our team is dedicated to staying up to date with the latest in wireless technology. We look forward to seeing these advancements and being at the center of it all so we can share it with our customers. 

As we lead the charge into the future of cellular, we have decided to rebrand our company again. You think 5th generation cellular networks are fast? Well, forget 5G and forget 6G too! 

Welcome to 7GStore.com. Real performance, fake technology.

Happy April Fool’s Day to everyone!

Did T-Mobile Delay the Sprint 3G Network Shut Down?

Good news for Sprint customers that are still relying on 3G services comes from T-Mobile today. The 3G shutdown was actually scheduled for today, but it has since been pushed back to May 31, 2022. This comes after a delay they set back in January, when they said they would extend it for “partners.”

Only time can tell what the end result will be as according to SoftBank’s website, there’s a strong possibility of a third delay. Per the iPhone global services guide, the site says “there is a possibility that the date of May 31 will be rescheduled in the future”. 

Claims from another source say that even though the shutdown date has been moved to May 31, the shutdown will still begin on March 31. Lines using 3G CDMA service will be disabled and rerouted to customer care. 

T-Mobile is not stopping at CDMA however. The carrier also has plans to end its own 3G UMTS network by July 1st of this year. The original shutdown date was as far back as October 1st, 2021, so we will again wait and see what happens! 

Surprisingly, T-Mobile’s 2G GSM network is still operating, but is also planned to be shut down. No date has been determined at this time.

Other news surrounding Sprint say the LTE network is set to be shut down on June 30th of this year.

And what about Verizon and AT&T? Verizon recently announced it would shut down its 3G network on December 31, 2022. Since this was already delayed back in 2019, the carrier states it will not delay this shutdown again. AT&T’s 3G network was shut down just last month.

In regards to the shutdown, a spokesperson from T-Mobile reached out to 9to5Mac with the following statement:

“We are proceeding as planned with the orderly shutdown of our CDMA network beginning on March 31. As part of our shutdown process, we are migrating customers in some areas over the following 60 days to ensure they are supported and not left without connectivity, and the network will be completely turned off by no later than May 31. This is a normal network transition process. We look forward to sunsetting this outdated technology so every customer will have access to the best connectivity and best experience in wireless.“

What Are the Results of the Opensignal Speed Tests on C-band?

Opensignal - 5G, 4G, 3G Internet & WiFi Speed Test - Apps on Google Play

Opensignal has released some findings from tests performed using mid-band services from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. This is their first major report since AT&T and Verizon launched their first C-band service back in January. 

Prior to C-Band coming out, T-Mobile was and still is using its 2.5GHz nationwide 5G network. This was from the spectrum they obtained via the Sprint merger. 

Now that the carriers are on more level playing fields, Opensignal determined it was time to put them all to the test. The Opensignal team has measured the impact of each carrier’s C-Band rollout on their nationwide performance within its new Quantifying the impact of C-band on 5G mobile experience in the U.S.

Results show that Verizon Wireless customers came out on top with the initial C-Band rollout. Thanks to the C-band coverage, the carrier’s average nationwide 5G download speed increased by 15Mbps. This spiked from 55.7Mbps shortly before the launch to 70.6Mbps following it. That’s a boost of more than 26% in download rates. Upload speeds on the other hand showed no clear change. Sadly, for AT&T customers, the results before and after the C-band launch were not much different on download or upload speeds. 

Opensignal noted that these differences with AT&T and Verizon weren’t exactly surprising. You simply need to compare the rate at which the carriers rolled out service and the number of users they were capable of reaching in this short amount of time. Verizon was able to reach more customers in their rollout than AT&T. 

Next, Opensignal measured the head-to-head performance of each carrier’s respective mid-band 5G offering. As you’ll see below, T-Mobile won with the highest download rate. They however lost on the upload rate to Verizon, which came in a close second on download speed. 

In their report, Opensignal stressed that, even when limiting its measurements to mid-band connections only, there’s more at work here than raw speed. The company says the other biggest factor is available spectrum ranges and their impact on network capacity. The more spectrum that’s available, the more users can connect before everyone’s download, and upload speeds begin to decline from congestion. It’s helpful to note that both AT&T entered the mid-band 5G game with 40MHz of available spectrum, while Verizon owns 60MHz. Comparatively, T-Mobile is believed to have deployed between 60MHz and 80MHz, with as much as 100MHz available for eventual deployment. 

The last item Opensignal looked at were the mid-band download rates of Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile in five major cities: Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Phoenix. AT&T was purposely left out since their mid-band was only available in Chicago. T-Mobile’s extensive network came out the winner here. It was only a close call when it came to results from Los Angeles.

In conclusion, Opensignal reminded readers that it is still very early days for competitive mid-band 5G in the U.S. However, it already detected average download rates on mid-band 5G that are “much faster — three to four times when connected to mid-band 5G on AT&T and Verizon compared to the average 5G download speeds our users experienced on the two carriers before they activated their C-band networks.” 

Thanks to the lead T-Mobile has over the other carriers, they’re likely to stay on top. Although, as Opensignal put it, “data shows that Verizon and soon AT&T now have the required mid-band spectrum to start the chase.”

Product Highlights, Availability, and 2022 Shortages

As we continue to push strongly into 2022 by finding ways to stay ahead of the ongoing impacts seen whether it be product availability, future proofing, and/or avoiding delivery issues. With the announcement of 5G being launched nationwide by several providers – this has brought on a lot of new and exciting products not only those that are specifically designed to support 5G services but several others!

We take pride in educating our customers about products that will help them future proof, so here are some highlights from the 5Gstore team you don’t want to miss!

Product Highlights

Key tips for future proofing with 5Gstore

  1. Contact us today to discuss the latest options and alternatives that are readily available!
  2. Plan for orders now that would normally be reviewed in a 30-60-90 day manner.
  3. Look for the “In Stock” Green Check Mark that indicates we have stock! 

What is the Latest on Verizon’s C-band Deployment

Last week, we reported that Verizon Wireless would be adding more C-band coverage to 30 additional markets this year. This is happening about a year ahead of schedule. 

With a budget of more than $45 billion, Verizon obtained C-band at a FCC auction and received an average of 161 MHz nationwide, including 60 MHz in the top 46 markets, which is where it’s already deployed covering 100 million people. Additional markets covered by the so-called “A block” licenses in the 3.7-3.8 GHz range, weren’t expected to be ready until the December 2023 time frame.

Verizon can utilize those A block licenses now to deploy its 5G Ultra Wideband service “on at least 60 MHz of spectrum and up to 100 MHz of spectrum in some areas.” Those include large metro areas of Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Denver.

The second part of the C-band rollout, which is an additional 180 MHz of spectrum between 3.8 GHz-3.98 GHz, remains on track to be cleared in December 2023, according to a Verizon spokesperson.

In addition to the amount paid for the licenses, Verizon owed clearing costs to ready the band plus incentive payments. This enticed satellite operators to speed up the process and they made the spectrum available earlier.

Roger Entner, principal and founder of Recon Analytics, says he expected things to play out as they are. Following the auction, the FCC encouraged satellite players and license winners to negotiate for faster clearing times.

Due to the quicker schedule, Entner says Verizon is paying additional money to those like SES, however the carrier declined to disclose details on the contracts.

Verizon will also likely be quick to gain access to any A-block spectrum that is not covered by current agreements.

“You can bet they are heavily negotiating with the other satellite providers to also clear that out and so that they can accelerate this even further,” Entner said, adding those payments would be less as there’s a time value component – say for six months early versus a year.

With so much competition from T-Mobile lately, it’s clear why Verizon has been moving so quickly to deploy C-band service. They started by increasing coverage from zero to 90 million when it launched on January 19. Then, it increased by 5 million one week later, and now they are up to more than 100 million.

“This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster,” said Kyle Malady, EVP and president of Global Network and Technology, in the announcement. “We’ve been able to accelerate deployment because we’re driving more efficiency and coverage from the C-band spectrum, leveraging opportunities like the one we are announcing today, and leveraging our already in place infrastructure. In my career with Verizon, I have never experienced a network deployment move so quickly.”

A-block Licenses

While AT&T focused on less expensive B and C block licenses, Verizon set its sights on A block licenses during Auction 107. This is part of the key to 5G C-band access. 

“Their game plan is coming nicely to fruition,” Entner said of Verizon’s focus on those licenses. “They’re getting the markets faster.”

According to Entner, Verizon is getting a full 100 MHz of C-band earlier than expected in certain locations. To users in some cities smaller than the top 46 Partial Economic Areas (PEAs), this could mean faster bandwidth speeds even sooner than those in the largest markets would receive. The reason for this is that, of the earliest available A block C-band, Verizon has 60 MHz in those 46 markets while AT&T has 40 MHz. They are essentially sharing the 100 MHz A-block until 2023, which is when AT&T is expected to shift to the B/C block license channels. After that, Verizon will obtain its full amount of A block spectrum.

Even so, Verizon can always negotiate to have full access in any of the markets smaller than the top 46, Entner noted. That was made evident when Verizon recently announced the full 100 MHz for some markets.

C-band

As it’s been said multiple times before, Verizon needs to step up their competition and pushing up its C-band deployment to cover more people with mid-band 5G is going to be the key to this. 

“Verizon really needs this,” Entner said of the faster C-band deployment timeline.

The carrier gained new subscribers last year, but not net accounts. Essentially, their growth was solely from existing customers adding new lines, Entner explained. 

“That is not sustainable, it’s like wringing water out of an already dry sponge,” Entner said.

Most might say this is because of the premium price Verizon has been known to charge for their service. This has become more challenging for the carrier as third-party speed results continue to show T-Mobile as the 5G network leader for speeds and coverage.

“And when the claim and reality become divergent, you have a problem,” Entner said.

Consumer perception and lack of account growth is “why they [Verizon] really need C-band and C-band fast, so that they can close the gap with T-Mobile,” he continued. “So that T-Mobile can’t say ‘I have a faster network and I’m cheaper’ to consumers.”

Speeding up the deployment of C-band could help Verizon to catch up with T-Mobile. Although they have big plans to reach 300 million people with mid-band spectrum by the end of 2023. Verizon only expects to cover 250 million by the end of 2024.

For comparison, AT&T is set to cover 200 million people by the end of 2023 with mid-band 5G, including 3.45 GHz spectrum.

How to Get More 5G with the Cradlepoint W1850

Cradlepoint and Verizon announced last week that they certified the W1850 5G Wideband Adapter to provide more connectivity options to Business Internet customers. Not only does this device support 5G, but it supports Verizon’s Ultra Wideband (UWB) network, which provides connectivity to the C-band spectrum. This is the spectrum at which 5G speeds can seriously exceed those of LTE and 5G on the low-band spectrum. 

As stated in a recent article from Verizon, this is a significant milestone for Verizon’s 5G Fixed Wireless Access strategy. 

“Enterprise and business market customers can now harness the power of 5G UWB, and with this device, get the speed and flexibility they need, especially those with a distributed or hybrid workforce.”

Verizon understands what businesses need and they are working with Cradlepoint to meet customer demands. Part of this process will be to make 5G UWB available to 175 million users by the end of this year. That can only be achieved with a reliable mid-band capable modem like the Cradlepoint W1850 adapter. 

“Businesses are looking for partners that can provide fit-for-purpose solutions that unlock the full potential of 5G,” says Massimo Peselli, senior vice president of Global Enterprise, Verizon Business. “The collaboration we’ve announced today with Cradlepoint unlocks the potential of cellular for businesses and delivers Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to take advantage of C-Band spectrum. Our strategic relationship has allowed us to deliver enterprise class solutions that, among other things, enable IT organizations to manage the entire Wireless WAN lifecycle.”

Cradlepoint has always been a trusted partner in helping customers to reach their business goals via managed wireless WAN solutions. They have over 15 years of experience working with carriers across the globe and can fit the needs for various fixed and mobile applications, accommodating one to multiple users. Together with Verizon Wireless, they have a collaborative relationship that provides customers the tried and tested solutions they are looking for. 

“Cradlepoint 5G Wireless WAN solutions have been specifically designed to support the Verizon 5G mid-band networks and have gone through extensive testing and certification from Verizon,” says Justin Blair, Vice President Carrier Business Development at Cradlepoint. “Cradlepoint has in-depth experience supporting enterprise adoption of 5G services—whether you need low, mid or high band—we will have you covered regardless of your use case.”

One Talk Call-Through

Every business owner is looking for ways to increase profits, save money and to improve efficiency.  The good news is that there are plenty of ideas out there that can help. 

This month Verizon announced (in an email) a feature called “Call Through for Mobile App” In case you missed it, read the details below on what it is and how to turn it on in your One Talk Mobile App.

With Verizon Call Through, calls go over your cellular network voice channel via the One Talk Mobile Application* instead of over the public internet.  For example, you are driving in an area with 1 or 2 bars of service. Opening a video or web page may be problematic, but you know you could still reliably take or make calls on your personal cell phone. This is what Call-Through will bring to you when you switch this setting on. 

The benefits to the customer are:

  • Saves you money:  Using unlimited voice, not data plans, for calls.
  • Is easy to set up: Takes two simple steps.
  • Increases business efficiency: Voice calls save battery usage.

*Here is a link to one of our previous blogs that explains the benefits of the Verizon One Talk Mobile App and the best part is that it is FREE if you have a desk phone in your office or if you are an existing One Talk mobile client customer you can download additional apps for FREE.

Call-Through is a new feature that has been added to the One Talk app which will provide a better experience for your calls. Call-Through was introduced by Verizon earlier this year and we have learned many things about how it functions as well as some things to keep in mind while using it. 

During the installation of the One Talk app or when opening the menu bar on the top left corner (3 horizontal bars) you will be presented with the choice of “Call-Through” or “App Calling”. 

App calling is the way that the One Talk app has traditionally worked for years. Calls will go through your cell phone’s internet connection (via wi-fi, or cellular 4G/5G internet when traveling) and calls will appear as coming in through the Application, instead of you seeing a regular cell phone call on your personal number. 

App calling is still the best way to initially set up your application, as it will allow you to immediately recognize this as a business call because of the app symbol when it rings, and most importantly allow you to transfer the call out if needed. 

However, the quality of your experience with the app will be directly tied to your internet connection at the time. If you are driving and traveling in an area with poor internet coverage, you may experience a dropped call. This is where Call-Through would benefit you.  

Call-Through will use your cell phone’s carrier signal, and NOT the internet,  which could improve your call quality.  

In addition to this, call-through will:

  • Still mask your personal information and cell phone number
  • Never use your personal voicemail or greeting
  • Continues to follow your prepared call flow moving further down your phone tree if you do not answer
  • Resolves an Android specific issue that will ignore a One Talk call when you are on your personal phone line
  • Resolves an Android specific issue that puts a One Talk call on HOLD when a personal call comes in

Please keep the following in mind when using Call-Through

  • With Call-Through enabled, the user logged into that line with the setting enabled will be the only person to receive the call. 
  • If the One Talk number logged in is presented as your main published business number, some forwarding rules may not work in conjunction with this setting enabled. Call the team at the 5GStore and we can help ensure things are working properly!

What is the Controversy Over 5G Home Internet

How well 5G Home Broadband solutions perform could affect telecom stocks over the next few years. This is because not all parties are convinced that 5G wireless is going to succeed, or at least be capable of competing with cable broadband services. While T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have begun marketing and selling their 5G Home Internet plans, AT&T has no plans on pushing this service option. 

Currently, there’s been a controversy amongst cellular providers and cable TV companies over telecom stocks. It’s even possible that 5G services could compete with local phone companies in areas that are still served by copper line-based DSL services. 

“Verizon and T-Mobile think the service can be a growth driver and will have attractive economics,” UBS analyst John Hodulik told Investor’s Business Daily. “FWA (fixed wireless access) is likely to do better where there are limited options for broadband and among subscribers used to lower speeds, so that means legacy DSL subscribers and slower speed cable.”

He added, “The big question is whether FWA has staying power over the next 5 to 10 years given necessary speed increases.”

Is 5G Wireless Worth the Cost?

AT&T has opted not to get into the fixed wireless game at this time. Their reason is simply that it lacks potential. In comparison, due to data usage surges over time, FWA can become less economic than fiber-optic landline alternatives.

“I think it stems from a genuinely different view of the engineering and capacity constraints,” MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett told IBD. “The divergence in views about fixed wireless access between AT&T and Verizon or T-Mobile speaks to a genuine controversy in the telecom industry.”

He also stated that telecom companies are scrambling to make money from huge investments in 5G radio spectrum.

“The renewed appetite for FWA may be a sign of a dawning realization that the gee-whizzy use cases of 5G may never materialize,” Moffett said. “That could be forcing operators to revisit every possible source of incremental revenue in a bid to earn at least some return on their huge investments in 5G spectrum.”

The Broadband Competition

If you’re fortunate enough, there are cable TV options with high speed Internet options. For those who are not, and don’t want to try relying on satellite, there’s cellular and FWA. 

Comcast, one of the largest cable TV companies, says it’s not concerned with broadband competition from fixed 5G wireless services.

“Time will tell, but it’s an inferior product,” Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said at a recent Morgan Stanley conference. “And today, we can say we don’t feel much impact from (it). It’s lower speeds. And in the long run, I don’t know how viable the technology holds up.”

To put it into perspective, Eighty-seven percent of U.S. households subscribe to an internet service at home, according to Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV firms comprise 70% of the broadband market, per LRG.

At the end of 2021 Verizon had about 223,000 fixed wireless broadband customers, though most were connected via 4G wireless networks. On the other hand, T-Mobile had 646,000 fixed broadband subscribers, all connected to 5G.

Per Wall Street analysts, T-Mobile is expecting to serve a range of 7 million to 8 million fixed 5G wireless subscribers by 2025. Verizon has estimated 3 million to 4 million subscribers over the same period.

AT&T and Fixed 5G Wireless

Another area of fixed 5G has been debated over and that is whether it could be more successful in suburban/urban markets or in rural areas.

“FWA is definitely a threat to cable companies,” Peter Rysavy, head of Rysavy Research, said in an email. “Particularly with (high frequency) mmWave, 5G can compete directly with cable. Mid-band spectrum is also effective but is best suited for lower density population areas. In these deployments, even T-Mobile limits the number of fixed wireless subscribers it can support in any geographical area.”

At UBS, Hodulik says that even if positioned as a low-end service, fixed 5G broadband still has a potential market of 20 million to 30 million homes.

As much as AT&T may not want to get into FWA, they have a sizable wireline local service area in 22 states. That means it will face competition from fixed 5G broadband, just like cable TV firms.

“AT&T has a huge wireline asset base that is only 25% upgraded to fiber,” Oppenheimer analyst Tim Horan told IBD. “So they are very exposed to competition from fixed wireless.”

At an analyst day on March 11, AT&T said it plans to upgrade 50% of its local markets, about 30 million customer locations, to high-speed fiber-optic broadband service by year-end 2025.

AT&T’s CEO, John Stankey, commented on the controversy over FWA saying that they see FWA as playing a limited role for mobile small business and enterprise applications, as well as in rural areas.

“We’re not opposed to fixed wireless, and I’m sure there’s going to be segments of the market where it’s going to be acceptable and folks are going to find it to be adequate right now,” Stankey said.

When Will Verizon Have More 5G C-Band Coverage?

Last year, Verizon acquired additional C-band spectrum, which they are finally getting a chance to utilize thanks to agreements with satellite providers. This is starting earlier than the expected date of December 2023. 

Known as their 5G Ultra Wideband network, it will offer performance between 60-100 MHz. Download speeds can get up to one gigabit per second. The capacity is also increased, which allows the network to support data-heavy actions from multiple devices at one time. 

In the statement from Verizon, 5G Ultra Wideband is compared to home Internet services in that it allows for “downloading huge documents and seamlessly streaming movies in HD audio and video, to playing console quality games and conducting video chats, video conferencing and FaceTime calls with clear sound and video.”

Expansions will begin in larger cities such as Atlanta, Denver, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Back in January, Verizon announced it covers 100 million people with the nation’s most reliable 5G Ultra Wideband service. As of a couple weeks ago, the company announced it will cover 175 million people by the end of 2022. The company is an entire year ahead of schedule. 

Kyle Malady, EVP and President of Global Network and Technology, commented, “This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster. We’ve been able to accelerate deployment because we’re driving more efficiency and coverage from the C-band spectrum, leveraging opportunities like the one we are announcing today, and leveraging our [current] infrastructure.” 

How Can I Get 5G Service in My Car?

If you’ve been looking for information on how to connect your car to 5G service, look no further! T-Mobile has announced that they will be offering a postpaid plan with unlimited voice, 5G and Wi-Fi hotspot data for select 2022 BMW vehicles.

T-Mobile calls their new connected car plan, Magenta Drive for BMW. It will cost you $20 per month with autopay, plus taxes and fees. Note that SMS messaging isn’t supported. It’s available now and supported on the 2022 and newer BMW iX and x4 models. 

If you’re currently a T-Mobile subscriber, simply add it onto your existing wireless plan. However, if you do not subscribe to T-Mobile, customers would need to set up a new line. Users can sign up through the My BMW app.

T-Mobile also states that customers using more than 50 GB of data per month will see lower speeds during congestion and video streams on smartphones and tablets are typically restricted to SD quality.

“In 2019 we lit up the first nationwide 5G network, and today we mark another milestone that builds on our 5G leadership,” said Callie Field, president of T-Mobile Business Group, in a statement. “In another 5G first, we’ve delivered America’s first 5G connected cars, and we’re honored to do it together with BMW, who entrust their vehicles’ connectivity to T-Mobile.”

More technically speaking, the BMW vehicles support 5G connectivity for both T-Mobile’s lower band n71 (600 MHz) “Extended Range 5G” and mid-band n41 (2.5 GHz) “Ultra Capacity” 5G. Per a T-Mobile spokesperson, the vehicles include an embedded SIM and a 5G antenna, along with personal eSIM capabilities. The in-car personal eSIM support is required so customers can add their BMW to an existing mobile phone plan, leverage the 5G antenna and provide in-car Wi-Fi hotspots. Note that WiFi connections are limited to 10 at a time and will have unlimited 5G hotspot data. 

Other features include the ability to leave your phone at home by using in-car calling on the user’s personal cell phone number. Also, the plan supports voice calls on the carrier’s nationwide network.

This new data plan is the result of a long-term agreement between T-Mobile and BMW. Their simple goal is to deliver unlimited voice calling and unlimited 5G data to the automaker’s vehicles.

AT&T and Verizon have also announced 5G connected car deals with major automakers. AT&T signed a 5G auto deal with GM in August 2021 while Verizon signed one with Audi this past February. Those carriers will start with select year 2024 models.