Most carriers have focused on using high-band (28GHz) and mid-band (3.5GHz to 6GHz) frequencies for their 5G development, T-Mobile has been going against the grain and focusing on low-band 600MHZ spectrum. They have now completed the world’s first 5G transmission over 600MHz, which could lead the way to faster rollout of their 5G network in the US. The carrier says that its “nationwide low-band spectrum will provide broad 5G coverage for everyone nearly everywhere” in 2020.
Verizon continued their streak of being at the forefront of 5G news in the US by announcing that they have successfully tested 5G on a smartphone, the Moto Z3. Verizon tested browsing the internet and placing a video call on their 28 GHz spectrum band, and unlike their recently-launched Home 5G network, which is not standards-based, these tests were done on a commercial 3GPP 5G NR (New Radio) network.
Verizon continued to show their dedication to being a leader in 5G this week, announcing their 5G First Responder Lab, which will focus on 5G tech that can be used for public safety. Verizon will accept 15 innovators who want to develop public safety solutions and will give them the tools needed to test, research, and develop solutions using 5G.
“First responders should have the absolute best, most effective technologies available to them as they protect our communities and respond to emergencies large and small,” said Verizon SVP Toby Redshaw. “Our 5G First Responder Lab will give technology innovators the opportunity to develop applications and use cases that leverage the unique capabilities of 5G, and to bring those solutions to market more quickly.”
Sprint has made some upgrades to their LTE network that will benefit current 4G subscribers as well as complement their work towards eventually launching 5G. The implementation of “massive MIMO” technology along with the backbone of the LTE Advanced network will allow the company to be on the right track for 5G, said Sprint CTO John Saw. “It will be faster, simply because we’re killing two birds with one stone,” Saw said about the massive MIMO deployment.
An Apple insider is reporting that Apple plans to release a 5G-capable iPhone in 2020, using Intel’s 8161 5G modem chip. Apple has had some concerns about the heat dissipation qualities of Intel’s chips, which is important for 5G modem chips due to the burden millimeter-wave signal puts on the modem (both AT&T and Verizon are using millimeter-wave for 5G), but it appears that the issues have been resolved and Apple is moving forward with Intel for their iPhone plans.
On the heals of last week’s announcement that AT&T will be lighting up their standards-based mobile 5G network soon, they have now revealed the 5G-compatible hotspot that users will need to purchase to take advantage of the new high speed network. AT&T demonstrated the Netgear Nighthawk M5 Fusion, which utilizes a Qualcomm X50 modem, this weekend in Waco.
In today’s earnings call, AT&T CEO John Donovan shared some big news about AT&T’s progress towards launching 5G. Donovan announced that mobile 5G is almost here, saying, “AT&T is on track to be the first wireless carrier to introduce mobile 5G services in the United States in the next few weeks. This will be standards-based 5G.”
Verizon launched their home 5G service earlier this month, but Verizon’s network does not utilize international 5G standards and it not considered to be true 5G by all industry experts. AT&T’s promise to deliver standards-based 5G, and to make it available while mobile instead of just for a fixed location, is a big advancement. The lucky cities to see AT&T’s mobile 5G includes Dallas, Atlanta, Waco, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Oklahoma City, with six as yet unnamed cities planned for the next few months.
US carriers including Verizon and AT&T have been heavily promoting their nascent 5G networks, but even if 5G does get lit up in your area, you will only be able to take advantage of it if you have a compatible device. Home routers, tablets, laptops, and mobile hotspots with 5G chips have all been discussed, but most consumers are curious about when they will be able to get their hands on a 5G smartphone.
CNet has compiled a list of what is known (or speculated) about upcoming 5G phones. Apple is unlikely to have a 5G phone before 2020, while Samsung and others are eager to get 5G gear to market.
With Verizon launching their Home 5G service and other major carriers in the US and abroad dedicated to get 5G networks built out and service deployed to the public as soon as possible, manufacturers who have invested in 5G are feeling the benefits already. Ericsson, who has committed a great deal of resources towards 5G research and development, reported a nine percent increase in revenue recently and attributed the surge to 5G. “We continue to invest in our competitive 5G-ready portfolio to enable our customers to efficiently migrate to 5G,” declared Börje Ekholm, Ericsson CEO. “Operators around the world plan for launching 5G services, led by North America.”
Qualcomm’s latest WiFi chips utilize the latest generation of the WiGig standard, with the ability to deliver speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. This is unlikely to make a practical real-world difference in any current scenario, but WiGig may be used more in the future in the way that 5G is likely to be deployed (e.g. tower to home) and Qualcomm is prepared to compete with the fast speeds 5G promises.
