Verizon Fixed 5G on the way in 2018, Mobile Network Due 2019

Verizon announced today in their first-quarter earnings call that it has started deploying commercial nodes in three markets in the US in support of their planned launch of their fixed 5G network later this year. “We are quickly approaching the launch date of our residential broadband service,” said Verizon CFO Matt Ellis. Sacramento is the only market Verizon has named so far; the other two markets won’t be announced until closer to the launch.

As for their mobile 5G network, rollout is further out and according to Ellis will be “very much heavily focused on urban areas.”

 

By 5G

T-Mobile Spends Big on 5G for Military

T-Mobile has announced a new initiative to bring 5G to military bases and the surrounding areas, committing 500 million dollars to the effort this year alone. T-Mobile is also doubling down on its program to hire vets as they will hire another 10k veterans and military spouses in the next 5 years.

Read more here.

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Huawei Plans for 5G Handset in 2019

Huawei made a splash at their Global Analyst Summit in Shenzhen this week, showing off their plans for 5G. Counterpoint Analyst Neil Shah tweeted throughout the event, sharing the announcements along with his commentary. Perhaps the most exciting announcement was that Huawei will be launching a 5G smartphone in the second half of 2019 running its own 5G chip.

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By 5G Phones

Illinois Signs 5G Bill

The newly signed bill will provide funding for 5G small cell deployments where traditional cell towers are not an option. The bill also leaves cities in charge of their roadways and land for deployment of 5G technology leading to additional income. The new bill lays out the infrastructure to ensure the upcoming 5G deployments benefit Illinois businesses where possible.

Read more here.

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AT&T 5G Tests

AT&T has recently started testing 5G networks in the US and the results are better than expected. While these tests are not indicative of real-world performance, as these are ideal scenarios, it does prove the technology works as intended.

Read more here.

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AT&T Demos the Extreme Speeds of 5G

AT&T has been working with small businesses in three US cities over the past year to trial their 5G network (which they plan to deploy in 12 cities by the end of the year), and today they released the results of some of their testing:

 

  • In Waco, Texas, AT&T 5G speeds were 1.2Gbps from 500 feet over a 400MHz channel, with 9-12 millisecond latency.
  • In Kalamazoo, Michigan, they saw 1Gbps speeds at 900 feet (275 meters) in “line of sight” conditions.
  • From their South Bend, Indiana, tests, no specific speeds were reported, but reported “gigabit wireless speeds” in line of sight and “some nonline of sight” conditions.

Other interesting notes from the release were that there appeared to be no negative impact from rain or snow, and large numbers of users were connected during the tests. They also reported that signals can penetrate “significant foliage, glass and even walls” even better than they had expected.

AT&T’s tests are definitely very promising, and we can’t wait to see the network deployed to the public!

 

By 5G, 5G News

The UK Behind in 5G Race

With original expectations surpassed in the previous 5G spectrum auction in the UK, it would appear that carriers are pushing towards deploying the technology. They are… but they are lagging behind the rest of the world.

Read more here.

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UK Study Shows Potential Impact of 5G on Universities

While the whole world is eager to see what 5G can do, no country seems more excited than the UK. Various UK departments and agencies have put together reports studying how 5G can benefit the public, and while the research obviously centers around their local communities and industries, the conclusions and data can still be used to assist researchers and officials in projecting the impact of 5G here in the US.

At a recent networking conference, Andy Sutton, visiting professor in the School of Computing, Science and Engineering at the University of Salford, presented his views on how 5G will change campuses. Among other benefits, he heralded the fact that 5G’s promised speeds and reduced latency could make remote learning more accessible.

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