Tag: coverage

How Can We Improve Cellular 5G at Sea?

Have you ever been out at sea and found yourself with weak or no cellular signal? Or maybe you’ve just avoided cellular altogether and paid for expensive satellite service? Well, with 5G technology, we may see a change. JET Engineering, out of Cedar Rapids Iowa, is working on a way to make 5G service accessible offshore. 

Their System Solutions department has deployed a floating 5G base station off the UK coast of Dorset. The base station is mounted on a buoy they’ve named JET-4 Babel. Its job is to transmit coverage for devices to connect to and extend the distance from the shore that a 5G signal can be accessed. 

The JET team demonstrated the buoy’s connectivity by establishing a 5G connection between it and JET-3 Arial, a buoyant underwater camera, for real-time live streaming. The network is expected to be able to extend for miles offshore while providing high-bandwidth and high-speed delivery.

“This signifies a great technology milestone for JET, having taken the buoy-to-buoy wireless communications from the lab to the ocean,” said James Thomas, CEO of JET Engineering. “But more importantly we have unlocked a whole host of possibilities for users and service providers to save costs, improve efficiencies, and make their everyday work easier.

JET also plans on providing a platform for data collection and live streaming to users. This would be either as raw data or through a user-friendly dashboard. They’re receiving assistance from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s Launch Academy. These groups helped with the technology loaded onto Babel as well as overall funding for this project.

Claire Canning, OWGP program manager, said, “We are thrilled to be working with JET and supporting this game-changing project. Not only will this drive a step-change in growth for the company, but 5G connectivity at sea will completely transform offshore wind operations, improving both efficiency and operator safety.”

Additional funding came from DCMS via the 5G RuralDorset project. They had also contributed to the previous deployment of the Arial buoy. Research was previously conducted by 5G RuralDorset. They found that 5G was necessary to provide essential safety, environmental, and efficiency considerations. Especially for those living in isolated areas and in off-shore settings.

“It’s great to see the concept of 5G at sea become a reality and we’re proud to have worked closely with JET to get the buoys to this important milestone,” said Councillor Jill Haynes, cabinet member for Corporate Development and Transformation for Dorset Council. “5G connectivity will play an important role in ensuring safety at sea, as well as presenting unique commercial opportunities for all parties.”

More unique ways of using and deploying 5G networks have been showing up recently. Last month, AT&T introduced a drone that transmits 5G network service, which they called the Flying COW. Like the JET-4 Babel, the Flying COW is helping to bring 5G to the more remote and rural locations. These are also used to provide temporary connections during big events, such as the Super Bowl or natural disasters.

By 5G , ,

What Alternatives Can Be Used to Expand 5G Coverage

Qualcomm Technologies, Ericsson and French aerospace company Thales announced this week that they would be starting work together. Their intention is to make 5G connections available everywhere through the use of space. The partnership formed within months of 3GPP having been approved for satellite-driven 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (5G NTNs). This global effort will be accomplished through the use of combined satellite and terrestrial connectivity.

“For 5G to fulfill the promise of ubiquitous connectivity, it is imperative that it can also deliver network coverage in areas where terrestrial cellular networks do not exist, whether that be over oceans or in remote areas,” said John Smee, senior vice president of engineering at Qualcomm. “Our planned research with Ericsson and Thales will kick off an important step in making this vital technology a reality. We are looking forward to what this collaboration can accomplish.”

The goal of the three companies is to assist with global network coverage, including in areas that currently do not have terrestrial network capabilities. They’ll use a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, which will allow coverage to be expanded to areas previously not able to receive service. This includes extreme terrain, as well as across seas and oceans. Additionally, the group is hoping that in the event of an emergency, satellite connectivity could be used in place of or as a backup to terrestrial networks.

“This testing and validation cooperation between Ericsson, Thales and Qualcomm Technologies will be a major milestone in the history of communications,” said Erik Ekudden, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Ericsson. “The ultimate result could effectively mean that no matter where you are on Earth – in the middle of an ocean or the remotest forest – high-end, secure and cost-effective connectivity will be available through collaborative 5G satellite and terrestrial connectivity.”

Smartphone focused testing is in the works in an emulated space environment in France. Validation of 5G NTN began with 3GPP’s announcement back in March. The tests are designed to allow the teams to discover what components are needed to enable 5G connectivity between smartphones, satellites and terrestrial 5G network segments. Ideally, they will ensure that 5G NTN can be supported through use of a network-enabled smartphone.

Each company has its own role to play. Qualcomm is providing the smartphones that will verify if 5G NTN can be accessed by 5G enabled devices. Ericsson will work with part of the testing phase and will handle the 5G virtual RAN stack that has been altered to handle radio waves through quick moving satellites. Thales’ responsibility will be to verify that the payload will be able to be distributed by the satellites themselves. 

“The deployment of 5G networks marks a step change for the telecoms industry. It is a game changer, not only in terms of business opportunities but also in the skills required to connect and protect billions of people and things,” said Philippe Keryer, executive vice president of strategy, research and technology at Thales. “Thales is deeply involved in it through the different activities of the Group. The research collaboration with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies will demonstrate the belief of our companies that 5G non-terrestrial networks will contribute to this revolution and will take network resiliency and security to the next level.”

By 5G , , , , ,

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.

By 5G , , , , , , ,

What International Locations Have AT&T 5G Service?

As the travel season begins to pick up steam, and with more of us working remote, AT&T is adding 5G roaming service in more than 35 International destinations. This is all included with their “International Day Pass” at no cost, however the International feature is required on your 5G device. You can find even more information on their International website, we’ve outlined the destinations below. 

  • Aland Islands
  • Austria
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • China
  • Croatia
  • Denmark
  • Dominican Republic
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kuwait
  • Liechtenstein
  • Mexico (Limited)
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Slovenia
  • South Korea
  • Svalbard
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Thailand
  • UAE
  • Vatican City

“We were excited to be the first carrier to enable 5G roaming for U.S. customers in Japan back in 2020,” said Jenifer Robertson, executive vice president and general manager – AT&T Mobility. “With international travel ramping up, having reliable connectivity while abroad is more critical than ever. We want our customers to enjoy rich, unforgettable experiences while traveling – that’s why we’re thrilled to bring 5G access to 35+ destinations around the globe with more coming soon.”

AT&T outlined a few more ways that they can help you travel seamlessly:

Traveling Outside of the U.S.?  With International Day Pass, use your phone like you normally would when you’re at home. This is an add-on for those with the Unlimited Plan. It includes unlimited high-speed data, talk and text in over 210 destinations for $10/day. AT&T promises you’ll never pay for more than 10 days per line per bill. Additional lines used in the same 24-hour period can get 50% off. And only pay for the days you use! Be aware that AT&T may slow data speeds in the U.S. or Mexico if the network is busy. If you talk, send a text or use data in any of the included countries, you’ll be charged $10 per 24 hours and $5 for each additional line on the same account used the same day unless you remove International Day Pass.

Crossing the Borders in Mexico or Canada? You can use your eligible plan to get unlimited data, talk and text in and between the U.S., Mexico and Canada included at no extra charge. Also be aware that roaming usage may only be at 2G speeds!

Flying to your Next Destination? AT&T 5G+ using mmWave is delivering ultra-fast speeds at major domestic airports  across the country, with more than 20 planned by the end of the year. This 5G+ connection can help you make a smooth and clear video call, send that large file for work and let you download your content in a flash while boarding. Coverage can be found at gate and concession spaces, where travelers and airport employees have the greatest need. 

Setting Sail for Adventures at Sea? Stay connected while cruising on over 175 ships. Choose the plan that meets your needs for talk, text and data. A one-time charge gets you 30 days of use. No extra charges when you use your phone on land in Mexico, Canada and select Caribbean islands. You’ll need a compatible device with domestic postpaid wireless service for this. Standard domestic messaging rates apply to text, picture, and video messages received. Restrictions apply, so check out more details here.  

Don’t Forget About Device Protection: We all know how important travel insurance can be, but what about your devices? Now through April 15, AT&T is offering open enrollment for AT&T Protect Advantage, which is their device protection program. This can be applied to devices even if they are older than 30 days. It covers loss, theft and damage, plus gives you access to technical support while you are on the go. Learn more about AT&T Protect Advantage here.

By 5G , , ,

Who Has the Fastest, and Most 5G Coverage in America?

As 5G is constantly evolving, OpenSignal has released another report regarding the 5G experience across the United States. Per their report, “In this insight we quantify how the 5G experience has changed across the U.S. in the six months since our previous analysis. This benchmark will act as a reference point to evaluate the future impact of AT&T and Verizon’s C-band deployments on the national 5G mobile experience as it records the state of the 5G experience on the eve of the arrival of C-band.”

The evaluations were done during a 90-day period, which started on November 1, 2021 and ended on January 29, 2022. This was done across all 50 U.S. states and 300 cities. Among them, Illinois came out on top for download speeds. They had an overall average of 141.4 Mbps, which was just ahead of New York at 138.6 Mbps. In fact, 23 of the states saw averages over 100 Mbps. There were however a few that were under 60 Mbps. Take a look at the results below. 

With regards to improvement comparison since the last report, 44 states saw an increase of around 27 Mbps for the average download speed. There were 6 states that saw “no statistical change.”

OpenSignal also looked at the “5G Reach” and how it has improved in each state. The average improvement across the 47 U.S. states that saw their 5G Reach score increase was 17.1% (0.6 points). In this evaluation, all states saw improvement except for Hawaii, North Dakota, and Vermont. 

Next, they looked at “5G Availability.” This was increased in only 21 states.  “5G Availability represents the proportion of time that 5G users saw an active 5G connection on their smartphone,” states the report. 

OpenSignal also reports about the changes that have been made over the course of the past six months that have changed the 5G mobile experience. They see promising signs that U.S. carriers are either planning to or are currently addressing problems surrounding coverage and performance in small rural states. 

“For example, our 5G users in West Virginia and New Hampshire saw improvements across all three metrics analyzed — 5G Download Speed, 5G Availability and 5G Reach — meaning that they could access 5G networks in more locations, spend more time with an active 5G connection and also enjoy faster 5G download speeds than before,” says the report. “However, our 5G users in Vermont and North Dakota were the only ones out of the 50 states whose 5G mobile experience hasn’t changed statistically across any of the three measures analyzed, suggesting that 5G improvements are happening at a staggered pace across different locations.”

Lastly, 5G was reviewed across 300 U.S. cities. Specifically, they looked at Availability and Download Speeds. Check out the results below. 

Just like 6 months ago, six of the top 10 cities for 5G Availability belonged to Texas. Four of them – McAllen, Brownsville, San Antonio and Waco – also appeared in the previous top 10, while El Paso and Austin made it into the cut this time, replacing Houston and Corpus Christi. The remaining four cities in the top 10 were Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles — all of which were also shortlisted last time — as well as Trenton, New Jersey.

The average 5G download speed passed the 100 Mbps mark in 105 cities, up from 12 last time. Among these cities we found Washington (140.8 Mbps), San Antonio (136.2 Mbps), Los Angeles (134.4 Mbps), Seattle (131.6 Mbps), Phoenix (121.2 Mbps), Dallas (118.9 Mbps), San Diego (118.3 Mbps) and Indianapolis (113.8 Mbps).

By 5G , , , , ,

What is Verizon 5G Home Internet and 5G Business Internet?

After an exciting halftime show at the Super Bowl, Jim Carrey reprised his role in “The Cable Guy” to market Verizon’s new 5G Home and Business Internet solutions. The ad showcased how fast and easy the equipment was to set up as well as how it compares to traditional cable services. 

Today, Verizon is jumping back to their 5G expansion plans. They’ve already met their goal of 100 million users covered with 5G Ultra Wideband service and are capable of providing the Home and Business Internet solutions to 30 million households and more than 2 million businesses.

“We can’t wait for customers to experience our fast, reliable and secure internet options like our ultra-fast, ultra simple Home Internet, and we’ll continue to bring them to more and more places around the country, paving the path to becoming the top home Internet provider in America,” said Manon Brouillette, CEO of Verizon’s Consumer Group.

With 5G Home Internet, customers can be up and running with their computers, phones, tablets and any other network device, in a matter of minutes – whether they set it up themselves or have Verizon install it. They also have two options: 5G Home or 5G Home Plus. And, it’s 50 percent off for customers on one of Verizon’s new 5G Ultra Wideband Unlimited plans (only when you combine your plan with 5G Do More, 5G Play More or 5G Get More plan. Also requires Auto Pay and paper-free billing) There are no annual contracts, extra fees, data overages or equipment charges. The price is the price, guaranteed. Customers can even get the first month on Verizon.

5G Business Internet also offers customers great performance and reliability, with an easy setup, on all their devices. This solution can fit businesses of all sizes and includes self setup or professional installation options, multiple pricing and service options, unlimited data, and a 10-year price guarantee (applies to monthly access fee only).

Verizon’s wireless Internet solutions with fast, reliable and secure 5G Home Internet and 5G Business Internet are already available (or will be this week) in parts of Omaha, NE; Boise, ID; El Paso, TX; Grand Rapids, MI and Panama City, FL. 5G Home Internet will be available in parts of Baltimore, MD, next month.

By 5G , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can the Super Bowl Support Fans on 5G

It’s almost time for the Los Angeles Rams to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in this year’s Super Bowl and T-Mobile is ready to support the thousands of fans. 

Over the past 18 months T-Mobile engineers have been working hard to add more permanent 5G coverage and capacity to the Los Angeles area. This is not only part of their original plan to cover more than 300 million users with 5G by 2023, but also to ensure fans have a great experience at this year’s biggest football game. 

“The investment we’ve made in LA over the past 18 months is massive!” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “This is a powerhouse 5G network with incredible capacity using the most advanced technologies in wireless. And best of all, it’s just going to get even better as we keep building out the #1 fastest 5G network in LA and nationwide.”

That investment was more than $100 million for 5G infrastructure across the city. Now, more than 95 percent of people in Greater Los Angeles are now covered with T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G network. This was made possible with the hundreds of upgraded and newly installed 5G macro sites and small cells (nearly 200), as well as 5G upgrades at LAX, and numerous other venues. T-Mobile customers should get blazing fast 5G speeds while traveling around the area, tailgating and sharing their favorite moments at the game.

At SoFi Stadium, where the big game will be held, T-Mobile deployed a brand new state-of-the-art 5G system. This system was upgraded with 100 Gigabit backhaul and with the deployment of Ultra Capacity 5G service, it’s using mid-band and millimeter wave spectrum. The equipment installed gives SoFi the capability equal to nearly 100 traditional macro cell sites! Tests show the speeds have been fast too. During the NFC Championship game on January 30, T-Mobile customers could experience peak download speeds of 1.5 Gbps!

By 5G , , , , , , ,

FAA Allows AT&T, Verizon to Turn on More 5G Towers

Announced Friday, The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has agreed that Verizon Wireless and AT&T can safely turn on additional towers for their C-Band 5G deployment.

“Through continued technical collaboration, the FAA, Verizon, and AT&T have agreed on steps that will enable more aircraft to safely use key airports while also enabling more towers to deploy 5G service,” the FAA said in a statement. The FAA said more precise data about the exact location of wireless transmitters allowed it “to determine that it is possible to safely and more precisely map the size and shape of the areas around airports where 5G signals are mitigated, shrinking the areas where wireless operators are deferring their antenna activations.”

The FAA had imposed flight restrictions as a result of new 5G service possibly causing interference with aircraft altimeter tools (something pilots use to help land in inclement weather). Verizon and AT&T originally disputed the FAA’s warnings, but they twice agreed to delay launching new 5G. They also temporarily delayed it around 50 US airports even as they began offering the service in many U.S. cities on Jan. 19.

The FAA said that it took steps to reach this agreement after receiving details from the telecommunications companies about the location of wireless transmitters. The data helped it to better map areas around airports where the new high-speed 5G service won’t hinder the ability of planes to land during poor weather.

Now that the dispute has come to a head, the FAA has cleared most types of airline planes to operate around 5G signals, saying that their height-measuring devices, radio altimeters, are safe from radio interference.

By 5G , , , , , , ,

Testing Verizon C-Band in New York City

Verizon’s new 5G network is live and PCMag just tested it out in New York City. In summary, C-Band made their connections about 50% faster, once they were able to find the signal. They also noted less congestion on the network, which is likely due to it still being so new. 

Starting this past Wednesday, Verizon launched its new form of 5G in 46 cities. AT&T did also, but only in eight cities. 

While PCMag reports the Verizon service being noticeably improved, it didn’t measure up to T-Mobile’s citywide “5G Ultra Capacity”— at least, not yet. T-Mobile currently has the most coverage in New York City and the best performance also in comparison to its competitors. 

Looking at reports from other cities, it seems that may not be the same as in New York City. Per PCMag’s report, “Redditors are busy posting spectacular C-Band speeds, including 859Mbps down in Los Angeles, 586Mbps outside Pittsburgh, and 413Mbps in Indianapolis.”

In order to test the C-Band, the PCMag team used the new Ookla WIND software. This is a carrier-grade package that runs on altered Samsung Galaxy S21+ phones. WIND’s Pro version, which the company supplied for testing, shows all the details of frequency band use you could ever need. It also lets testers build complex setups with voice, data, text, and video tests.

Verizon’s C-Band was a little hard to find during the New York tests. They ended up being able to use C-Band only on sites in two cities – Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. In other locations like East Harlem, their phone had refused to connect to C-Band, despite Ookla having identified the location as having C-Band available. It’s possible that some connections are being blocked by the carrier, or perhaps something to do with technical interference.

PCMag also addressed the “exclusion zones” that carriers agreed to with the FAA. Some of the exclusion zones are around JFK and LaGuardia airports. These are some of the busiest airports among a part of the city that is populated by about 2.3 million people. This is the same case for areas like Chicago, Dallas, and San Diego. Folks here unfortunately don’t have the benefits of the new 5G because of interference risks with aircraft altimeters. 

Per Verizon, the exclusion zones are a rectangle 2 miles long extending from the end of each airport runway. In one case during the tests, they were unable to find C-Band in an arc spanning from 4 miles southeast to 3 miles southwest of the end of the LaGuardia runway. That area covers many of Queens’ densest neighborhoods. Unexpectedly, though, they found more millimeter-wave in the exclusion zone than they expected to. 

“While the super-fast, short-range technology didn’t blanket the area, it kept popping up here and there throughout Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, and Elmhurst, giving a huge boost when I could find it,” the article reads. 

They continued, “I can’t tell if Verizon’s avoidance of neighborhoods closer to LaGuardia is about the exclusion zone, or just the vagaries of early network buildouts. But we can confirm that while there’s no C-Band coverage within 2 miles of the airport, there is definitely coverage between 3-4 miles away.”

So just how fast is 5G? 

PCMag’s tests shows the in most cases, the C-Band service was double the speeds of LTE. This is because 5G was made more efficient and spread across multiple airwaves, making it able to provide more speed with less congestion on the networks. 

The article explained this more technically. “C-Band roughly doubles the airwaves Verizon had available for use in our tests. In most of our tests, Verizon used 40-50MHz of 4G LTE spectrum. When its “nationwide” 5G was active, it added 10MHz of low-band 5G to that. C-Band trades out that 10Hz of low-band 5G for 60MHz of mid-band, resulting in 100-110MHz being used.”

In comparison to tests run with T-Mobile, Verizon was just a little less. T-Mobile generally used 40MHz of 4G LTE along with 80MHz of mid-band 5G, for a total of 120MHz.

Tests were split between the carriers’ 4G and 5G components. PCMag found that in T-Mobile’s tests, 75% of the speed came from 5G, while in Verizon’s tests, 45-55% came from 5G. They also noticed that for some unknown reason, “each megahertz of Verizon’s was slower than a megahertz of T-Mobile’s—something the bigger carrier is surely working on optimizing.”

They also discovered something rather odd. “A bunch of our C-Band results in Kew Gardens all congregated around 140Mbps down in a way that makes me think it was a configuration issue or cap, not the capability of the network.”

What about the reach of the C-Band service?

The tests performed by the PCMag team have already shown T-Mobile is faster than Verizon on their mid-band spectrums – T-Mobile at its 2.5GHz frequency and Verizon at the higher C-Band spectrum.   The real question now is, which carrier delivers more range? PCMag says, “But the fact is, urban networks in places like New York, Chicago, and Dallas are dense enough that the difference may not matter.”

The case in Queens, for example, Verizon’s network is so dense that sites don’t have to broadcast very high to be received. It’s the same for T-Mobile here, whose extremely dense network in Queens has sites that are often a quarter-mile from each other or less.

From their findings, PCMag believes the jury is still out in the battle of mid-band distance. Though it is clear that C-Band has enough reach so that carriers won’t need to put a site every few blocks. 

Do I need C-Band now?While C-Band is available now, it can only get better as Verizon continues to roll out service. “In many other cities, it appears to already be better; my experience in Queens looks like the low end of the C-Band experience,” said the author of the article. They added, “The C-Band boost will come primarily to places within half a mile to a mile of a Verizon cell site, so look up your location on cellmapper.net if you’re curious. It’ll also require a recent phone.”

By 5G , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Verizon’s new 5G launches Jan. 19th – Will your phone support it?

Verizon’s 5G network is growing this month. Promises of faster speeds and wider coverage for phones, tablets and other devices on its service have been announced. The 5G upgrade is scheduled for Jan. 19. In efforts to catch up with T-Mobile in coverage, the carrier is going to be reaching 100 million people this month.

Of course, with the changes, you’ll need the right phone to take advantage of the benefits. Per Verizon’s chief technology officer, Kyle Malady, “Upwards of 90%” of Verizon’s 5G users are expected to be able to tap into the new connection,” he said in an interview with CNET.

“A lot of devices already have the right software in them,” Malady said. “We’ve been testing the devices, and we’ve been working with the manufacturers for a long time now so all the software is ready to go.” 

Phone and iPads that will work with Verizon’s new 5G network

  • Apple’s iPhone 12 line (running iOS 15.2) 
  • Apple’s iPhone 13 line (running iOS 15.2)
  • Samsung’s Galaxy S21 line
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3
  • Apple iPads with 5G (the iPad Pro and iPad Mini, running iPadOS 15.2)

Verizon’s current 5G network relies on a combination of 5G technologies known as millimeter-wave and low-band spectrum. With the addition of this new coverage using C-band spectrum, Verizon will be able to add a 5G network that operates in the middle, bringing much faster performance than low-band 5G while offering significantly better coverage than millimeter-wave. 

A Verizon spokesperson says that other phones, such as Google’s Pixel 6 line, will “receive software updates to enable C-band access in the coming weeks.” The spokesperson adds that “going forward every 5G device Verizon sells to postpaid customers will be C-band compatible and we will have more than 20 C-band-compatible devices by the end of the year.” 

It’s important to note that even with the right device, you must have the proper data plan. Verizon requires that those planning to use C-band or its millimeter-wave network subscribe to its higher-priced unlimited plans. This includes the Play More, Do More and Get More options available today as well as the older Above and Beyond unlimited plans the carrier offered a few years ago.

By 5G , , , , ,