Tag: VoNR

Dish Network’s Boost Wireless Accelerates 5G Innovation with VoNR Service Rollout

In a strategic move to enhance its standing in the fiercely competitive telecommunications landscape, Dish Network has unveiled plans to expand its Voice over New Radio (VoNR) service throughout its network later this year. Leveraging Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreements with industry giants AT&T and T-Mobile, Dish aims to seamlessly connect its customers, even in areas where its proprietary 5G network is not yet available.

Dish’s Ambitious Stride 

While Dish faces challenges in positioning itself as a formidable competitor alongside industry giants like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, the company remains undeterred in its pursuit of excellence. Dish takes pride in its cloud-native, open Radio Access Network (RAN) 5G infrastructure, a key differentiator in its bid to carve a niche in the highly competitive market.

John Swieringa, President of Technology and COO at Dish Wireless, emphasized the company’s commitment to network development, stating, “We’re investing in our network, actively bringing new markets online across the country, and we’re proud to officially launch the Boost Wireless Network in Denver.” This commitment is a crucial step for Dish as it seeks to compete on a national scale, positioning itself as the fourth wireless carrier in the nation.

Boost Wireless Network Expansion

The Boost Wireless Network, an integral part of Dish’s wireless portfolio, is set to undergo a significant expansion. Boost Infinite plans, starting at an attractive $25 per month, provide users with affordable and feature-rich options. Additionally, Boost Mobile prepaid plans are available for as low as $15 per month, providing flexibility to a diverse user base. These plans can be conveniently accessed online at BoostInfinite.com or Amazon.com/BoostInfinite.

Innovation and Value Proposition

Despite criticism from analysts regarding the branding strategy and the limited availability of physical retail stores for the postpaid brand, Dish remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation and value. Dish emphasizes that there are over 40 Boost Mobile stores located in the Denver market alone, showcasing its dedication to providing accessible services to consumers.

Device Variety and Choices

Dish is not just focusing on network expansion but also on providing customers with a wide range of device options. Customers in Denver can choose from an array of devices, including the latest iPhone 15, Samsung A23 5G, Motorola Razr 2023, and Dish’s own Boost-exclusive Celero 5G+. This diverse lineup ensures that customers have the flexibility to select devices that suit their preferences and needs.

Future Rollout Strategy

Dish is setting an ambitious pace for network expansion, with additional markets slated to go live every month through the first half of 2024. This strategic rollout positions Dish to continually enhance its market presence and compete effectively in an industry where technological innovation and widespread network coverage are paramount.

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An Update on Dish’s 5G and VoNR Performance

A year after initially testing Dish Network’s 5G network in Las Vegas, Signals Research Group (SRG) conducted a new round of tests, revealing significant performance improvements. According to Mike Thelander, president of SRG, there were major enhancements in performance between the two studies. The key highlight was the downlink performance, showcasing much higher peak and average data speeds on Dish Wireless network. These improvements were attributed to a denser network cell grid and a more effective implementation of downlink carrier aggregation, including support for 3 component carriers (3CC). Dish had recently emphasized its implementation of carrier aggregation technology.

In terms of download speeds, SRG reported an average connection speed of 307 Mbit/s, with speeds reaching nearly 500 Mbit/s at the 90th percentile. These results were more than double the speeds observed in 2022. Despite the network being lightly loaded, SRG noted that this was a common scenario in 5G networks.

Voice calling, utilizing Voice over 5G New Radio (VoNR) technology, also saw notable improvements. VoNR voice quality was significantly better than in 2022, with the absence of erratic Mean Opinion Score (MOS) scoring behavior observed previously. However, there was still room for improvement in voice quality, although the phones remained connected to the Dish Wireless network throughout all VoNR drive testing.

On the downside, SRG found that Dish’s uplink performance was not satisfactory, emphasizing the need for improvement in this area. This finding highlighted Dish’s ongoing pursuit of T-Mobile’s 800MHz spectrum, partly to enhance its uplink capabilities.

SRG’s tests were conducted using professional network testing equipment, including smartphones from Motorola and Samsung, as well as equipment from vendors such as Accuver Americas, Rohde & Schwarz, and Spirent Communications. The tests primarily utilized Dish’s Band 70 (AWS-4) spectrum holdings. Despite some limitations, such as data speed reductions after reaching 50GB of high-speed monthly data usage, SRG’s findings underline Dish Network’s substantial progress in enhancing its 5G network performance in Las Vegas.

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T-Mobile First to Provide Up to 3.3Gbps on 5G SA Network

After successful tests back in May, T-Mobile announced on Tuesday that it has deployed four-carrier aggregation for customers. This boosts speeds on its 5G standalone (SA) network. The carrier says the speeds are “insanely fast,” which according to them, means up to 3.3Gbps! While it is only available in parts of the U.S. now, it will be nationwide in only a few weeks. 

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple 5G channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. The Un-carrier is using four 5G channels of sub-6 GHz spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G, one channel of 1900 MHz and one channel of 600 MHz spectrum. They’ve compared it to taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway. 

Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be the first to experience four-carrier aggregation with more devices to follow. And don’t forget, T-Mobile also provides these customers with VoNR access, which is voice calling over the 5G network. Customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times, meaning less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. More importantly though, VoNR enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core.

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How T-Mobile is Speeding Up Their 5G Upload Speeds

BELLEVUE, Wash. — May 4, 2023 — Speed … UP! T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced today it achieved another 5G U.S. first by leveraging uplink (UL) carrier aggregation in the field on the country’s only nationwide 5G standalone (SA) network. Working with Nokia and a test smartphone powered by Snapdragon® 5G Modem-RF System from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the Un-carrier hit a top UL speed of 207 Mbps in the test – the fastest ever recorded using sub-6 GHz spectrum! This comes just weeks after T-Mobile made the same move in the lab, hitting similar speeds.

“T-Mobile has led the industry with 5G standalone since 2020, and we’re continuing to drive breakthroughs that advance 5G technology around the globe,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’re building the most advanced 5G network in the world, opening the door for massive innovation and laying the foundation for new capabilities that will transform the world around us.”

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. In this test, the Un-carrier merged two 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G and 1900 MHz. That’s like taking two separate highways and turning them into a superhighway where traffic can zoom faster than before. Customers with compatible devices will begin taking advantage of UL 5G carrier aggregation early next year when T-Mobile begins rolling it out.

This is just the latest in a series of important 5G SA milestones for T-Mobile. The Un-carrier was the first in the world to launch a nationwide 5G SA network in 2020 – one that remains the ONLY nationwide 5G SA network in the U.S. Since then, T-Mobile has been driving toward a true 5G-only experience for customers by spearheading advancements like carrier aggregation and VoNR.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most awarded 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers 326 million people across 2 million square miles – more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 275 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and the Un-carrier plans to reach 300 million people with Ultra Capacity – nearly everyone in the country – this year.

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5G Carrier Aggregation: How T-Mobile Does it Better 

T-Mobile has been called the best carrier because of a recent cellular report. Though, they want to keep taking their network to the next level. And that’s just what they’re doing, according to President of Technology Neville Ray. He spoke in a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday and announced that T-Mobile achieved something epic. They made the world’s first four-carrier aggregation data call on its 5G SA network with a commercial device and reached speeds above 3.3 Gbps.

“We are working with industry leaders around the globe to move the 5G ecosystem forward for the benefit of wireless customers everywhere,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the most advanced 5G network in the world, T-Mobile is at the forefront of wireless innovation, spearheading new capabilities so we can continue raising the performance bar and enable future transformative applications that require a seamless and robust 5G connection.”

Four-Carrier Aggregation

Carrier aggregation is a technique used in LTE and 5G networks to increase the data transmission rates and capacity by aggregating multiple frequency bands or carriers into a single logical channel. By combining multiple carriers, the available spectrum can be used more efficiently, enabling higher data speeds and more reliable connectivity.

In their test, the Un-carrier merged four 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G and two channels of 1900 MHz spectrum – creating an effective 225 MHz 5G channel. That’s like taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway where traffic can zoom faster than before. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be among the first to experience four-carrier aggregation later this year. More devices will follow.  

VoNR (Voice over New Radio)

With VoNR, T-Mobile is moving voice traffic to 5G so customers stay consistently connected to 5G. In the near-term, customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times. This means less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. But VoNR is about more than just a better calling experience. Most importantly, VoNR brings T-Mobile one step closer to truly unleashing its 5G SA network. This is because it enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core. 

Today VoNR is now live in six cities – Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA. The carrier will expand this technology to additional cities covering more than 100 million people in the coming months.

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5G: What is Voice over New Radio?

When LTE first arrived, phone calls were still made using the older 3G network. It wasn’t until later on that Voice over LTE, or VoLTE, service was introduced. The same thing is happening today with 5G service. Voice calls still mainly utilize LTE services. That’s even in locations where 5G data coverage is widely available. 

As of today, T-Mobile announced they would be supporting Voice over 5G. This technology is referred to as Voice over New Radio, or VoNR.

“5G is already driving new levels of engagement, transforming how our customers use their smartphones and bringing unprecedented connectivity to areas that desperately need it,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “And it’s just going to get better thanks to the incredible T-Mobile team and our partners who are tirelessly innovating and advancing the capabilities of 5G every day.”

Rollout will start in Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah, where some commercial calls will be routed via T-Mobile’s standalone 5G network. The service will only be available in “limited areas” of these cities.

In order for to obtain VoNR, your phone must support the new technology. This is no different than how Voice over LTE functioned. Your phone must support it and you must have the feature enabled on the phone. Currently, only one phone supports it – the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G smartphone. 

It’s likely that other carriers will begin to follow suit when they see the benefits – not only the lower latency, but more of the LTE spectrum can be cleared out to make room for additional 5G service. Dish Network, for example, does not have an existing LTE network to fall back on so they are relying on a deal with AT&T while they work on their own VoNR services.

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