WebProNews

Tag: 4G

  • Review: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

    Review: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

    T-Mobile has been making headlines for its industry-leading 5G network, but how does its 5G Home Internet offering stack up?

    We take a look at T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet solution to see how it stacks up against traditional broadband, and whether it provides a viable solution for customers.

    Why 5G Home Internet Matters

    Reliable, high-speed internet access is front-and-center on the minds of consumers and regulators alike. The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly turned millions of homes into offices, complete with videoconferencing, file-sharing, meetings and more.

    Unfortunately, the United States has long suffered a “digital divide,” a major disparity between the internet access available in urban areas, versus what is available in sparsely populated rural regions.

    A couple of years ago, just before the pandemic, my wife and I bought a house in the country, away from the conveniences of urban life. While not being able to get a pizza delivered is unfortunate, the complete lack of any high-speed internet or TV service (barring satellite) was a major issue.

    We initially tried several services that buy up unused cellular data and resell them as home internet solutions. We used both Blazing Hog and UnlimitedToGo, but both services were expensive and it was virtually impossible to watch streaming TV, since the data packages both services provided seemed to throttle video.

    When T-Mobile began offering their 5G Home Internet solution, we jumped at the opportunity.

    T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: The Lowdown

    T-Mobile is widely viewed as the 5G market leader in the US. The company has a wealth of spectrum at its disposal, thanks to wise purchases at FCC spectrum auctions and its acquisition of Sprint.

    Thanks to the spectrum at its disposal, the company is offering its Home Internet service as a way of tackling the digital divide that impacts so many. In typical T-Mobile fashion, the company is also offering the service with a degree of panache, offering it at a rock-bottom, no-fees price that is a slap in the face to the rest of the internet service provider industry, an industry that made $9 billion from fees in a single year.

    T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet is available for $50 per month, no equipment fees, all other taxes and fees included. $50 is all the customer pays. Best of all, the company promises there are no data caps.

    It is possible for data to be de-prioritized, if a tower is struggling with heavy demand. After months of use, however, I personally have yet to see this happen.

    Real-World Results

    So exactly how fast is T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet?

    It’s important to have reasonable expectations. While the fastest flavor of 5G is capable of delivering speeds measures in gigabits, there’s almost no chance of getting those speeds with the company’s 5G Home Internet. The spectrum capable of delivering those speeds has extremely limited range — just a couple of hundred meters per base station — meaning it wouldn’t work for the vast majority of T-Mobile’s customers.

    Instead, the company is largely using its low and mid-band 5G spectrum to power 5G Home Internet. That means customers will see speeds ranging from roughly equivalent to 4G LTE on up to 300 Mbps.

    My house is located roughly 1.5 miles from the closest T-Mobile tower, separated by acres and acres of forest. In spite of that, my speeds are consistently over 100 Mbps. Here’s a breakdown of my last five Speedtest.net results:

    • 138 Mbps download, 51.3 Mbps upload, 28 ms ping
    • 124 Mbps download, 55.7 Mbps upload, 25 ms ping
    • 133 Mbps download, 54.9 Mbps upload, 28 ms ping
    • 140 Mbps download, 41.7 Mbps upload, 27 ms ping
    • 126 Mbps download, 52.6 Mbps upload, 28 ms ping

    In contrast, the median speeds for traditional broadband in the US is 115.22 Mbps down, 17.18 Mbps up and 14 ms latency. While T-Mobile 5G Internet may have slightly higher ping, it’s still low enough for everything from streaming TV to videoconferencing to video gaming. In terms of speed, it easily beats traditional broadband, at least in my case.

    The Router

    The T-mobile 4G Home Internet router (which I used before the 5G version was available at my address) was nothing to write home about. Each WiFi band — 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz — only supported 10 clients each. Going past, or even hitting, the limit would cause the service to crash.

    The router’s WiFi range was also very limited, making it hard to reach the entire house, depending on where it was placed. The admin features also left a lot to be desired, and the router didn’t have the processing power or memory to support multiple devices very well, leading to slowdowns. I ultimately ended up turning off WiFi and plugging a wireless access point directly into the 4G router.

    Fortunately, the 5G router fixes all of the shortcomings of its predecessor. By default, each WiFi band supports 128 clients, although it can be set higher. The WiFi range is strong enough to be accessible over 200 feet away from the house, through trees no less. The new router also includes enough processing power to handle two computers, three iPhones, an Apple TV, an Air TV and an iRobot vacuum, all without slowing down. The 5G router is so powerful, I no longer use a dedicated access point with it, relying directly on the router instead.

    Setup was also a cinch. The router has a QR code on the bottom. Simply download the T-Mobile Home Internet app and point your smartphone’s camera at the QR code to start the setup process.

    That being said, the first router I received died unexpectedly. While irritating, T-Mobile quickly sent a replacement free of charge. Unfortunately, a look at T-Mobile’s forums show that the problem is not an isolated one, with numerous customers needing their devices replaced.

    The Fine Print

    There are some issues with the router and service, although they are workable.

    The biggest, and really only, major problem is interference. Because mid-band 5G doesn’t have the same ability to penetrate buildings as well as low-band 5G, or 4G LTE, the 5G router is more sensitive to where it’s placed and the construction of the building it’s placed in.

    For example, placing the router in my garage — metal roof and vinyl siding — yielded similar speeds to those listed above. Unfortunately, my garage is not insulated, which means the router can’t stay there in the summer.

    Moving the router to the kitchen window, nearest the tower, yields the above results, with one big caveat: the kitchen window must remain open. If it’s closed, speeds drop to 20 or 30 Mbps, indicating the router is likely pulling a 4G signal instead of the faster 5G. Because the house is brick, putting it next to a wall doesn’t work any better, unlike being in the vinyl-sided garage.

    Obviously, leaving the window open all the time isn’t an option, anymore than being in an uninsulated garage. As a result, I will need to install an electronics enclosure designed to allow electronics to be mounted on the outside of a building, while still maintaining an acceptable internal temperature.

    In areas where a customer may be closer to a 5G tower, with fewer obstructions and a stronger signal, there may not be the same issues with achieving perfect router placement. On the plus side, at least the router will fall back to 4G internet if 5G is unavailable.

    Alternatives

    The main alternative to T-Mobile’s solution, especially for rural clients, is Starlink satellite internet service. Unfortunately, the service is twice the cost of T-Mobile’s offering, coming in at $99 per month — after paying a $500 deposit.

    In addition, Starlink requires clear line of sight to the satellites. Because the satellites are in low Earth orbit, it doesn’t take much for something to block the signal.

    The company provides an app so you can test how the service will work at your location before paying for the service. In my case, the Starlink app predicts that my service would drop every one minute, due to the trees on my property.

    In comparison, although trees may interfere with the signal to a degree, T-Mobile’s service is a much better option than Starlink for many customers.

    Conclusion

    All-in-all, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is a game-changer for customers like me, ones who have limited options for high-speed internet. At only $50 per month, the service is a bargain compared to the third-party solutions I was previously using, and is competitive with traditional broadband — if that was even an option at my location.

    T-Mobile 5G Home Internet easily supports multiple devices being on Zoom simultaneously, streaming Sling TV at the highest quality setting, video gaming and more, all without slowing down.

    Obviously, each customer’s mileage will vary, depending on how close they are to a 5G tower and the construction of their home/building. Nonetheless, T-Mobile is providing a game-changing solution that rivals traditional broadband at a competitive price.

    Pros

    • High-speed comparable with broadband
    • Low price with taxes and fees included
    • Powerful router
    • Excellent WiFi range
    • Router will fall back to 4G LTE if 5G is unavailable

    Cons

    • 5G reception can be weak
    • Questions about the long-term reliability of the router

    Rating

    4.5 out of 5 stars

     

  • Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Uptake Outpacing 4G

    Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Uptake Outpacing 4G

    Ericsson has released the June 2021 Ericsson Mobility Report, and it’s good news for 5G adoption.

    Ericsson is one of the leading providers of wireless network equipment, putting it in a unique position to provide insights on the state of the wireless market. Especially as countries roll out their 5G networks, the Ericsson Mobility Report gives a glimpse of how well the rollout is going.

    Despite what appears to be a disjointed and slow start, the latest report shows that 5G uptake is actually far faster than 4G.

    The speed of 5G uptake is far higher than it was for 4G, let alone 3G, and it is one more sign of an industry that tirelessly continues to drive innovation and bring new technology to the market.

    According to Ericsson, there are already more than 160 providers that have rolled out 5G services, and more than 300 5G smartphone models that have been released or announced. By the end of the year, Ericsson expects there to be around 580 million active 5G subscriptions worldwide. In North America, alone, roughly 84% of subscriptions will be 5G by 2026.

    Demonstrating the broad potential of 5G to revolutionize industries, Ericsson says that 70% of providers are already offering 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services. This is especially critical, as 5G is seen as a viable alternative to traditional broadband, especially in areas where wired broadband is difficult or cost-prohibitive to deploy. Interestingly, of the providers who have already rolled out 5G service, 90% of them are offering FWA.

    The entire report is well-worth a read and can be found here.

  • Qualcomm Demonstrates mmWave 5G 16x Faster Than Sub-6 GHz

    Qualcomm Demonstrates mmWave 5G 16x Faster Than Sub-6 GHz

    Qualcomm has announced a major milestone for 5G, demonstrating how fast mmWave 5G is compared with slower varieties.

    There are several flavors of 5G being rolled out. All three major carriers in the US have rolled out nationwide 5G networks, using low-band spectrum. Low-band provides the best range, coverage and building penetration, but is only marginally faster than 4G LTE. Mid-band spectrum provides a good mix of speed, range and coverage, and can deliver speed in excess of 1 Gbps.

    The fastest flavor of 5G is mmWave. Unlike low and mid-band, mmWave uses spectrum in the 6 GHz and above range. It is also the fastest flavor of 5G, clocking in at several gigabits per second. Unfortunately, because mmWave uses high-band spectrum, its range and penetration are extremely limited. Nonetheless, its speed makes it ideal for a wide range of applications, such as secure private networks, and carriers are racing to roll out it.

    Qualcomm has announced real-world tests showing mmWave 5G is up to 16 times faster than 5G in the sub-6 GHz frequencies, such as low and mid-band. The data was based on user-initiated Ookla Speedtests on commercial devices.

    “Our end-to-end modem to antenna solution brings together all the key 5G breakthroughs to optimize 5G connectivity using the massive bandwidth of mmWave,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “With almost every major OEM offering 5G commercial devices globally, we’re playing a critical role in enabling 5G to live up to its promise of speed and power. This not only redefines the smartphone experience, but also paves the road for endless possibilities, including the further expansion of 5G into fixed wireless access, 5G private networks, compute, XR, and Industrial IoT.”

  • Huawei Could Monitor Calls on One of the Largest Dutch Wireless Networks

    Huawei Could Monitor Calls on One of the Largest Dutch Wireless Networks

    Huawei is facing accusations that it had the access and ability to monitor all the calls made on KPN’s wireless network, one of the largest in the Netherlands.

    Huawei has been facing accusations for years that it serves as a conduit for Beijing to spy on governments and companies around the world. The US ultimately banned the Chinese firm from participating in its networks, and many of its allies did the same.

    Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant saw a confidential report prepared for KPN in 2010 by the Capgemini consultancy firm. According to The Guardian, the report found that Huawei and China could have monitored calls by then prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende, as well as Chinese dissidents.

    KPN has downplayed the report, saying it “never observed that Huawei took client information.” At the same time, it did acknowledge that one of its suppliers had “unauthorised, uncontrolled or unlimited access to our networks and systems”.

    The report was originally commissioned after the Dutch intelligence service warned of potential espionage. Despite the findings, KPN continued to use Huawei for its 3G and 4G deployments, although it excluded the company from its 5G network.

    The report concluded that the findings put “the continued existence of KPN Mobile in serious danger” since customers “may lose confidence … if it becomes known the Chinese government can monitor KPN mobile numbers.”

    It remains to be seen what fallout KPN may still face now that the report has become public.

  • Only Verizon’s Premium Customers Will Have High-Speed 5G

    Only Verizon’s Premium Customers Will Have High-Speed 5G

    Verizon has made it clear that only their premium customers will have access to high-speed 5G, with lower tiers stuck on their slow nationwide 5G network.

    Verizon recently bid $45.4 billion on mid-range spectrum at the FCC’s auction. Mid-band spectrum is considered the sweet spot for 5G range and performance. Until Verizon finishes rolling out the spectrum it bid on, the company is stuck offering high-speed mmWave and low-band nationwide 5G. The mmWave 5G is exceptionally fast, but has extremely limited range and availability. Verizon’s nationwide 5G network is so slow that experts recommend turning it off — the company’s 4G is much faster.

    Unfortunately for Verizon customers, only those on one of its upper-tier premium plans will be able to access its faster 5G networks, both the fastest mmWave and the new mid-band spectrum the company will soon deploy. Customers on metered plans or the company’s Start Unlimited basic plan will be limited to the company’s nationwide 5G network.

    Much of the reason Verizon’s low-band network is so slow is because it uses Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). Because Verizon’s low-band spectrum is tied up with its 4G network, the company didn’t have enough spectrum to roll out a dedicated low-band network. As a result, Verizon had to resort to DSS to allow towers to switch back and forth between 4G and 5G, depending on what device is connected. Because the company has to share its spectrum between the two protocols, the nationwide 5G is essentially crippled, slower than its 4G.

    For Verizon customers, this means they will have to pay for a premium plan in order to have any meaningful access to 5G. In contrast, T-Mobile has been praised for its 5G plans, providing 5G on all of its Magenta plans and even eliminating any throttling on its Magenta MAX.

  • Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Subscriptions Top 220 Million

    Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Subscriptions Top 220 Million

    Ericsson has released its Q4 2020 Ericsson Mobility Report, finding a total of 220 million 5G subscriptions worldwide.

    The Ericsson Mobility Report (PDF) provides valuable insight into the wireless industry, including the adoption of new technologies and trends. The biggest factor currently impacting the industry is the rollout of 5G networks around the globe.

    According to the latest report, Q4 2020 saw 70 million 5G subscription additions, bringing the total to 220 million. Roughly 130 service providers are now offering 5G.

    Interestingly, 4G LTE subscriptions increased by some 90 million, bringing the LTE total to more than 4.5 billion, or 57% of all mobile subscriptions. Ericsson estimates there are 8 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, representing 6 billion unique subscribers.

    This latest report shows the tremendous growth opportunity for wireless carriers, and the long way 5G has to go before it supplants 4G. Carriers are working overtime to roll out the new technology, although some efforts have been hampered by lack of available spectrum. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile spent big at the recent FCC auction that freed up valuable mid-band spectrum.

    Compelling 5G plans have also been a sticking point for many consumers, with T-Mobile’s recent Magenta Max plan widely viewed as the best 5G plan among the US carriers.

  • Verizon Now Offers Unlimited 5G On Prepaid Plans

    Verizon Now Offers Unlimited 5G On Prepaid Plans

    Verizon has announced that unlimited 5G, both Ultra Wideband and nationwide, is now available for its prepaid customers.

    Prepaid plans make up an important part of each carrier’s subscriber base and Verizon is improving its service for its customers. The company has made unlimited 5G available, in both Ultra Wideband and nationwide flavors.

    Verizon’s Ultra Wideband is its high-band, mmWave 5G. The fastest flavor of 5G, mmWave offers speeds measured in gigabits. In contrast, the company’s nationwide 5G uses the same spectrum as its 4G LTE, but offers far better coverage than its mmWave counterpart.

    With 4G LTE and 5G Nationwide included in all Verizon Prepaid plans, the new Verizon Prepaid Unlimited option with 5G Ultra Wideband delivers more value for customers. The plan offers 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity starting at $75 per month with the potential to lower those costs to $60 per month. Customers who stay with Verizon can enjoy savings of $5 per month with Auto Pay, $5/mo after three months of service and an additional $5/mo after nine months of service3. Existing Verizon Prepaid customers who switch to the new Unlimited plan (or other prepaid plan with loyalty discounts) are also eligible for monthly savings on Verizon Prepaid lines that have already been in service 3 to 9 months.

    The announcement is good news for Verizon’s prepaid subscribers.

  • Verizon Changes Direction on 3G Shutdown

    Verizon Changes Direction on 3G Shutdown

    Verizon has announced it is delaying the shutdown of its 3G network indefinitely.

    Verizon had previously committed to shutting down its network at the end of 2020, after postponing it from the original date at the end of 2019. According to Light Reading, the company has now delayed its plans indefinitely.

    While the company did not give a reason for the decision, the most likely reason is because of the number of subscribers it still has on the aging technology.

    Verizon’s competitors are also planning on shutting down their 3G networks, with AT&T slated to do so in early 2022. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has only said its shutdown would occur over the next several years, but has not divulged a timeline.

    Wireless carriers have quite a bit of incentive to repurpose the spectrum being used for their 3G networks. Verizon, in particular, uses 850 and 1900 MHz spectrum for its 3G network. The company has struggled with its nationwide 5G network, which uses low-band spectrum to provide widespread coverage. Because Verizon’s 700 MHz spectrum is tied up with its 4G LTE network, it has had to rely on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) to use that spectrum for both 4G and 5G traffic. Freeing up spectrum would give Verizon more options, especially with its low-band 850 MHz.

    Nonetheless, it looks like Verizon’s 3G customers have earned a reprieve for the time being.

  • Qualcomm Granted Exemption to Sell 4G Chips to Huawei

    Qualcomm Granted Exemption to Sell 4G Chips to Huawei

    Qualcomm has been granted an exemption, allowing it to sell 4G chips to Huawei despite the sanctions currently in effect agains the company.

    Huawei has increasingly been under pressure from the US government, which has sought to cripple the company’s ability to conduct business. US officials have pressured allies to ban Huawei’s equipment from their 5G networks, with many doing so.

    The Trump administration even modified the Entity List and Foreign Direct Product Rule to cut Huawei off from US technology, even if that tech is being used by foreign companies. This helped the US cut Huawei off from TSMC, one of its largest suppliers. Since Huawei outsourced its chip manufacturing to TSMC, this severely impacted its ability to produce chips for its devices.

    According to Reuters, Qualcomm has been granted an exemption that will allow it to sell 4G chips to Huawei. Although no specifics were given, Huawei did confirm the chips in question were for mobile devices.

    It was reported in August that Huawei was running out of the chips it used in its smartphones, with production slated to stop in mid-September. As Reuters points out, Huawei was never a large Qualcomm customer in the past. Given its current situation, that seems likely to change, possibly resulting in a big boost to Qualcomm’s business.

  • NASA Concerned About Planned Constellation of Broadband Satellites

    NASA Concerned About Planned Constellation of Broadband Satellites

    NASA has expressed concerns over a planned constellation of broadband satellites from AST & Science.

    AST & Science is a Texas-based company that plans to launch a constellation of satellites that will provide 4G and 5G broadband to cell phones. NASA, however, objects (PDF) to the company’s plans on two grounds.

    First, the constellation will orbit approximately 450 miles (720 km) above the Earth. This is directly in the orbital range of the A-Train, “a group of ten NASA, USGS, and international partner (CNES, JAXA) missions that have a mean altitude of 705 km but have osculating altitudes between 690 and 740 km.”

    The second issue is the size of AST’s satellites. Because the satellites will have massive antennas on them, each one will take up a 30 meter radius, as much as 10 times the size of an A-Train satellite. This would result in substantial course corrections and mitigations.

    “Based on the results of a NASA CARA simulation tool, the number of mitigation actions required for a 30m hardbody radius (HBR) object in this orbit regime increases from ~2 to 6 per year—almost a tripling of what is observed presently,” writes NASA representative Samantha Fonder. “Second, the frequency of mitigation actions and associated planning efforts is of course multiplied by the number of spacecraft: for the completed constellation of 243 satellites, one can expect 1500 mitigation actions per year and perhaps 15,000 planning activities; this would equate to four maneuvers and forty active planning activities on any given day.”

    Accounting for these course corrections would require an entirely new, automated communication system between the different satellites. Since many of the existing satellites are older models, the upgrades would be challenging and costly.

    In contrast, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation orbits at roughly 340 miles (550 km), putting it well below the range of the A-Train.

    This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the proliferation of commercial satellites. Astronomers have been voicing concern for some time over the impact these constellations will have on astronomy.

  • Deutsche Telekom Working to Deploy Aerial Base Stations

    Deutsche Telekom Working to Deploy Aerial Base Stations

    Deutsche Telekom has successfully completed a test of aircraft-mounted 4G antennas, in an effort to improve coverage.

    One of the biggest challenges carriers face is providing coverage in remote areas. In some cases, the terrain, population density and zoning issues can make it difficult to deploy cell towers in some regions.

    Deutsche Telekom is turning to aerial antennas on unmanned aircraft to close the gap. According to Reuters, the company just completed its first successful test, with an aerial base station connecting to the ground network from 45,000 feet in the air.

    “We won’t stop until everyone is connected,” said Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges. “A stratospheric network can help reach areas that have been difficult to supply up to now.”

    Deutsche Telekom is partnering with British startup Stratospheric Platforms to create an unmanned aircraft that will run on hydrogen fuel-cells and stay in the air for up to nine days. Although the initial test was completed using a modified prop plane, since the final unmanned craft is not completed yet, the companies plan on deploying the new platform in 2024.

  • Dish Network Taps Nokia For 5G Network Software

    Dish Network Taps Nokia For 5G Network Software

    Dish Network has chosen Nokia for its 5G core network software as the satellite company rolls out its wireless network.

    Dish Network has been working to expand beyond its core satellite business to become a major wireless carrier. The company received a major boost due to the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. In order to assuage concerns from regulators, T-Mobile agreed to sell spectrum to Dish Network, and provide the company with several years of access to T-Mobile’s network. The goal was to create a fourth major carrier, essentially replacing the ailing Sprint post-merger.

    It appears Dish is moving full-steam-ahead in its efforts to roll out its network, and has tapped Nokia to provide the software for its standalone 5G network. The software will handle device management, subscriber data management, integration services, packet core, voice and core. Nokia’s software will also provide standalone 4G and 5G, as well as voice over WiFi access.

    “This is an important step in bringing to life DISH’s plans to deliver the first open, agile, virtualized 5G network in the U.S.,” said Marc Rouanne, DISH Chief Network Officer. “Nokia’s new release is cloud-native, standalone and ready for full automation, providing DISH the software capabilities required to deliver thousands of network slices with low latency and SLA on demand.”

    “The benefits of Nokia’s industry-leading, cloud-native standalone 5G Core products built on our proven Common Software Foundation — near-zero-touch automation capabilities, high-level operational efficiencies, scale and performance – continue to set us apart from the competition,” said Bhaskar Gorti, President of Nokia Software and Nokia Chief Digital Officer. “DISH has great ambition and we are both excited and laser-focused on helping them deliver on that.”

  • PCMag Releases Fastest Mobile Networks 2020 Test

    PCMag Releases Fastest Mobile Networks 2020 Test

    PCMag has released its 11th annual testing data of US wireless networks, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the state of 5G.

    Each of the three major carriers are rushing to get on the 5G bandwagon, although each of them are taking different approaches. Verizon has been focused almost exclusively on high-band, mmWave spectrum. This is the fastest variety of 5G, with speeds measured in gigabits. Unfortunately, it has very limited range and building penetration, making it hard to find.

    T-Mobile and AT&T have both rolled out mmWave networks in urban areas, much like Verizon. Both of them, however, have also rolled out low-band nationwide 5G networks. This variety of 5G is only marginally faster than 4G LTE, but has excellent range and penetration.

    Mid-band spectrum promises to offer the best of both worlds, with decent range and penetration, combined with speeds in the 700 Mbps range. T-Mobile has a wealth of this spectrum, thanks to its merge with Sprint, but has yet to fully repurpose it.

    PCMag’s report falls largely inline with what one would expect, given the technologies in use. Of the three, PCMag’s Sascha Segan says “Verizon’s 5G is often mind-blowing, but very difficult to find.” This is exactly what one would expect from a 5G rollout focused exclusively on mmWave.

    T-Mobile, on the other hand, has the largest nationwide, low-band 5G network. At the same time, its speeds have not increased as fast as either AT&T or Verizon. This is believed to be the result of T-Mobile absorbing millions of Sprint customers post-merger, resulting in added congestion on the network. T-Mobile says it will be able to deal with the congestion once it finished integrating Sprint’s spectrum.

    On the other hand, Segan said, “AT&T 5G right now appears to be essentially worthless.” This is largely because of how AT&T has chosen to roll out its nationwide 5G. As Sagan explains:

    ”AT&T’s 5G slices off a narrow bit of the old 850MHz cellular band and assigns it to 5G, to give phones a valid 5G icon without increasing performance. And because of the way current 5G phones work, it often reduces performance. At locations with both 4G and 5G, our 5G phone was slower than our 4G phone in 21 out of 22 cities.”

    In many ways, this is reminiscent of how AT&T labeled souped up 4G LTE as “5G Evolution,” a claim the BBB’s National Advertising Review Board (NARB) and National Advertising Division (NAD) found misleading. Similarly, in the transition from 3G to 4G, AT&T drew criticism for labeling souped up 3G as 4G.

    While offering some nuggets of hope for the state of the US 5G market, PCMag’s report illustrates that it still has a long way to go before it reaches the level of maturity needed to compete with existing 4G networks.

     

    Image Credit: PCMag

  • NAD Supports Some T-Mobile 5G Claims, Disputes Others

    NAD Supports Some T-Mobile 5G Claims, Disputes Others

    The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, has sided with T-Mobile on some of its advertising claims, while disputing others.

    The NAD is a branch of the BBB that helps ensure accuracy in advertising by providing dispute resolution and self-regulation. The challenge to T-Mobile’s advertising claims about its 5G service was lodged by Verizon.

    The NAD found that T-Mobile’s claims that its 5G is faster than its 4G, or competitors’ 4G was accurate. Similarly, the NAD found that T-Mobile’s claims that its 5G service offered better coverage than other providers’ 5G was also accurate.

    In spite of those wins, the NAD did recommend that T-Mobile alter or discontinue other claims. For example, it recommended T-Mobile stop implying its 5G was superior to 4G in other ways, such as reliability. Similarly, the NAD “recommended that T-Mobile discontinue the challenged claim that its 5G service is generally available in locations that have traditionally been challenging for cellular service (or disclose, clearly and conspicuously, the typical performance of T-Mobile’s 5G).”

    The NAD also recommended T-Mobile stop using demonstrations that implied other carriers’ 5G coverage footprint was as small as a city bench. The NAD also recommended T-Mobile stop comparing coverage to Verizon’s in the “Rock Stadium in Miami shortly before the Super Bowl and the related implied claim that T-Mobile’s current 5G network consistently provides no signal loss, decrease in signal strength, or reversion to 4G LTE service”

    This is just the latest spat between the carriers, as each tries to check the others’ advertising. The NAD recently ruled against Verizon, and the BBB’s National Advertising Review Board (NARB) upheld an unfavorable NAD ruling against AT&T. T-Mobile has said it will appeal the recommendation. We will provide an update once the NARB rules.

  • Verizon CEO: We Are Building A Transformative 5G

    Verizon CEO: We Are Building A Transformative 5G

    “What’s important is that we are building a transformative 5G,” says Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg. “It will have the ultra-wideband that nobody else has with the highest speeds in the world on 5G. Then we are going to have 5G nationwide in the second half. We are also going to have the best 4G network. Our customers are going to feel how transformative our 5G is. It is not an incremental improvement from our 4G, it is transformative.”

    Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon, discusses their planned nationwide launch of their “transformative” Verizon 5G in the second half of 2020:

    We Are Building A Transformative 5G

    I’m really excited because we have so many launches coming in the second half of 2020. We are on-plan or ahead of all the things we have committed to. What’s important is that we are building a transformative 5G. It will have the ultra-wideband that nobody else has with the highest speeds in the world on 5G. Then we are going to have 5G nationwide in the second half. We are also going to have the best 4G network. Our customers are going to get a great opportunity here. 

    We will also have a high penetration with IoS (Apple) and the Verizon customer base. Of course, it is going to be more important even when Apple comes out with a 5G phone. We have a great network all the way to the ultra-wideband to 5G nationwide on top of having the best 4G network. Our customers are going to feel how transformative our 5G is. It is not an incremental improvement from our 4G, it is transformative. 

    Everyone Wants To Beat Us But We Will Not Let Them

    We are well-positioned in terms of the competitive landscape. We have worked on our network for three years now to put us in the best position for 5G now. We also have worked on our mix and match that are customers have asked for. In this quarter, we had a record uptake on our premium unlimited. Our customers are moving up the ladder to be part of our services. 

    Ronan Dunne, who runs the Verizon Consumer Group has a really good plan on how we are going to compete. This is nothing new for us. We have been leading this market for a long time and of course, everyone wants to beat us. We will not let them beat us. We will just execute on the plans we have.

    Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg: We Are Building A Transformative 5G
  • T-Mobile Soon Will Require VoLTE Phones

    T-Mobile Soon Will Require VoLTE Phones

    T-Mobile will soon require all phones on its network to support 4G Voice over LTE (VoLTE) in an effort to free up spectrum.

    Some US carriers still support older protocols, such as 3G, despite how ubiquitous 4G has become. Supporting those older protocols, however, ties up valuable spectrum that can be used to enhance 4G coverage, as well as help with 5G rollouts.

    In an effort to free up some of that spectrum, T-Mobile plans on requiring all new phones activated on its network to support VoLTE by August 4. A document Android Police obtained also indicates that older devices will no longer work on the magenta carrier by January 2021.

    While T-Mobile did not confirm the dates listed in the document, they did give the following statement to Android Police:

    ”We’re making great progress building a truly transformative nationwide 5G network. As part of that, we will be phasing out some older technologies over time to free up even more capacity for LTE and 5G. In preparation for that and to give customers the best experience, those activating new lines at T-Mobile will need a VoLTE capable device, which is all we’ve offered for years now and represents the overwhelming majority of devices on the network.”

    Verizon and AT&T are both taking similar measures to retire their older networks. In the race to 5G, spectrum is the most valuable commodity, and retiring older technologies will help the carriers and their customers move forward.

  • Opensignal Report Sheds Light On 5G Industry

    Opensignal Report Sheds Light On 5G Industry

    As the major US wireless carriers duke it out in the 5G market, Opensignal has issued a report on which carriers are winning and where.

    The three remaining carriers have very different strategies when it comes to 5G rollout. High-band mmWave 5G has the fastest speed but the worst range and building penetration. Low-band offers speeds that are only marginally faster than 4G, but has excellent range and penetration. Mid-band offers a good compromise of speed, range and penetration.

    Verizon has focused almost exclusively on the mmWave variety and, not surprisingly, has the fastest speed with a real-world average of 494.7 Mbps. In contrast, AT&T averaged 60.8 Mbps and T-Mobile averaged 49.2.

    When it comes to coverage, however, it’s a completely different story. Verizon’s customers only connect to its 5G network 0.4% of the time. AT&T’s customers use their 5G network 10.3% of the time. The real winner is T-Mobile, with its customers connecting to the company’s 5G network 22.5% of the time.

    As a result of its findings, Opensignal declares that “T-Mobile won the 5G Availability award by a large margin.” As the company continues to absorb and incorporate Sprint’s spectrum, that coverage will only continue to increase.

    Image Credit: Opensignal