WebProNews

Tag: mmWave

  • T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G Now Covers 200 Million People

    T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G Now Covers 200 Million People

    T-Mobile has reached its goal of covering 200 million people with its Ultra Capacity 5G by the end of 2021.

    Ultra Capacity 5G is the term T-Mobile uses for its 5G running on the mid-band 2.5 GHz spectrum. Unlike the faster mmWave, which is in the 6 GHz range, T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity can reach farther and penetrate obstacles better. Despite being slower than mmWave, T-Mobile has achieved speeds in excess of 1 Gbps with its mid-band spectrum.

    The company had set a goal of reaching 200 million people by the end of 2021, a goal it has already achieved.

    “We’re delivering game changing Ultra Capacity 5G to people across the country at an unprecedented pace, putting us in a network leadership position with a two-year head start on the competition. And that gap is only getting wider as we speed up,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “Only T-Mobile is delivering a 5G network capable of truly transforming the smartphone experience – 5G’s first killer app – and that’s just the beginning. With Ultra Capacity 5G nationwide, we’re unleashing innovators across the country to build new 5G applications that will change the world.”

    In the meantime, Verizon and AT&T have both paused their mid-band spectrum rollout over concerns of interference with aviation altimeters. Verizon and AT&T’s mid-band spectrum is in the 3.7 to 3.98 GHz range, relatively close to the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range of altimeters. In contrast, T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz spectrum is far enough away to not pose any concern.

  • FCC Auctioning New Mid-Band 5G Spectrum Auction

    FCC Auctioning New Mid-Band 5G Spectrum Auction

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is auctioning off a new round of mid-band spectrum for 5G.

    Mid-band spectrum is the most coveted type of spectrum for 5G. Low-band — below 1 GHz — offers coverage on par with 4G LTE, but provides only marginally better speeds. High-band mmWave — over 6 GHz — offers speeds measured in gigabits, but has extremely limited range. Repeaters and base stations must be placed every couple of hundred meters to maintain coverage.

    Mid-band, in contrast, offers speeds in excess of 1 Gbps, and provides far better coverage than mmWave. T-Mobile gained a wealth of mid-band spectrum when it purchased Sprint. Verizon and AT&T spent over $68 million at the last mid-band spectrum auction, while T-Mobile only spent $9 billion to round out its existing spectrum.

    The FCC is now auctioning off a new round, specifically 100 MHz of the 3.45 GHz band. Starting Tuesday, October 5, the auction has a reserve price of $14,775,354,330 that must be met. There’s almost no chance the reserve price won’t be met, as Fierce Wireless says the final price is estimated to be $31 billion, with a reasonable chance of reaching $40 billion. Verizon and AT&T are both seen as the most likely big spenders, as both companies still have a ways to go before they catch up to T-Mobile’s spectrum holdings.

    “We are moving with record speed and collaboration to free up more mid-band spectrum for 5G,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “These airwaves are a critical part of unlocking the 5G promise everywhere in the country. I want to thank the FCC staff who have worked so hard to start this auction this year. And I want to thank our partners at NTIA and the Department of Defense for working with us to free up this spectrum for 5G.”

  • Ericsson Debuts Indoor 5G Antennas for mmWave and Mid-Band

    Ericsson Debuts Indoor 5G Antennas for mmWave and Mid-Band

    Ericsson has announced indoor 5G antennas, for both mmWave and mid-band 5G.

    As carriers roll out 5G service, indoor reception continues to be an issue, especially for the high-band mmWave variety. mmWave is the fastest flavor of 5G, but it suffers from extremely limited range and poor building penetration. As a result, base stations and antennas must be used to ensure good indoor coverage.

    In contrast, mid-band spectrum is considered the sweet spot for 5G. While not as fast as mmWave, it still offers speeds in excess of 1 Gbps. Similarly, while the range and coverage is not as good as low-band 5G, it’s still a significant improvement over mmWave. Even so, mid-band can still benefit from indoor antennas for maximum performance.

    Ericsson has announced two antennas, both aimed at the US market: the Ericsson Indoor AIR 1279 and Ericsson Radio Dot 4459 small-cell radio.

    The Indoor AIR 1279 is “the world’s first indoor 800MHz Antenna Integrated Radio (AIR).” It offers double the performance of existing solutions, making it an ideal option for bringing mmWave 5G to the full range of indoor venues.

    In contrast, the Ericsson Radio Dot 4459 supports mid-band 5G, and builds on the success the company has had with its Radio Dot line of indoor antennas.

    “The quality of 5G service indoors is equally important to Ericsson as the user experience outdoors,” said Jessey Huang, Head of Ericsson’s Indoor Product Line. “We know what a differentiator great indoor 5G experiences are to subscribers, enterprise and industry. Therefore, we want our customers to be able to deliver that – in the best way possible. Ericsson is fortifying our 5G indoor portfolio, making it the simplest and most flexible product range on the market. We deliver a high-performing and dependable solution that is cost efficient and easy to deploy.”

  • 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.”

  • GE Partners Uses Verizon 5G to Power Cross-Industry Testbed

    GE Partners Uses Verizon 5G to Power Cross-Industry Testbed

    GE Research and Verizon have partnered to power a cross-industry GE testbed with Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband.

    Verizon’s Ultra Wideband, also known as mmWave, is the fastest flavor of 5G. It offers revolutionary speed, measured in gigabits. This makes it ideal for data-intensive applications that require high speeds and low latency.

    GE’s testbed will tackle a range of industries, including wireless, remote patient monitoring, predictive maintenance of aircraft engines and real-time control of wind farms.

    “Together with Verizon, we are leading the way in innovating on 5G,” said Vic Abate, GE’s Chief Technology Officer. “It marks a pivotal moment for the industrial world, as we finally have a wireless network platform that delivers the speed, scale, reliability and flexibility to connect industrial devices in a truly transformative way.”

    “Verizon’s 5G platform capabilities provide the perfect testbed for GE’s research team to build the next-generation, real-time solutions that will transform every industry,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “There’s never been a more critical time to build the 21st century infrastructure built on mobility, broadband and cloud and our 5G sits right at the epicenter.”

  • Apple ‘Spring Loaded’ Event: iPad Pro and M1 Mac

    Apple ‘Spring Loaded’ Event: iPad Pro and M1 Mac

    Apple uses its “Spring Loaded” event to unveil the new iPad Pro and an M1 iMac.

    iMac

    New iMac - Credit Apple
    New iMac – Credit Apple

    Cook highlighted the revolutionary impact of the transition to Apple’s custom M1 silicon, before giving the stage to John Ternus to discuss the latest addition to the M1 family: the iMac.

    The new iMac is a throwback to the original iMac, coming in seven different colors. Unlike previous generations, however, the M1 allows the iMac to achieve an all new degree of thinness. In fact, the new model is only 11.5 millimeters thick.

    iMac stays under 10 decimals under most situations, barely audible to the human ear.

    Navpreet Koloty showed off the progress Apple has made on the iMac’s cameras, the best the company has ever put in a Mac. Cameras were always a weak point for the Mac, something that became more apparent during the pandemic, as people started relying on videoconferencing.

    The iMac’s speakers and microphones also received a major upgrade, resulting in the best sound system ever put in a Mac.

    The new machines are up to 85% faster than previous models, with up to 2x faster GPU performance and up to 50% faster than the fastest discrete graphics iMacs. Machine learning is up to 3x faster.

    The iMac is the first desktop to offer Touch ID. Touch ID can be used to log in, make purchases and activate fast user switching, to switch between user accounts.

    iPad Pro

    iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard
    iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard – Credit Apple

    Raja Bose took the stage to announce the iPad Pro now has the M1 chip as well. The M1 in the iPad Pro delivers 50% faster performance than the previous generation. The 8-core GPU delivers up to 40% faster GPU performance than the previous model.

    The new model includes support for the latest Playstation and Xbox controls, complete with haptic feedback.

    The new iPad Pro has 2x faster storage access, and is now available with up to 2TB storage. New model includes Thunderbolt support with USB 4.

    The new iPad Pro supports 5G, including mmWave in the US, giving it the ability to have 4Gbps download under ideal conditions.

    iPad Pro Center Stage - Credit Apple
    iPad Pro Center Stage – Credit Apple

    Fiona O’Leary showed the improvements Apple has made to the cameras. One of the biggest announcements was the introduction of Center Stage. Using the new 122-degree, Ultra-Wide camera and machine learning, Center Stage keeps the user in the center of the view, addressing one of the biggest complaints of the iPad’s current cameras.

    The new models also include the much anticipated mini-LED display, complete Liquid Retina XDR, a first for the tablet line. The Magic Keyboard is also available in white.

    The 11-inch model starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch starts at $1,099.

  • iPhone 13 to Bring mmWave Support to International Models

    iPhone 13 to Bring mmWave Support to International Models

    The iPhone 13 will reportedly widen support for mmWave, brining it to iPhones sold internationally, rather than just the US models.

    mmWave is the fastest flavor of 5G, although it has limited range and building penetration. When the iPhone 12 was released, it only supported mmWave 5G in the US. International models only support 5G bands in the sub-6GHz range.

    According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, via MacRumors, Apple is set to change that with the iPhone 13.

    While 5G smartphone shipments increased significantly in 2020, most of them only supported Sub-6 GHz. We believe that mmWave will create more diverse applications than Sub-6 GHz because of the benefits of faster speed and lower latency. The mmWave model of the ‌iPhone 12‌ only supports the US market, and the shipment allocation of the total ‌iPhone 12‌ is about 30–35%. We predict that the ‌iPhone 13‌ mmWave models will be available in more countries (e.g., Canada, Japan, Australia, and major European mobile operators), so the shipment allocation of ‌iPhone 13‌ mmWave models will increase substantially to 55–60%.

    Kuo has a solid track record predicting Apple’s next moves. His latest prediction is good news for international iPhone users.

  • T-Mobile Takes ‘Most Reliable 5G Network’ Title in Latest Report

    T-Mobile Takes ‘Most Reliable 5G Network’ Title in Latest Report

    T-Mobile continues to be the carrier to beat in the US 5G race, adding “most reliable 5G” to its list of accolades.

    The magenta carrier established an early lead in 5G coverage, thanks to being the first company to roll out a nationwide 5G network. T-Mobile used its 600 MHz spectrum to power the nationwide network, spectrum that gives it excellent range and penetration.

    In contrast, Verizon focused almost exclusively on high-band mmWave spectrum in its initial rollout. mmWave offers spectacular speed, but very poor coverage and penetration. As a result, Verizon was the undisputed king of 5G speed in the early days of the rollout.

    In January, however, T-Mobile took the 5G speed crown from Verizon, and now the company’s network has been named the most reliable 5G as well.

    Independent research firm umlaut examined 35 million data samples from more than 55,000 5G users. According to umlaut’s research, T-Mobile ranks first in 5G overall in 44 states. In addition, the company earned top marks for 5G coverage, reliability and speed.

    “Time and time again, the independent network benchmarking reports prove there’s one clear leader in 5G, and that’s T-Mobile,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the largest, fastest and now most reliable 5G network in the country, our sights are firmly set on what’s next in 5G, while the competition plays catch-up!!”

  • 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.

  • Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Won Big at FCC 5G Auction

    Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Won Big at FCC 5G Auction

    The FCC has finally revealed the winners of its mid-band spectrum auction, and Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile came out on top.

    Mid-band spectrum is the most coveted type of spectrum for 5G. High-band, otherwise known as mmWave, offers the fastest speeds, but its range is extremely limited, as is its ability to penetrate objects. Low-band spectrum offers the best range and penetration, but its speeds are only marginally faster than the fastest 4G. Mid-band spectrum offers the best of both worlds, providing speeds upwards of 1 Gbps, while still offering decent range and penetration.

    Of the three major US carriers, Verizon and AT&T need mid-band spectrum the most. T-Mobile has a wealth of it from its merger with Sprint, spectrum it has been rolling out at a record pace. The other two carriers, on the other hand, have not been able to match T-Mobile’s 5G rollout, largely because of not having enough mid-band spectrum.

    It’s little wonder the spending at the FCC’s auction far exceeded estimates. Analysts had originally predicted spending would reach $47 billion, but the total topped $81 billion.

    Not surprisingly, Verizon (listed in FCC docs as Cellco Partnership, its legal name) was the biggest bidder, coming in at $45,454,843,197. AT&T came in second, spending $23,406,860,839. T-Mobile rounded out the top three at $9,336,125,147.

    While T-Mobile needed, and spent, the least, the company was believed to be buying spectrum to round out its portfolio, further boost its spectrum in heavily populated areas and drive the bidding higher so Verizon and AT&T didn’t get a free ride.

  • Qualcomm Introduces First 10 Gigabit 5G Modem

    Qualcomm Introduces First 10 Gigabit 5G Modem

    Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X65, the world’s first 5G modem with 10 gigabit support.

    Qualcomm is the world’s leading cellular modem manufacturer, and the company claims its latest generation of 5G modems is the biggest leap yet. Most notably, the Snapdragon X65 offers full 10 gigabit performance.

    To be clear, 10 gigabit speeds are not currently available from any kind of 5G. However, the fastest flavor of 5G, high-band mmWave, is designed to offer speeds measured in gigabits. Even the slower, but farther-reaching mid-band 5G, has already been proven to be able to deliver speeds in excess of one gigabit. As a result, a 10 gigabit modem ensures there is no bottleneck and allows the phone to benefit from the full range of speeds offered.

    Another major benefit of the Snapdragon X65 is its spectrum aggregation, enabling it to use a combination of all available 5G spectrum bands to provide the best combination of speed and range.

    “The 5G transition presents the biggest opportunity for Qualcomm as mobile technology is poised to benefit virtually every industry,” said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO-elect, Qualcomm Incorporated. “We are reaching a significant milestone with the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System, unleashing connectivity up to 10 Gigabits per second and support for the latest 5G specifications that will play a critical role in enabling new 5G use cases not only for redefined premium smartphone experiences, but also opening a new realm of possibilities for 5G expansion across mobile broadband, compute, XR, industrial IoT, 5G private networks and fixed wireless access.”

    “Snapdragon X65 brings together all the key 5G breakthroughs expected from the world’s leading wireless innovator,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Our fourth-generation 5G modem-RF system is designed for 5G launches globally and brings major innovations from modem to antenna along with extensive spectrum aggregation capabilities across sub-6 GHz and mmWave. This will fuel the rapid expansion of 5G while enhancing coverage, power efficiency and performance for users. And with extended range, high-power capabilities, Snapdragon X65 and X62 are also at the heart of the expansion of 5G into fixed wireless access and cloud-connected computing opportunities.”

  • Carriers Go All-In On Mid-Band 5G

    Carriers Go All-In On Mid-Band 5G

    The FCC’s mid-band spectrum auction has concluded its initial phase, and the bidding reveals carriers are all-in on mid-band.

    Throughout much of the world, mid-band spectrum has been the cornerstone of 5G rollouts. In the US, however, the Big Three carriers have focused on low and high-band. The only exception is T-Mobile, which inherited a wealth of mid-band spectrum from its acquisition of Sprint, and immediately began deploying it.

    As Forbes’ Bob O’Donnell points out, all three carriers have spent big at the FCC auction, speaking volumes about their view of the 5G market. Verizon has spent approximately $30 billion, AT&T has spent $20 billion and T-Mobile has spent $10 billion.

    As O’Donnell points out, regardless of how much each carrier has been touting their low-band network for its coverage, or their high-band mmWave network for its speed, mid-band is clearly where it’s at. Mid-band is widely seen as the sweet spot for 5G, offering a good balance of coverage and speed. In fact, T-Mobile has even demonstrated speeds of 1 Gps using its current mid-band spectrum. At the same time, mid-band offers far better coverage than the couple of hundred meters that mmWave offers.

    Another benefit of US carriers rallying around mid-band is that it helps phone and cellphone radio makers consolidate the number of frequencies they have to support.

    Either way, the investment is good news for customers.

  • 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.

  • T-Mobile Doubles Mid-Band 5G Coverage, Will Cover 100 Million By Year’s End

    T-Mobile Doubles Mid-Band 5G Coverage, Will Cover 100 Million By Year’s End

    T-Mobile has doubled the extent of its mid-band 5G coverage in just a month, with plans to provide coverage to 100 million by year’s end.

    Mid-band 5G is considered the sweet spot by many experts, providing the range and coverage needed for optimal use. T-Mobile achieved gigabit speed with its mid-band 5G in May. While high-band mmWave is often associated with gigabit speeds, it’s hampered by notoriously short range and even worse building penetration.

    “When it comes to real-world 5G, the only way to get the kind of performance benefits we’ve been promised is through the critical mid-band spectrum,” noted Bob O’Donnell, President of TECHnalysis Research. “Sure, mmWave can be fast, but it’s nearly impossible to find, while low-band 5G is easy to find, but offers smaller improvement over existing LTE. With the 2.5 GHz spectrum being lit up by T-Mobile, however, you get the sweet spot of noticeably improved performance in a respectable coverage area. That’s the kind of 5G benefit that consumers are going to notice and appreciate.”

    Thanks to T-Mobile’s Sprint acquisition, it has more mid-band spectrum than any US carriers, putting it in an excellent position to deliver on its promise.

    “Mid-band is the only way to deliver super-fast 5G speeds that can reach for miles. And here’s the secret AT&T and Verizon don’t want you to know: T-Mobile is the only one with big swaths of mid-band dedicated to 5G. T-Mobile has more mid-band spectrum than anyone else,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’re the only ones building a transformational 5G network built on dedicated — not shared — airwaves. And that means only T-Mobile is capable of making the world’s best 5G network a reality.”

    Today’s announcement is good news for T-Mobile subscribers.

  • Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm Deliver 5 Gbps 5G

    Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm Deliver 5 Gbps 5G

    Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm have hit another major 5G milestone, delivering download speeds of 5 Gbps.

    Verizon has mainly been focusing on mmWave 5G, the fastest variety of 5G. It promises speeds in the gigabits, with latency in the single digits, or low double digits at most.

    Now, a week after announcing speeds of 4 Gbps, Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm have achieved 5 Gbps download speeds.

    “We have been driving the evolution of 5G technology from the early days and we continue to aggressively drive innovation — pushing the limits of the technology farther and faster for our customers,” said Brian Mecum, Vice President of Device Technology at Verizon. “This latest achievement is yet another milestone in providing a genuinely differentiated service for our customers on mmWave.”

    Verizon says that, when fully mature, its mmWave 5G will deliver speeds up to 10 Gbps, along with latency under 5 milliseconds.

    “Our strategy from the beginning has always been to reshape the world by driving innovation and leading the way in deploying the keenly differentiated 5G Ultra Wideband experience customers can only get from the mmWave based 5G network. It is the 21st century infrastructure that will shape the future,” said Mecum. “Today’s demonstration shows the advancements we are making to provide our customers with the mobile technology and capabilities they don’t even yet know they need.”

    The one issue Verizon still faces, however, is coverage. While it offers blazing speeds, mmWave has extremely short range and terrible building penetration. Verizon recently invested heavily in mid-band spectrum at the latest FCC auction. Prior to that, the company did not have enough mid-band spectrum to effectively compete with T-Mobile, especially since most experts consider mid-band spectrum to be the 5G sweet spot for both range and performance.

    Similarly, the company does not have enough low-band spectrum to roll out a dedicated, nationwide 5G network. Instead, it has had to rely on Dynamic Spectrum Switching (DSS) to share the spectrum used by its 4G LTE network. Unsurprisingly, early reviews report less-than-impressive performance.

    While Verizon’s 5G is the undisputed king of speed, it has a long way to go before it can effectively deliver that performance to the majority of its users.

  • Verizon Launches Nationwide 5G Network, Early Reviewers Unimpressed

    Verizon Launches Nationwide 5G Network, Early Reviewers Unimpressed

    In combination with Apple’s 5G iPhone 12 launch, Verizon has announced the immediate availability of its nationwide 5G network.

    As US carriers have rolled out their 5G networks, Verizon has taken a much different approach than AT&T and T-Mobile. Until now, Verizon has largely focused on its high-band, mmWave 5G. AT&T and T-Mobile, while deploying mmWave of their own, were quick to roll out nationwide 5G networks using low-band spectrum. AT&T used its 850 MHz spectrum, while T-Mobile used 600 MHz.

    While low-band spectrum doesn’t offer nearly the same speed as mmWave, it offers much better coverage and building penetration. In many cases, low-band 5G matches or exceeds 4G LTE’s range and penetration, much of which is in the 700 MHz range. Verizon now joins the other two carriers with a nationwide 5G network using its low-band spectrum.

    Unfortunately, unlike T-Mobile and AT&T, Verizon does not have enough low-band spectrum to create a dedicated, nationwide 5G network. Instead, it has to use Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) to share the same spectrum between its 4G LTE and nationwide 5G networks. In pre-launch tests—the couple of days before the announcement when 5G started showing up on Verizon devices—the new network was actually slower than Verizon’s 4G LTE.

    “I wouldn’t worry too much about the 5G being slower than 4G yet,” write Sascha Segan & Steven Winkelman for PCMag. “This is pre-launch and either our devices or the network may not have been fully configured. But I think 5G being the same speed as 4G is more relevant, because DSS 5G is really just a shell game. You get faster speeds when you add spectrum to a carrier’s pool. The power of 5G comes from its ability to use wider channels than 4G—up to 100MHz each where 4G channels max out at 20MHz.

    “DSS simply shifts some existing 4G channels to 5G when they aren’t being used by 4G phones. So you’re going to end up with narrow odds and ends of airwaves that don’t expand the carrier’s portfolio any, but let it show a “5G” indicator for marketing purposes.”

    It remains to be seen how Verizon’s nationwide 5G network will stack up now that it’s officially launched. If the early tests are to be believed, however, it shows why T-Mobile is widely considered the 5G carrier to beat, especially with its acquisition of spectrum-rich Sprint.

  • T-Mobile Improves 5G Performance By Mixing 5G Types

    T-Mobile Improves 5G Performance By Mixing 5G Types

    T-Mobile has used new radio carrier aggregation to boost 5G performance, combining mid-band downloads with low-band uploads.

    T-Mobile was one of the first companies to popularize the multi-frequency approach, using low-band, mid-band and high-band mmWave to build a full 5G network. Each of these types of 5G has their own advantages.

    Low-band is only marginally faster than 4G LTE, but offers excellent range and building penetration since it’s in the 600 MHz spectrum. Mid-band is widely believed to be the sweet spot, offering over 1 Gbps speed, combined with decent range. T-Mobile is using the 2.6 Ghz spectrum it acquired in the Sprint merge for its mid-band. mmWave, on the other hand, is the fastest type of 5G and is over 6 Ghz. Unfortunately, its range is only a couple hundred meters and it has abysmal penetration.

    T-Mobile has been experimenting with combining mid-band spectrum for downloads, while using low-band for uploads. The end result has been increased speeds overall, while at the same expanding the carrier’s 5G footprint.

    “When it comes to our network and what we deliver to customers, we never rest on our laurels,” saidx Abdul Saad, Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile. “We have the first and largest nationwide 5G network, covering over 250 million people across 1.3 million square miles, and we’ll never stop working with industry leaders to develop and refine new technologies like this so we can deliver #5GforAll.”

  • 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

  • Qualcomm Doubles Range of mmWave 5G to 2.36 Miles

    Qualcomm Doubles Range of mmWave 5G to 2.36 Miles

    Qualcomm and Ericsson have successfully doubled the range of mmWave 5G, completing a phone call over data 2.36 miles away.

    mmWave is the fastest variety of 5G available, with speeds measured in gigabits. Its Achilles heel, however, has been its poor range and building penetration. In most applications, it requires base stations and repeaters to be placed every couple of hundred yards in order to provide stable coverage.

    Qualcomm’s latest test, however, has extended that range, specifically in the context of fixed wireless access (FWA). Because of its speed and low latency, 5G shows promise as a broadband replacement in areas where it would be cost prohibitive to run fiber. FWA equipment can have far more powerful antennas and radios than the average smartphone, helping to extend mmWave’s range.

    “With the introduction of the Qualcomm QTM527 mmWave antenna module as part of the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System, we are empowering operators and OEMs to offer high-performance, extended-range multi-gigabit 5G broadband to their customers – which is both flexible and cost-effective, as they can leverage existing 5G network infrastructure,” said Gautam Sheoran, senior director, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “With this major milestone being the first step in utilizing mmWave for an extended-range 5G data transfer, our collaboration with Casa Systems and Ericsson is paving the way to implement fixed broadband services for broad coverage in urban, suburban and rural environments.”

    This is a big step forward for Qualcomm and the 5G industry in general, and should help further its adoption.

  • Verizon the First US Wireless Company to Offer International 5G

    Verizon the First US Wireless Company to Offer International 5G

    Verizon has become the first US wireless carrier to strike an international 5G roaming deal.

    All three US carriers are racing to deploy 5G networks, and are eager to tout their milestones and advantages. T-Mobile has the widest 5G coverage, while Verizon’s 5G network has the fastest speeds. Verizon can now add another feather to its cap, being the first US wireless company to offer 5G international roaming—albeit in a single country.

    The company has inked a deal to offer 5G roaming service in South Korea. Verizon conducted tests using a dual frequency device that can access the company’s mmWave service in the US and Korea’s 3.5 GHz mid-band spectrum when roaming. Speeds in Korea averaged 252 Mbps down and 119 Mbps up. Despite the rather humble beginnings, Verizon promises more countries will soon be included in its international roaming agreements.

    “We are in the early phases of global roaming partnerships with other countries and will continue to look for strategic partnerships with international providers who, like Verizon, are leading the 5G evolution. This roaming service with South Korea will serve as a model as we engage with 5G providers in other countries to provide our customers who travel globally with more options,” said Kyle Malady, Chief Technology Officer.