Verizon Holds Fixed Wireless 5G Trials In US

The race to 5G continues with news that Verizon is to hold trials of the wireless technology in five US cities in the spring.

The US operator will deliver fixed wireless internet access to homes and businesses using Samsung’s 5G access units.

These software-defined systems will use 28GHz millimetre-wave (mmWave) frequencies to connect to a virtualised core network set up in Verizon’s data centres in the US.

US 5G trials

The final 5G standard is yet to be defined, but it is likely to be powered by high range frequencies above 24GHz.

The tests will provide the company with insight into how customers might use the 5G service and how it performs in a real world environment. Trial locations include New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington DC and Michigan, in cities with varying population densities and terrains.

“Delivering 5G to these pilot customers is an important step in assessing the business model and customer experience for delivering wireless broadband via 5G,” said Roger Gurnani, chief information and technology architect at Verizon. “Samsung’s early and extensive development in 5G has been very valuable in contributing to Verizon’s 5G Technology Forum progress.”

“This represents a major leap forward in offering 5G fixed wireless access to consumers,” added Youngky Kim, head of Samsung’s networks business. “The 5G challenges we will address, and the customer feedback we receive will help lay the foundation for future business models and customer applications.”

5G networks are set to be a hot topic at next week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The first commercial 5G services are set to go live in 2020 offering faster speeds, low latency and an impression of ‘infinite’ capacity.

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