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Verizon to Expedite Field Trials and Wide-scale Commercial Deployment of 5G NR mmWave Technology

Verizon to Expedite Field Trials and Wide-scale Commercial Deployment of 5G NR mmWave Technology Image Credit: Verizon

Verizon is collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies and Novatel Wireless to expedite the development and over-the air(OTA) field trials of 5G New Radio (NR) millimeter wave (mmWave) technology.

The companies plan to work together to help move the mobile ecosystem towards faster validation and commercialization of 5G NR mmWave technologies at scale, supporting a full-scale commercial network deployment by the end of 2019.

The OTA trials will be based on the 5G NR Release-15 specifications being developed by 3GPP. The companies plan to initially focus on 5G NR operation in 28 GHz and 39 GHz mmWave spectrum bands, showcasing advanced 5G NR technologies to efficiently achieve robust multi-gigabit per second data rates with mobility at significantly lower latencies than today’s networks.

These technologies are expected to be critical to meeting the increasing connectivity requirements for emerging consumer mobile and fixed wireless broadband experiences such as streaming high-definition video, immersive virtual/augmented reality, and connected cloud computing.

The companies plan on delivering a common 5G NR mmWave technology platform for mobile and home broadband wireless access, supporting a 5G NR migration path for Verizon’s early 5G fixed wireless access deployments and trials based on the 5G-Technology.

The companies expect the collaboration to include over-the-air trials, starting in 2018, that will be compliant with the first 3GPP 5G NR specification that will be part of Release 15.

The trials will utilize 5G NR mmWave mobile test platforms from Qualcomm Technologies operating at 28 GHz and 39 GHz to test end-to-end applications in real-world scenarios, across a broad set of 5G NR mmWave use cases and deployment scenarios.

In addition, the trials will employ advanced 5G NR Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technology with adaptive beamforming and beam tracking techniques to deliver robust broadband communications in real-world mobile or fixed environments, including non-line-of-sight environments and device mobility.

Qualcomm Technologies anticipate utilizing learnings from the trials to help drive the ongoing development of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem family to support anticipated commercial service launches starting the first half of 2019 based on the global 3GPP 5G NR standard.

Ed Chan, SVP, Verizon Technology Strategy and Planning
Verizon’s investment in mmWave spectrum has given us the flexibility to pursue a first-of its kind fixed wireless broadband customer trial, which has been invaluable in advancing our expertise in the deployment of mmWave technology. 

Joe Glynn, VP, Business Development, Qualcomm Technologies 
We are excited to collaborate with Verizon in making 5G NR mmWave a commercial reality for mobile devices, including fixed wireless home routers, mobile hotspots, tablets and smartphones.

Author

Ray is a news editor at The Fast Mode, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience in the wireless industry.

For tips and feedback, email Ray at ray.sharma(at)thefastmode.com, or reach him on LinkedIn @raysharma10, Facebook @1RaySharma

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