Verizon claims the company is poised to deploy 5G nationwide “in the near future,” and recently completed a step to make the next generation of wireless a reality. The carrier said it successfully wrapped trials in Texas and Minnesota using dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology to enable LTE and 5G services to run simultaneously over low-frequency (or low-band) spectrum, reported TeleCompetitor.
The testing conducted via a live environment will enable Verizon to use its full portfolio of spectrum resources to serve both 4G and 5G customers, according to a Verizon press release. “DSS is an important stepping stone in achieving the flexibility and adaptability needed to accomplish such an aspirational level of programmability in our advanced Intelligent Edge Network,” said Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President of Technology Planning at Verizon.
Thus far, Verizon’s 5G coverage has lagged behind competitors since the telecom was only deploying 5G in high-frequency millimeter wave bands, while AT&T and T-Mobile were using a combination of low-band and millimeter wave spectrum.
According to the release, “DSS allocates spectrum resources between 5G and LTE in real-time, depending on customer usage patterns…which enables spectrum to be used more efficiently.” TeleCompetitor reported AT&T also plans to use DSS in portions of its commercial network to enable LTE and 5G to share the same spectrum.
“The launch of DSS technology will unleash the power of 5G technology, allowing for robust computing at the edge of the network, and greater programmability of the network to manage dynamic traffic and uses,” said Koeppe. “The most recent successful trials of our DSS technology demonstrate we are on track to launch 5G nationwide in 2020.”
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