C Spire and Phazr Team Up for 5G Trial with Millimeter Waves

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The world of 5G is becoming clearer before our eyes. Wireless carrier C Spire and equipment manufacturer Phazr, for example, recently teamed up to test millimeter wave base station technology, which could prove vital for future 5G networks, especially those in rural areas, reports IEEE Spectrum.

Wireless signals are typically below 6 GHz, but high millimeter waves will prove important for the development of 5G technology due to the spectrum remaining empty. Currently, Phazr’s high-frequency wave base stations make it possible to deliver internet service to homes and businesses in rural areas, which prevents the need for companies to expand their underground fiber networks.

“It’s just buried gold for a lot of small towns and rural folks,” Craig Sparks, vice president of technology strategy and planning for C Spire, told IEEE Spectrum, talking about the untapped potential of broadband technology in rural areas. “We just need to pop it up with solutions that make delivering it quicker.”  

Partnering with Phazr could enable C Spire to expand its internet service without growing its buried fiber network, which might not be economical due to the rural features of areas where it has yet to expand.

C Spire has called its work with Phazr, “pre-5G” technology, as the broadband speeds are not yet high enough to provide mobile broadband that smartphones require. Phazr’s over-the-air internet technology requires a device to receive the millimeter waves broadcast over Phazr base stations.

May 25, 2017      

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