Recent moves by carriers in the development of 5G technology has some in the industry wondering just how much the technology will shift the wireless landscape. The FCC approved Verizon’s request to lease 28GHz and 39 GHz licenses from NexxtLink, reports IT Business Edge, and C Spire recently ran 5G field tests, which yielded very positive video results.
Verizon’s move to lease spectrum on these frequencies suggests that its deployment of 5G may come earlier than expected, as soon as 2017, according to Verizon CFO Fran Shammo.
“Verizon is effectively collecting all the pieces it needs to start 5G deployments, once further tests are completed of course,” Shammo said during the company’s most recent quarterly earnings call. “To get to a commercial launch and actually start to generate revenue—I think that will come in very late ’17 or ’18.”
C-Spire’s field test showed that 5G can be used to deliver ultra-high definition television. Last month, during the company’s field test in Mississippi, it was able to deliver ultra-high definition television at a top speed of 2.2 gigabits per second with latency lower than 1.4 milliseconds, using the 28 GHz range.
Based on these positive field results, Investor’s Business Daily recently predicted 5G fixed wireless could threaten the cable industry’s control of video. In rebuttal, a Comcast executive downplayed the threat, citing fixed wireless’ small service areas and the large amount of equipment it needs to operate, reports IT Business Edge.
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